Innovative courses in Comp Lit
Undergraduate courses in CL are always in motion. In spring, Professor Jane Newman offered Renaissance Europe Goes to the Movies, featuring films from the U.S. and England made in the 1940s through the 21st century. The film-makers often get the history wrong but project compelling impressions that influence politics and culture in the present. Another innovative course offered this spring was inspired by students who wanted to study food. Professor Adriana Johnson responded by teaching an intimate "group course" with readings contributed by students. Food will be on the menu again next fall when Professor Nasrin Rahimieh offers a general education course called "Food in Literature." Comparative Literature's signature topical group-taught courses create dynamic collaborations among undergrads, graduate students, and faculty, all concentrating on urgent issues of the day. Past topics include civil disobedience, police/state, and occupy/decolonize. The topic proposed for next spring (2014) is debt, organized by Professor Rei Terada. Undergraduate majors can now specialize in one of three strands within Comparative Literature: Comparative Literature and Critical Theory, Cultural Studies, or World Literature. Comp Lit students write about their experiences on our website:
http://www.humanities.uci.edu/complit/undergraduate/Testimonials.php
http://www.humanities.uci.edu/complit/undergraduate/Testimonials.php