Comparative Literature (Yale University)

[Abishai100]

Yale University (Connecticut, USA) is one of the most prestigious schools in the world and a member of the Ivy League. I attended Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, USA), also a member of the Ivy League, but I've done a great deal of research about Yale and its window into 'intuitive academics.'

I also took a very high-level Comparative Literature course at Dartmouth in my junior year and earned very high marks, which is where/when I first became interested in Comparative Literature and its links to the social sciences (e.g., psychology, anthropology, history).

Yale encourages its students to seriously think about what they're learning and how they can use what they've learned to be contributing diplomats of civilization.

The Comparative Literature Department at Yale is very well-organized and boasts committed faculty and a plethora of enriching courses.

SAMPLE UNDERGRADUATE COURSES:

1. Epic in the European Literary Tradition
2. Louis XIV and the Culture of Absolutism
3. Dante in Translation
4. World Cinema

SAMPLE GRADUATE COURSES:

1. Intro to Theory of Literature
2. Working Group on Globalization and Culture
3. Milton
4. The Practice of Literary Translation


Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study of international relations, but works with languages and artistic traditions, so as to understand cultures 'from the inside'" (source of information: Wikipedia).

A scholar/student/teacher of comparative literature may examine, for example, the evolution of Freudian theories in literature and the arts (e.g., Sophocles, Virginia Woolf, Woody Allen).

Yale's Comparative Literature Department is a nice institutional symbol of educational investments in 'integrative scholasticism,' which is why we can reference its research/courses to understand intellectual liberties in the modern arts.




Comparative Literature (Yale Website)

 

[Unkotare]

And?

 

[Abishai100]

...and nothing, friend!

I think it's important to talk about current educational offerings in America, because we need more positive reinforcement about what we actually have to work with, so are you familiar (Unkotate) with Comparative Lit programs from around the country?

 

[Unkotare]

What discussion did you think would follow from simply mentioning a course of study found in most humanities departments at most universities? What did you want to talk about? Or was the plan to just copy and paste from college brochures?

 

[Abishai100]

What discussion did you think would follow from simply mentioning a course of study found in most humanities departments at most universities? What did you want to talk about? Or was the plan to just copy and paste from college brochures?

Whoa, you're obviously perturbed at my approach; yes, in a way I did want to simply cut-and-paste and encourage readers to look up other Comp Lit departments on their own; I cited Yale, because its department website was easy to follow.

If you have something more pertinent you think would be great for Comp Lit, I hope this thread did not come off as unwelcoming to critique/enhancement/additions.

Hope that helped!

A