Comparative Literature and Thought
The following graduate degrees are available from the Department of Comparative Literature and Thought:
- Comparative Literature, PhD
- Data Science in the Humanities, Graduate Certificate
- Early Modern Studies, Graduate Certificate
- German and Comparative Literature, PhD
- German and Higher Education Administration, AM
- Germanic Languages and Literatures, AM
- Germanic Languages and Literatures, PhD
- Translation Studies, Graduate Certificate
See the home department for information about the dual PhD programs, including the following:
- East Asian and Comparative Literatures, PhD (East Asian Languages and Cultures)
- English and Comparative Literature, PhD (English)
- French and Comparative Literature, PhD (Romance Languages and Literatures)
- Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature, PhD (Romance Languages and Literatures)
Contact Info
Contact: | Graduate Program Administrator: Comparative Literature and Thought |
Phone: | 314-935-5170 |
Email: | complitandthought@wustl.edu |
Website: | https://complitandthought.wustl.edu/ |
Chair
Matt Erlin
Professor of German
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Director of Graduate Studies
Caroline Kita
Associate Professor of German
PhD, Duke University
Directors of Undergraduate Studies
André Fischer
Assistant Professor of German
PhD, Stanford University
Joseph Loewenstein
Professor of English
PhD, Yale University
Department Faculty
Jami Ake
Teaching Professor
PhD, Indiana University
Aylin Bademsoy
Assistant Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures
PhD, University of California, Davis
Nancy E. Berg
Professor of Modern Hebrew Language and Literature (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
J. Dillon Brown
Associate Professor of English (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Jianqing Chen
Assistant Professor (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Jiayi Chen
Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Chicago
Lingchei Letty Chen
Professor of Modern Chinese Literature (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Columbia University
Rebecca Copeland
Professor of Japanese Language and Literature (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Columbia University
Tili Boon Cuillé
Professor of French (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Matthias Goeritz
Professor of Practice of Comparative Literature
PhD, Washington University
Robert E. Hegel
Liselotte Dieckmann Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature in Arts & Sciences (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, Columbia University
Robert K. Henke
Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature
PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Mona Kareem Husain
Assistant Professor of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, State University of New York at Binghamton
Ignacio Infante
Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature
PhD, Rutgers University
Carol Jenkins
Lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literatures
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Hyeok Hweon Kang
Assistant Professor East Asian Languages and Cultures (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Harvard University
Catherine Keane
Professor of Classics (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Tom Keeline
Associate Professor of Classics (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Harvard University
Katherine Kerschen
Lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literatures
PhD, Penn State University
Gabi Kirilloff
Assistant Professor of English (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Stephanie Kirk
Professor of Spanish (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, New York University
Sarah Koellner
Assistant Professor of German Languages and Literatures
PhD, Vanderbilt University
Naomi Lebowitz
Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Humanities
PhD, Washington University
Ji-Eun Lee
Associate Professor of Korean Language and Literature (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Harvard University
Tabea Linhard
Professor of Spanish (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Duke University
Frank Lovett
Professor of Political Science
PhD Columbia University
Paul Michael Lützeler
Rosa May Distinguished University Professor Emeritus (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, Indiana University
Marvin Marcus
Professor Emeritus of Japanese (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, University of Michigan
Erin McGlothlin
Professor of German
PhD, University of Virginia
William McKelvy
Associate Professor of English (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Virginia
Stamos Metzidakis
Professor Emeritus of French and Comparative Literature (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, Columbia University
Timothy Moore
John and Penelope Biggs Distinguished Professor (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of North Carolina
Jamie Newhard
Associate Professor of Japanese (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Columbia University
Anca Parvulescu
Liselotte Dieckmann Professor of Comparative Literature (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Minnesota
Dolores Pesce
Avis Blewett Professor Emerita of Music (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, University of Maryland
Philip Purchase
Senior Lecturer
PhD, University of Southern California
Jessica Rosenfeld
Associate Professor of English (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Wolfram Schmidgen
Professor of English (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Chicago
Michael Sherberg
Professor Emeritus of Italian (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Vincent Sherry
Howard Nemerov Professor in the Humanities (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Toronto
Zoe Stamatopoulou
Associate Professor of Classics (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, University of Virginia
Alexander Stefaniak
Associate Professor of Music (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Eastman School of Music
Harriet Stone
Professor of French (Affiliated Faculty)
PhD, Brown University
Lynne Tatlock
Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished Professor in the Humanities
PhD, Indiana University
Gerhild Scholz Williams
Barbara Schaps Thomas and David M. Thomas Professor Emerita in the Humanities (Emeritus Faculty)
PhD, University of Washington
- Comparative Literature, PhD
- Data Science in the Humanities, Graduate Certificate
- Early Modern Studies, Graduate Certificate
- German and Comparative Literature, PhD
- German and Higher Education Administration, AM
- Germanic Languages and Literatures, AM
- Germanic Languages and Literatures, PhD
- Translation Studies, Graduate Certificate
Courses include the following:
- Comparative Literature
- Germanic Languages and Literatures
- Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities
Comparative Literature
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L16 Comp Lit.
L16 Comp Lit 500 Independent Work
Prerequisites: senior standing and permission of chair of the committee.
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5051 Gender and Sexuality
This course will provide the conceptual and analytical frame for critically examining literary and cultural production in the Hispanic world from the perspective of gender and intersections with race, ethnicity, class, religion, nationality, and (dis)ability. The course will engage readings in theory, criticism, and historiography crucial to the scholarly investigation of gender and sexuality in the field of Hispanic studies. We will address how the consideration of gender has transformed literary and cultural analysis; in particular, the ways in which scholars of feminist and gender studies have challenged traditional assumptions about how knowledge and subjectivities are produced. The students will come out of the course having acquired: 1) a knowledge of fundamental concepts in feminist and gender studies; 2) an understanding of how feminist/gender studies scholars identify and frame research questions; 3) an introduction to the critical debates related to gender and sexuality; 4) a knowledge of feminist cultural history; 5) the ability to apply relevant concepts in feminist and gender studies to your own research in a historically-grounded fashion.
Same as L38 Span 5051
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 513C Seminar: The Renaissance of Doubt
Same as L14 E Lit 513
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 517 Translation & Imitation in 18th-Century PO
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5199 Milton
Major poems and prose works in relation to literary and intellectual currents of the 17th century.
Same as L14 E Lit 494
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 520B Topics in Literature: The Novel and Globalization
Comparing the literatures -- readings in the literature and theory of English and American Literature. Topics vary according to semester offerings.
Same as L14 E Lit 420
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5219 Seminar in Reformation and Humanism: Strange Encounters: Travel in the Literature of the Early Moder
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5241 Seminar
Seminar topics vary according to semester offerings.
Same as L14 E Lit 5241
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 524A International Modernism/World Literature
Same as L14 E Lit 524
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 525 Seminar in Romanticism: German Romanticism--Novels and Stories
Same as L21 German 525
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 527A Sem. in 20th-Century Literature: Between Transmission and Transgression - Representing the Holocaust
Same as L21 German 527
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 529 Seminar in Cultural Theory: The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity
Graduate-level seminar. Topics vary by semester.
Same as L21 German 529
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5300 Data Manipulation for the Humanities
The course will present basic data modeling concepts and will focus on their application to data clean-up and organization (text markup, Excel, and SQL). Aiming to give humanities students the tools they will need to assemble and manage large data sets relevant to their research, the course will teach fundamental skills in programming relevant to data management (using Python); it will also teach database design and querying (SQL). The course will cover a number of "basics": the difference between word processing files, plain text files, and structured XML; best practices for version control and software "hygiene"; methods for cleaning up data; regular expressions (and similar tools built into most word processors). It will proceed to data modeling: lists (Excel, Python); identifiers/keys and values (Excel, Python, SQL); tables/relations (SQL and/or data frames); joins (problem in Excel, solution in SQL, or data frames); hierarchies (problem in SQL/databases, solution in XML); and network graph structures (nodes and edges in CSV). It will entail basic scripting in Python, concentrating on using scripts to get data from the web, and the mastery of string handling.
Same as L93 IPH 430
Credit 1 unit. EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5320 Programming for Text Analysis: Introduction to Literary Text Mining in R
This course will introduce basic programming and text-analysis techniques to humanities students. Beginning with an introduction to programming using the Python programming language, the course will discuss the core concepts required for working with text corpora. We will cover the basics of acquiring data from the web, string manipulation, regular expressions, and the use of programming libraries for text analysis. Later in the course, students will be introduced to larger text corpora. They will learn to calculate simple corpus statistics as well as techniques such as tokenization, chunking, extraction of thematically significant words, stylometrics and authorship attribution. We will end with a brief survey of more advanced text-classification terminology and topics from natural language processing such as stemming, lemmatization, named-entity recognition, and part-of-speech tagging.
Same as L93 IPH 432
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 536 Spanish Cultural Studies
In this course we will examine different approaches to postcolonial studies (Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Ella Shohat, Walter Mignolo) in relation to texts focusing specifically on Spain's cultural and religious pluralism (Américo Castro, Daniela Flesler, Susan Martin-Márquez, Eduardo Subirats, Alfredo Campoy-Cubillo). We will also discuss the theoretical foundations of such concepts as "Convivencia," "Orientalism," "Transatlantic Studies," and "Mediterranean Studies." We will begin the semester by discussing the end of Spanish empire in the nineteenth century and then move across the violent twentieth century and into the twenty-first century in order to assess the ways in which colonial, postcolonial, and neo-colonial discourses shape contemporary culture in Spain and the nation's former colonies. Primary texts may include novels (Ana María Matute's PRIMERA MEMORIA, Juan Goytisolo's DON JULIAN), films (Chus Gutiérrez's films PONIENTE [2001] and RETORNO A HANSALA [2008], Iciar Bollaín's films FLORES DE OTRO MUNDO [1999] and TAMBIÉN LA LLUVIA [2012]), and more recent depictions of and approaches to migration, multiculturalism, and memory in Spain in times of crises. All texts are available in translation.
Same as L38 Span 536
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 541 Craft of poetry: Poetry in Translation/Poetry and Translation
Same as L13 Writing 541
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 549 Topics in Comparative Literature: Writing from the Periphery: The Question of Chineseness
In this course, we will read a broad range of literary works written by ethnic Chinese from various parts of the world. We will examine the notion of "Sinophone," primarily its implications to the challenge of cultural identity formation to those Chinese who are not traditionally identified as "Chinese" because of war, migration, immigration, colonialism, among others. We will also examine the meaning of being on the margins of geopolitical nation-states. Finally we will discuss the notions of hybridity and authenticity vis-a-vis literary representation. We will read works by ethnic Chinese writers from the United States, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Tibet, and so on. This course is limited to seniors and graduate students only. All readings will be in English. Active class participation is required.
Same as L16 Comp Lit 449
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 550 Methods of Literary Study
The seminar deals with recent theories of Modernism, Postmodernism, New Historicism, Multiculturalism, and Postcolonialism. We will read and discuss books and articles by Calinescus, Lyotard, Hutcheon, Greenblatt, Taylor, Habermas, Ashcroft/Tiffin, and Grossberg/Nelson/Treichler. Readings in Enlish. Prerequisite: graduate standing 6 units of literature, or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 550A Workshop in Literary Translation (Spanish to English; English to Spanish)
Same as L38 Span 550
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 550B Interdisciplinary Topics in the Humanities
Same as L93 IPH 450A
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 550E Masterworks of Early Japanese Literature: The Tale of Genji and its Afterlives
This course is an intensive study of one of the central texts of classical Japanese literature. Selection of texts rotate among works including: The Tale of Genji, court diaries, poetry anthologies, Noh drama, The Tale of the Heike, setsuwa collections, and medieval memoirs. In addition to exploring the historical, literary, and cultural significance of the work from its genesis to the present age, students engage in a close reading of the text and an investigation of the primary theoretical issues and approaches associated with the work both in Japan and abroad. Prior knowledge of early Japanese literature or history is recommended. Texts will be read in English translation. Prerequisite: junior level or above or permission of instructor.
Same as L05 Japan 450
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 551 Methods of Literary Study: The Theory and Practice of Literary Translation
This course combines a review of translation theories with a study of translation practices. We will investigate how translations reflect changing literary and cultural values. In addition, we will examine how the nuances of language and culture (source and target) influence the translator's choice of whom and what kind of text to translate. Guest translators will be invited to discuss their work. Requirements: Class presentation of a literary translation of your choice; to be turned into a paper. You must choose a text that has at least two previous translations, which you will evaluate and critique as you work on your own translation and which will be part of your paper. Poetry is preferable; should you choose prose, you must select a challenging text. The paper must include an outline/brief discussion of your methodological assumptions.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 551A Reading the "Right To Have Rights": Borders, Mobilities, and Memories
Taking Hannah Arendt's notion of the "right to have rights" as a starting point, this course centers on the connections between the Humanities and Human Rights. We will discuss a variety of literary texts in relation to theoretical works from such fields as Border Studies, Critical Refugee Studies, Mobility Studies, and Memory Studies. This will allow us to examine different histories of displacement, spanning from the early twentieth century to the present. In addition to contextualizing the historical and legal significance of such terms as "refugee," "asylum," "sanctuary," "non-refoulement," or "forced displacement," our discussions will also allow us to engage with the broader meanings of concepts that include hospitality, identity, belonging, and citizenship. A majority of the literary texts on the syllabus stem from the Hispanophone world; all are available in translation. Students will have the opportunity to add material to the syllabus and may base their final projects on their main areas of study, providing they are relevant to the theme and materials of the course.
Same as L38 Span 551
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 552 Methods of Literary Study: The Theory and Practice of Literary Translation II
A review of translation theories and the study of cultural translation across different time periods and areas of the world. A more general approach to translation and cultural exchange in a globalizing world than Part I (Comp Lit 551), with specific examples to be drawn from Europe, Asia, Latin America and various cultural and literary exchanges between these regions. Topics will include the ideological and ethical underpinnings of translation, the political uses of language in intercultural communication, translation and comparative poetics, the impact of digital technology, and the role of translation in a postcolonial and multicultural world. We will consider not only written texts, but also film and new media as the objects of our critical inquiry. Students will choose a work that has already been translated for critique, in addition to producing their own translation and a critical response to their translation. Requirements: presentations, response papers, final translation project. Prerequisite: native or near-native competence in English and another language. This class is required for students completing the Graduate Certificate in Translation Studies. Open to graduate students in Comparative Literature, English, foreign languages and literatures, as well as any other program across the Humanities with an interest in Translation Studies.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5521 Translation Module 1
The first of a series of three 1-unit courses devoted to the practice of translation. The student will translate a published text of 20-30 pages (or, exceptionally, an unpublished text) from either literature, literary criticism, or literary theory related to the course material, pre-approved by the faculty member teaching the class, due at the end of the semester in which the class is taught.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5522 Translation Module 2
The second of a series of three 1-unit courses devoted to the practice of translation. The student will translate a published text of 20-30 pages (or, exceptionally, an unpublished text) from either literature, literary criticism, or literary theory related to the course material, pre-approved by the faculty member teaching the class, due at the end of the semester in which the class is taught.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5523 Translation Module 3
The third of a series of three 1-unit courses devoted to the practice of translation. The student will translate a published text of 20-30 pages (or, exceptionally, an unpublished text) from either literature, literary criticism, or literary theory related to the course material, pre-approved by the faculty member teaching the class, due at the end of the semester in which the class is taught.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 554 Seminar on East Asian Print Culture and Society: Women in Print
This team-led seminar examines developments in the history of publishing and reading in Japan, Korea, and to some extent China from the 17th to the 20th centuries, with particular attention to material that focuses on women as readers or as objects of discourse. Specific topics include periodicals and books written for, about, and by women; the role of print and publishing in early modern and modern construction of gender roles; literacy, education, and habits of reading; the role of women readers and female-targeted publications in the development of literary culture. The course will consider both commonalities and divergences in the construction of women as readers in each country in light of their interrelated but distinct historical and cultural conditions. The course will also include an introduction to digital humanities scholarship. Common readings will be in English, but seminar participants who are able to use Japanese or Korean sources will be expected to do so. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructors.
Same as L81 EALC 554
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 560 Special Topics Seminar in Lit of China
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 560C Literary Pedagogy
Permission required by the Department.
Same as L14 E Lit 560
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 563 Literary Criticism: From Critique to Postcritique
Same as L14 E Lit 563
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5652 Seminar
Graduate seminar for graduate students only. Varied Topics.
Same as L14 E Lit 5651
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5690 Essays on Continentalization: Literature, Thought, Art, Politics
Nation states and their cultures have been changed by globalization. Within this process continentalization has played an important role. The European Union is only half a century old, but continental unity has been discussed and demanded by European writers and thinkers for hundreds of years. We will read essays on Europe (its identity, its cultural diversity, and its cultural roots, contemporary problems, and future goals) by writers such as Coleridge, Madame de Staël, Novalis, Chateaubriand, Heine, Nerval, Hugo, Thomas Mann, Ernst Jünger, T.S. Eliot, Klaus Mann, Kundera, Enzensberger, Frischmuth, and Drakulic, as well as by philosophers such as the Duke of Sully, the Abbé de Saint-Pierre, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Ortega y Gasset, and de Madariaga. Other points to be considered will be the mythological figure of Europa and her resurrections in the world of art; the portraits of Napoleon and their political messages; and the Nazarene painters of the early 19th century in Rome. We will study how "Europe discourse" has been a reaction to the great wars, as connected to a goal of a pacified and united continent. We will also examine the importance of comparisons made between Europe and the United States and between the Occident and the Orient. Readings will be accompanied by the study of theoretical contributions in the area of collective identity formation.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5692 Shakespeare and Performance
How were Shakespeare's plays performed in their own day--in the Globe theater, with boy actors, and with very short rehearsal times? How, for the actor, did performance work on the outdoor stage, with the Globe's wide and deep acting platform and its intimate relationship to the audience? How might one stage Shakespeare today in an outdoor environment without lighting and with minimal sets, and with the capacity to move easily from one outdoor venue to another? From what social types in Renaissance England-such as merchants, prostitutes, aristocrats, constables, beggars, and princes-did Shakespeare draw? How can evolving ideas about race, gender, and sexuality inform the way we perform Shakespeare today? Addressing these questions and others, the course weaves together performance and literary, critical, and historical study. Topics include blank verse, performing Shakespeare's prose, playing with figures of speech, working the Globe stage, engaging an outdoor audience, acting from a written "part" rather than an entire script, performing types, exploring Shakespeare's sources as performance alternatives, making Shakespeare new-and more. Students will rehearse and perform sonnets, scenes, and monologues based on social figures from Shakespeare's England. The course assumes a willingness to perform but not specialized acting training.
Same as L15 Drama 4692
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L16 Comp Lit 5710 Topics in Japanese Culture: Reminiscences of Childhood and Youth
Topics course on Japanese culture. Subject matter varies by semester; consult current semester listings for topic.
Same as L81 EALC 4710
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
Germanic Languages and Literatures
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L21 German.
L21 German 500 Independent Study
Requires a paper or a written examination. Prerequisites: permission of the student's adviser and the department.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
View Sections
L21 German 5012 Advanced Pedagogy Seminar: Integrating Technology into Language Instruction
Seminar offers professional development in language pedagogy with a focus on enhancing the teaching of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and culture through technology. Participants will develop critical skills for assessing, creating, and integrating multimedia courseware into the language classroom. Course formats include readings, discussion, demonstrations, and hands-on sessions with multimedia technologies (e.g., software, WWW, CD-ROM, video). Open to advanced graduate students in all language departments who have completed their required classes. Students with questions regarding eligibility should consult with the instructors.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 505 Seminar in the Teaching of German
A practical and theoretical introduction for the new teacher of college-level German. Includes basic linguistic principles, classroom management, teaching of smaller units, testing principles, teaching methodologies, professional orientations, and use of multimedia. Extensive observation and the preparation and delivery of a cultural teaching unit.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 5051 Introduction to the Teaching of German
This course will introduce students to basic teaching strategies employed in the German department at Washington University and allow students to evaluate these personally by means of required observations of German 102. Discussions and research will call upon students to understand how basic language learning fits into the overall curriculum on a departmental and university level at Washington University as well as in other programs. The examination and evaluation of language textbooks will introduce students to market issues as well as differences in methodology/philosophy represented by the textbook and new issues involving technology.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L21 German 5052 Teaching Practicum
This course supports beginning university instructors during their first German courses at Washington University. It will be comprised of activity composition, discussion and microteaching with a focus on the following topics: a review of processing instruction, the national standards and the four skills in a cultural context, technology in the foreign language classroom, and appropriate strategies for feedback, assessment and motivation.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L21 German 5053 Theory and Practice of Foreign Language Pedagogy
This third course in the pedagogical series takes a look back and forward to inform future language instruction. Instructors in their second semester of teaching German at Washington University will consider various theories that have been employed for the purpose of second/foreign language acquisition and how these have been incorporated into or overlooked in contemporary SLA methodology. Students will be introduced to important journals as well as professional organizations that assist language instructors at all levels and will present one journal article of their choice to the class. They will also have an opportunity to begin construction of the materials portfolio - gathering exemplary syllabi, lesson plans and evaluations, and creating their first drafts of a statement of teaching philosophy to start them on these aspects of job market preparation. The course will be comprised of active class discussion and group and individual document development.
Credit 2 units.
View Sections
L21 German 5061 Apprenticeship in the Teaching of Literature and Culture I
Apprenticeship in teaching literature and culture in English. For students who have completed at least 1 year of teaching at Washington University.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L21 German 5062 Apprenticeship in the Teaching of Literature and Culture II
Apprenticeship in teaching literature and culture in German. For students who have completed at least 1 year of teaching at Washington University.
Credit 1 unit.
View Sections
L21 German 5071 German Reading Knowledge for Graduate Students I
The first part of a two-semester course sequence in reading and translating German. For graduate students in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. May not be taken for graduate credit.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 5081 German Reading Knowledge for Graduate Students II
Mastery of more specialized vocabulary and of complex German sentence structure. Emphasis on tools and strategies for researching German language texts. Students who complete L21 5071 and 5081 should be able to read German academic texts proficiently. Prerequisite: L21 5071 or equivalent.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 520 Seminar in Medieval Culture
The Middle High German era from 1150 to 1350 produced the first great literary works in the German language. The syllabus will be organized around what may well be the key concept of the period, minne. Minne predominately refers to courtly love, a class-specific set of erotic practices or attitudes--even an ethical system--that characterize the courts of medieval Germany and Europe. Far less research, however, has been conducted on the equally powerful legal and theological meanings of minne as conflict resolution by means of reconciliation. Our seminar will inquire whether classic German texts such as Hartmann's Iwein, Walther's lyrics, or the Nibelungenlied (as a negative exemplum) deploy the multiple meanings of minne to argue for a more peaceful society based on love rather than warfare and vengeance. Since most courtly love literature assumes or creates heterosexual norms, gender relations will be a theoretical and thematic aspect of our thinking. Why would heterosexual love serve well as the allegory for peace? We will consider non-literary texts in prose such as sermons, chronicles, and legal compilations; plus some late medieval selections, especially from the Minnereden. The historical and legal research on medieval conflict resolution by Gerd Althoff, Stephen D. White, William Ian Miller, and Fredric L. Cheyette and others will constitute the interdisciplinary context of our reading and discussion. Readings in MHG as far as possible but translations will also be available.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 527A Seminar: Literature in the Making III
This seminar is designed for graduate students enrolled in the International Writers PhD Track in German and Comparative Literature to put their creative work into conversation with their studies in German language, culture, and literature with an eye to the long-term goal of the hybrid dissertation. Participants will read and discuss practical criticism, present their current creative projects and hone their skills as writers, translators and readers by engaging with a living literature as it evolves. At the conclusion of the course, students will have the choice of presenting a polished work of translation, a piece of original writing (in English or in German), or an essay on one or more of the works read during the semester. German students not officially in the International Writers Track are not eligible to take this course.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 529 Seminar in Cultural Theory
Graduate-level seminar. Topics vary by semester.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 5382 Contemporary Literature
This seminar deals with contemporary German literature of the last three decades. Prerequisite: graduate student standing. Max Kade Writer/Critic course taught each Spring Semester. Topics vary by year/semester.
Credit 2 units. Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L21 German 551 Methods of Literary Study: The Theory and Practice of Literary Translation
This course combines a review of translation theories with a study of translation practices. We will investigate how translations reflect changing literary and cultural values. In addition, we will examine how the nuances of language and culture (source and target) influence the translator's choice of whom and what kind of text to translate. Guest translators will be invited to discuss their work. Requirements: Class presentation of a literary translation of your choice; to be turned into a paper. You must choose a text that has at least two previous translations, which you will evaluate and critique as you work on your own translation and which will be part of your paper. Poetry is preferable; should you choose prose, you must select a challenging text. The paper must include an outline/brief discussion of your methodological assumptions.
Same as L16 Comp Lit 551
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 553 Theories of Literary and Cultural Analysis: Narrative Theory - A Critical and Analytical Toolbox
This seminar familiarizes graduate students with concepts and methodologies that are foundational for research in the humanities. Our discussions will be organized around a range of conceptual categories that have constituted the focus of scholarly reflection in the past few decades, categories such as text, genre, image, medium, discourse, discipline, subjectivity, gender, race, culture, politics, and history. Our consideration of these categories will also require us to examine key currents in recent literary theory and cultural criticism, including (post)structuralism, psychoanalysis, Marxist theory, feminism and gender theory, postcolonial studies, cognitive science, book history, visual studies, and media theory. Although this seminar does not aim to offer an intellectual history, seminar members will acquire a sense of some of the key trends in cultural theory since 1945, as well as an awareness of the limits and possibilities that characterize each of them. The course also includes an introduction to the tools of scholarly research. Readings and discussions in English. Prerequisite: permission of the Director of Graduate Studies for undergraduates.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L21 German 563 Literary Criticism: From Critique to Postcritique
Same as L14 E Lit 563
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L93 IPH.
L93 IPH 525 Humanities by the Numbers: Essential Readings in Digital Humanities
To what extent can computational techniques that draw on statistical patterns and quantification assist us in literary analysis? Over the semester, we will juxtapose the close reading of historical documents or literary works with the "distant reading" of a large corpus of historical data or literary texts. We will ask how the typically "human" scale of reading that lets us respond to literary texts can be captured on the "inhuman" and massive scales at which computers can count, quantify and categorize texts.While this class will introduce you to basic statistical and computational techniques, no prior experience with technology is required. Prerequisites: two 200 level or one 300-level course in literature or history. This is a topics-type course and the specific documents and works examined will vary from semester to semester. Please see semester course listings for current offerings.
Same as L93 IPH 425
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 530 Data Manipulation for the Humanities
The course will present basic data modeling concepts and will focus on their application to data clean-up and organization (text markup, Excel, and SQL). Aiming to give humanities students the tools they will need to assemble and manage large data sets relevant to their research, the course will teach fundamental skills in programming relevant to data management (using Python); it will also teach database design and querying (SQL). The course will cover a number of "basics": the difference between word processing files, plain text files, and structured XML; best practices for version control and software "hygiene"; methods for cleaning up data; regular expressions (and similar tools built into most word processors). It will proceed to data modeling: lists (Excel, Python); identifiers/keys and values (Excel, Python, SQL); tables/relations (SQL and/or data frames); joins (problem in Excel, solution in SQL, or data frames); hierarchies (problem in SQL/databases, solution in XML); and network graph structures (nodes and edges in CSV). It will entail basic scripting in Python, concentrating on using scripts to get data from the web, and the mastery of string handling.
Same as L93 IPH 430
Credit 1 unit. EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 531 Statistics for Humanities Scholars: Data Science for the Humanities
A survey of statistical ideas and principles. The course will expose students to tools and techniques useful for quantitative research in the humanities, many of which will be addressed more extensively in other courses: tools for text-processing and information extraction, natural language processing techniques, clustering & classification, and graphics. The course will consider how to use qualitative data and media as input for modeling and will address the use of statistics and data visualization in academic and public discourse. By the end of the course students should be able to evaluate statistical arguments and visualizations in the humanities with appropriate appreciation and skepticism. Details. Core topics include: sampling, experimentation, chance phenomena, distributions, exploration of data, measures of central tendency and variability, and methods of statistical testing and inference. In the early weeks, students will develop some facility in the use of Excel; thereafter, students will learn how to use Python or R for statistical analyses.
Same as L93 IPH 431
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, AN EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 532 Programming for Text Analysis
This course will introduce basic programming and text-analysis techniques to humanities students. Beginning with an introduction to programming using the Python programming language, the course will discuss the core concepts required for working with text corpora. We will cover the basics of acquiring data from the web, string manipulation, regular expressions, and the use of programming libraries for text analysis. Later in the course, students will be introduced to larger text corpora. They will learn to calculate simple corpus statistics as well as techniques such as tokenization, chunking, extraction of thematically significant words, stylometrics and authorship attribution. We will end with a brief survey of more advanced text-classification terminology and topics from natural language processing such as stemming, lemmatization, named-entity recognition, and part-of-speech tagging.
Same as L93 IPH 432
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 550 Interdisciplinary Topics in the Humanities: The Emotional Life of Work
Same as L93 IPH 450
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 550A Interdisciplinary Topics in the Humanities
Same as L93 IPH 450A
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
View Sections
L93 IPH 590 Digital Humanities in the Classroom
For declared DASH Graduate Certificate students. See DASH Director for enrollment.
Credit 3 units.
View Sections
L93 IPH 599 Internship in Digital Humanities
A practicum in digital humanities. Graduate students will work on one or more faculty research projects sponsored by the Humanities Digital Workshop. While we will try to assign students to projects that align with their research interests, we will also aim for assignments that will help students extend their skills. Students seeking a DASH internship should consult with the director of the DASH program.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
View Sections