The Literature Major

Literature courses

Director of undergraduate studies: Moira Fradinger, Rm. 102, 451 College St., 432-4750, maryjane.stevens@yale.edu

FACULTY OF THE LITERATURE MAJOR

Professors   Dudley Andrew (Chair), Peter Brooks (Emeritus), Katerina Clark, Roberto González Echevarría, Benjamin Harshav (Emeritus), Geoffrey Hartman (Emeritus), Michael Holquist (Emeritus), Carol Jacobs, Pericles Lewis, Barry McCrea, Rainer Nägele, David Quint, Katie Trumpener

Associate Professor   Moira Fradinger

Assistant Professors   Benjamin Conisbee Baer, David Gabriel

Lecturers   Jan Hagens, Adriana Jacobs

Senior Lector   Howard Stern

Affiliated Faculty   Rolena Adorno (Spanish & Portuguese), R. Howard Bloch (French), Rüdiger Campe (German), Francesco Casetti (Film Studies), Kang-i Sun Chang (East Asian Languages & Literatures), Peter Demetz (Emeritus) (German), Michael Denning (American Studies), Wai Chee Dimock (English), Shoshana Felman (Emeritus) (French), Paul Fry (English), Beatrice Gruendler (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Karsten Harries (Philosophy), Tina Lu (East Asian Languages & Literatures), John MacKay (Slavic Languages & Literatures), Giuseppe Mazzotta (Italian), Christopher L. Miller (French), Joseph Roach (English), Maurice Samuels (French), Henry Sussman (German) (Visiting), Christopher Wood (History of Art), Ruth Yeazell (English)

The Literature Major allows students to address fundamental questions about the nature, function, and value of literature in a broadly comparative context. Majors read and write about a wide variety of literary works across periods, genres, and national traditions. They investigate traditional and contemporary approaches to literary study, ancient and modern literary theory, and the relationship of literature to film and to other branches of the arts and sciences.

The Literature Major offers students the freedom to construct a program of study that reflects their intellectual goals. All students planning to major in Literature should register with the director of undergraduate studies, who will work with them to develop a coherent, well-focused sequence of courses suited to their individual interests.

The major offers a number of its own courses, which constitute the core of the program. Other courses are normally chosen from different language and literature programs, many of which offer courses on literature and film in translation. Among these programs are African American Studies, Classics, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, Film Studies, French, German, Italian, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Portuguese, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Spanish. Courses in film studies count toward the major in the same way as courses in literature. Students with a particular interest in film may wish to elect the film track within the Literature major.

The experience of reading a foreign literature in the original language enables us to understand the nature of both language and literature more fully. Prospective Literature majors are strongly encouraged to begin the study of a foreign language as early as possible in their academic careers and to continue such study throughout their time at Yale. Students interested in graduate study in comparative literature should be aware that many programs require reading knowledge of two or three foreign languages.

Prerequisites   Completion of the Yale College foreign language distributional requirement is a prerequisite for entry into the major. Two specific courses are also prerequisites, LITR 120, Introduction to Narrative, and 122, World Poetry and Performance. These courses may be taken in either order.

The standard major   Beyond the prerequisites, the Literature Major requires twelve term courses, including one required course, two core seminars, and the senior requirement. Students must take LITR 300, Introduction to Theory of Literature, in the sophomore or junior year. Students take an additional three courses in a foreign literature, in which they read the texts in the original language. Students may also elect to include in their major two courses in a related discipline that has direct bearing on their study of literature, such as English, history of art, philosophy, anthropology, music, or theater studies. One of these elective courses may be in creative writing. A third elective from a related discipline may be applied to the major with permission of the director of undergraduate studies.

Core seminars   In core seminars, LITR 400–480, students focus intensively on particular texts, films, literary and cultural issues, and theoretical problems. Students are required to take at least two core seminars, preferably one in the junior and one in the senior year. The seminars provide training in literary interpretation and theory, preparing students for the senior essay.

Pre-1800 course requirement   The Literature Major requires at least one course in literature before 1800. Because both genres and individual works of literature refer to, emulate, challenge, and rewrite older works and conventions, students benefit from acquiring a degree of historical perspective. All Literature courses numbered 150–199 fulfill the pre-1800 requirement. Courses from other departments may also fulfill the requirement.

Poetry or drama requirement   In addition to LITR 122 and the pre-1800 course, all students must take one course in poetry or drama. The course may be one offered in a program other than Literature.

Foreign literature requirement   All majors are required to take at least three additional term courses, beyond the foreign language distributional requirement, in an ancient or modern foreign literature, in which the literature is read in the original language. One or more courses can be taken at a basic literature level (normally equivalent to the third year of language study); however, at least one course must be taken at an advanced level (normally equivalent to the fourth year of language study or higher). Students are encouraged to continue developing their foreign language skills by taking advanced language courses and may, with permission of the director of undergraduate studies, substitute one language course at the L5 level for one of the three required foreign literature courses.

A literature course in translation is sometimes suitable as a foreign literature course. In such cases, Literature majors are expected to request additional assignments from their instructors that demonstrate they have engaged with the texts in the original language. They should fill out a form, signed by the instructor, attesting to their intent to do so. This form is available in the department office in Room 102, 451 College St.; students should submit it to the director of undergraduate studies along with their course schedule.

Nonnative speakers of English who are granted permission by Yale College to complete the foreign language distributional requirement by taking ENGL 114, 120, or 450 may take three additional English literature courses to fulfill the foreign literature requirement of the Literature Major, or they may fulfill the major requirements in a third language.

The senior essay   In the senior essay, required of all majors, students develop a research topic of their choice and work closely with a faculty adviser. Normally, the essay makes use of texts in the language of their original composition. Any exceptions must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies. Deadlines for the prospectus, the rough draft, and the completed essay are listed in the course descriptions of the senior essay course (LITR 491 and 492, 493).

The senior essay may be written over one term (LITR 491) or over two terms (LITR 492, 493). Alternatively, students may fulfill the senior essay requirement within the context of a core seminar (the senior seminar essay). Because no more than five students per seminar may elect this option, students should petition the instructor promptly at the beginning of the term. It is understood that students choosing the senior seminar essay will work closely with the instructor throughout the term and produce a substantial paper, approximately thirty pages. Students earn one course credit for the seminar in which the essay is written; no additional course credit is awarded for the essay itself.

Students with an especially well-developed project may petition to write a yearlong senior essay. Interested juniors must apply to the director of undergraduate studies by the last day of classes in the spring term. Students may count the second term of the essay as one elective course toward the total number of courses required for the major. Students expecting to graduate in May enroll in LITR 492 during the fall term and complete their essays in 493 in the spring term. December graduates enroll in 492 in the spring term and complete their essays in 493 during the following fall term. Students planning to begin their essay in the spring term should notify the director of undergraduate studies by the last day of classes in the fall term.

Film track   Students may elect to pursue a film-intensive concentration within the Literature Major. Students in the film track must fulfill the same requirements as those in the standard Literature track, with the following exceptions. Film-track students take LITR 143, World Cinema, instead of LITR 122 as one of the prerequisites to the major. They take two foreign literature courses rather than three; neither may be substituted with an advanced language course. In addition, students in the film track must take one course in film theory and three electives in the field of film studies.

Intensive major   Students in the intensive major complete three courses each in two non-anglophone literatures, in all of which the literature is read in the original language. Three of these courses take the place of the three electives in the non-intensive major. Intensive majors must also demonstrate proficiency at the L5 level in one of their languages and at the L4 or above in the other. Students taking the intensive major in three national literatures must take two courses each in two national literatures and three in a third. They must demonstrate proficiency at the L5 level in the language of their principal literature, and at the L4 level or above in the other two.

Year or term abroad   The Literature Major encourages students to consider spending a summer, a term, or a year abroad. Courses taken on international programs may, with permission of the director of undergraduate studies, be applied to the Literature Major's foreign literature requirement.

Foreign literature courses   The following table lists languages in which advanced literature instruction is available at Yale, specifying courses that fulfill the basic and advanced literature requirements for the major. Courses with numbers higher than those listed also normally fulfill the requirement, providing that they focus on literature (rather than language) and that the literature is read in the original language.

Other ancient and modern languages, including those from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, may be suitable for the Literature Major if a qualified faculty adviser is available to supervise the major.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

Prerequisites   Both tracks—LITR 120; completion of Yale College foreign lang distributional req; Standard track—LITR 122; Film track—LITR 143

Number of courses   12 term courses beyond prereqs (incl senior essay)

Specific course required   LITR 300

Distribution of courses   Both tracks—1 course in lit before 1800; 1 course in poetry or drama; 2 core sems; Standard track—3 courses in 1 foreign lit, as specified; Film track—2 courses in 1 foreign lit, as specified; 1 course in film theory; 3 electives in film studies

Substitution permitted   Standard track—for 2 electives, 2 courses in another discipline, incl 1 in creative writing; a third course in another discipline for a lit elective, with DUS permission; 1 advanced lang course for 1 of 3 req foreign lit courses, with DUS permission

Senior requirement   One-term senior essay (LITR 491); or two-term senior essay (LITR 492 and 493); or 1 core sem (LITR 400–480) with senior sem essay

Intensive major   3 addtl courses in a second foreign lang in place of 3 electives; demonstrated command of the second foreign lang to L4 level