Literature (LIT)
A treatment of select science fiction texts in terms of how they reflect shifting forms of work and social life in the 20th century. The course will focus on how these texts translate shifts in social patterns and popular entertainment.
Comics, once a genre associated primarily with superheroes, have evolved since the 1970's to address weighty philosophical and existential issues in extended formats such as the graphic novel. This course will examine the graphic novels from major authors in the genre (e.g., Spiegelman, Eisner, and Moore) as well as "outside" artists. Also covered are the theoretical foundations of comics theory according to Will Eisner and Scott McCloud (among others). May not be taken for credit by students who have completed LIT 380 Graphic Novel.
A formal and thematic analysis of a diverse selection of works of short fiction. The selection will be announced by the instructor when the course is scheduled.
Analysis of the novel as a literary form with attention to its place in ongoing cultural and political discourse.
Contemporary networks of global capital and information technologies provide the motivation for the reading strategies of this course. The course will examine literary texts from a variety of global contexts from the perspective of globalism and nationalism.
Study of poetry and imaginative prose, including an analysis of the theoretical, literary, and socio-cultural contexts of these works. The course may include creative writing by students.
While reading is the first step in understanding Shakespeare's work, seeing his words brought to life in a film or stage production comes closest to experiencing the plays as Shakespeare intended 400 years ago: as a performance. For each play discussed, students will view and compare two film versions. Students will also go to a live production of one play. Also covered are a history of Shakespeare in film and an introduction to film analysis. May not be taken for credit by students who have taken LIT 380 Shakespeare on Stage and Screen.
Study of major dramatists and movements in the theater since Ibsen and Strindberg, with special emphasis on such writers as Chekhov, Shaw, Brecht, O'Neill, Ionesco, and Pinter.
Designed to introduce students to the variety of professional theater performances in and around Chicago. Main emphasis on seeing plays, ancient to contemporary; essays and oral reports; study of dramatic genres and theater history.
Examination of the style and language of film as shown in a number of feature films, with emphasis on the various ways individual directors use the cinema for personal and cultural ends.
This course introduces students to literary texts in Western and other traditions that examine issues of gender and sexuality, exploring how both gender and sexuality are interactive concepts shaped by their interrelationships with other vectors of identity, and with the artistic forms in which they are represented. May not be taken for credit by students who have taken LIT 380 Gender and Sexuality in Literature.
An examination of works by Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Richard Wright and other black writers. The course includes formal and ideological analysis, emphasizing both nationalism and transnationalism in black culture. Prerequisite: A 100-level humanities course.
This course explores various issues represented within African American literature. Throughout the course the students will read texts that focus on relationships between race, class, gender and identity. Students will discuss and research topics associated with themes outlined by the instructor.
A survey of great American novelists, poets, and dramatists who have lived and worked in Chicago from the time of the Great Fire to the present day, and who have made Chicago one of the great world literary centers. Writers discussed include such figures as Theodore Dreisler, Carl Sandburg and Richard Wright. Prerequisite: A 100-level humanities course.
Study of such writers as Steineck, Frost, Eliot, Anderson, O'Neill, Hemingway, Cather, Wolfe, Faulkner, and contemporary writers such as Updike and Toni Morrison.
An investigation into a topic of current or enduring interest in literature, which will be announced by the instructor when the course is scheduled.
A workshop demonstrating principles of composition in fiction, poetry, or drama, studied from a writer's vantage point. Works by modern authors are analyzed. Student manuscripts are discussed and evaluated.
Consent of department. For advanced students.
Special project.
