Moodle Website for the course
(https://moodleucl.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=9777)
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A new question of comparative literature will be analyzed each year. The topic will be selected from one of the subfields of the discipline (comparative poetry, literary and cultural relations, literary theory). The question may potentially be derived from topics students are investigating for their thesis (in the case that enough students' interests overlap in terms of thematic, linguistic, theoretical and/or methodological dimensions).
- Introduce students to the methodologies and principles of the discipline through the analysis of a particular question of comparative literature.
- Provide students with an understanding of the essential structures and challenges of comparative literature and prepare them to undertake their own advanced research in the field of comparative literary studies.
- Encourage students to research questions related to national literature, as well as to expand their knowledge of foreign literature (Europe, Africa, America, Asia).
- Help student defining a research topic (by choosing a body of literature and a consistent methodological framework) and to analyze it using a critical approach and a comparative perspective.
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
The assessment of this seminar consists of two parts:
1) An Ongoing evaluation of the student participation to the seminar.
2) A paper dedicated to a subject and a corpus related to the focus of the seminar. Students are required to follow these instructions:
a) a written final paper (8-10 pages);
b) the topic of the paper will be chosen independently by the student based on the theoretical readings on the syllabus. The paper should analyze the literary readings of the seminar.
c) the paper should be posted electronically in PDF format on the Moodle website of the course by the first day of the relevant exams session (June or August).
The final evaluation will take into account the attention given to the quality of the written expression in French.
During the academic year 2016-2017, the seminar will involve two kinds of activities: 1) online seminar sessions with the teacher (through Google Hangout and videoconferences) and 2) flipped classrooms in which students will lead a group in preparation or following online sessions with the teacher.
Students will contribute to the seminar by sharing and defending their thoughts and judgments about the course readings. This active participation during the seminar sessions will be complemented by the writing of a final paper related to the topic and readings of the seminar.
Literature and Globalization: Globalization represents a main aspect of our contemporary world. The global process has been extensively studied in the political, economic, philosophical and anthropological fields. However, as far as today, literary studies have not really taken into account the measure of this phenomenon. This inadvertence of literary criticism represents a paradox because the contemporary novel, which is produced in a global world, needs to be analyzed within this contemporary global world. Moreover, concepts borrowed from other disciplines, such as interdependence or nomadism, become relevant to the study of literature.
The analysis of the globalization novel is the challenge of the Comparative Literature seminar in 2016-2017. This topic is highly comparative because it transcends the notions of border and nation and represents a very contemporary question which will help students to better understand the world they live in.
Required Reading
A: Theoretical Readings (mandatory)
1) AUGE, Marc, Non-Lieux. Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité, Paris, Seuil, 1992. ISBN 978-2020125260
B: Literary Readings (mandatory)
2) HOUELLEBECQ, Michel (France), Plateforme. ISBN 978-2290028520.
3) WABERI, Abdourahman (Djibouti), Transit. ISBN 978-2070768745.
C: Films (mandatory)
4) REITMAN, Jason, Up in the air, 2009 (1h49') (available on Moodle).
Literary texts may also be read in the original language, according to the linguistic skills of each student.
