Dartmouth College HANOVER • NEW HAMPSHIRE • 03755-3511 USA
Dennis Washburn, Chair David LaGuardia , Graduate Director 15-16
Professor of Japanese Studies & Comparative Literature Associate Professor of Classics & Comparative Literature
Comparative Literature Master of Arts Program
(2015-2016)
The Comparative Literature Master of Arts Program is an interdisciplinary program that approaches literary study from a variety of perspectives. The special focus of the M.A. is both to give graduate students the methodological, linguistic, and pedagogical training they need for advanced work in
Comparative Literature and to encourage them to pursue their independent research interests. The
Master of Arts program offers the opportunity for in-depth work with a tutor, advanced course work in
Comparative Literature, upper division literature courses, and language training.
Requirements for the M.A. Degree
(1) The Courses: Nine courses fulfill the degree requirement. The following five courses are required:
Fall Term 2015
COLT 100, Contemporary Literary Criticism and Theory
Global Critical Theory
Antonio Gomez
Arrange
Critical theory is an assemblage of practices used to interpret the social, political, and material structures that give meaning to diverse kinds of objects: texts, spaces, bodies, communities, photographs, films, discourses, identities, etc.. This course will consider the multiple ways in which theory has done its interpretative work on a variety of cultural productions from diverse global contexts. Texts by Barthes, Foucault, Derrida, Benjamin, Adorno, Kristeva, Butler, Lacan, Zizek,
Spivak, Bhabha, Said, Fanon, and others. Open to MA candidates only.
COLT 102, Tutorial
Intensive work with a faculty tutor on a Comparative Literature subject
Arrange with Advisor
The tutorial offers students an opportunity to read in a focused way the texts most relevant to their winter presentation and spring essay. It is designed as an extended independent study. By the midpoint of the fall term, students will have been assigned a tutor in their area of interest. During the remainder of fall term, the tutor and student will meet informally to discuss the student’s reading, and to design an independent course of study for winter term. By the end of fall term, the student should have found a topic on which to concentrate during the remainder of the year.
During the winter term, the student and tutor are expected to meet regularly (at least once a week). In the ideal situation, the tutor would continue to serve as an advisor and primary reader for the rest of the year.
While there is no specific writing component to the tutorial, the more students write, the better.
Writing might include reading notes for all the readings, short position papers for a couple of readings/issues and the like. The student will also use this opportunity to start building up a bibliography for the essay to be written in COLT 103 in the spring.
The grade for COLT 102, to be awarded by the tutor, will be “ongoing” in the fall term, and recorded at the end of spring term.
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Winter Term 2016
COLT 101, Topics in Literary and Cultural Theory
How To Do Things With Theory
TBD
2A
This course examines how theory works and how one uses established theories to do intellectual work in literary, comparative, and cultural studies. The course is divided into three parts. In the first weeks, we will read some exemplary scholarship selected by the professor. We’ll ask: What constitutes a methodology? What kinds of intellectual and theoretical moves are being made? How are these moves textualized? How are primary texts mobilized? How does the author position her/himself in relation to previously established theories? In the second part of the course, each student will analyze along the same lines an example of literary, comparative or cultural scholarship he or she particularly admires. In the final weeks of the course, using materials relevant to their MA project, students will practice making theoretical moves themselves. Open to MA candidates only.
COLT105, Graduate Seminar in Research and Methodology
David LaGuardia, Graduate Director
Arrange
This course is led by the Graduate Director and designed to integrate students’ work in the theory courses (COLT 100 and COLT 101) with their independent research projects; it may also address theoretical and methodological issues related to pedagogy. Periodic meetings begin during fall term, and continue during winter. Through oral presentations and class discussion, students prepare their presentation and complete an outline and draft of their essay in preparation for COLT 103 (Workshop in Critical Writing). The major text presentation constitutes part of the grade for COLT 105.
Spring Term 2016
COLT 103, Workshop in Critical Writing
Gerd Gemünden
3A
Critical thinking and concise, persuasive writing are prerequisites for any professional career. In fact, both go hand in hand. The Workshop in Critical Writing introduces graduate students to advanced research techniques, to the conventions of scholarly discourse, and to the various kinds of writing practiced in literary studies. We will analyze scholarly articles as examples of research methods, argument development, rhetorical technique, and stylistic presentation; we will test a variety of practical approaches to the interpretation of literary texts; and we will explore how we might use theory in critical argument. Students will be asked to prepare and submit a scholarly article based on their tutorial project and Major Text Presentation. The workshop format of the course will permit students to read and critique each other’s work and to sharpen their editorial skills. Open to MA candidates only.
The remaining four elective courses will be chosen in consultation with the graduate director.
(2) The Major Text Presentation is prepared in conjunction with the tutorial (COLT 102) and the graduate seminar (COLT 105). Students choose one literary or cultural text for presentation. The main object is to present a close reading or explanation of the text from carefully defined perspectives and to structure the presentation to reflect these approaches under the general umbrella of the tutorial topic.
Presentations should be approximately twenty minutes in length, followed by a discussion period. The
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graduate advisor and some members of the graduate committee will attend the presentations and will give students oral and written comments. The presentations are delivered early in the winter term .
(3) The M.A. Essay
By the end of their third term on campus, students are required to produce an essay of professional standard based on the readings and theoretical explorations undertaken in the fall and winter terms. They will work in close collaboration with their tutor, other faculty with pertinent areas of expertise, and the instructor of COLT 103. The essay serves two functions: it is a course requirement
(among others) of COLT 103, and it is a general requirement of the MA degree. In the first capacity, it is graded by the instructor of COLT 103; in the second, it must be judged “acceptable” by a committee of faculty.
The essay should be no more than 25 pages long. Its format should correspond to the guidelines of either MLA Style or Chicago Style. While the research, conceptualization, and initial drafting should have been done in prior terms, the “Workshop in Critical Writing” (COLT 103) assists the students throughout the writing process. In the workshop, students learn to produce outlines, critical introductions, abstracts, and critical evaluations of the manuscripts of others. As they write their paper, they become familiar with editing techniques and other academic writing skills. Drafts of the paper will be discussed in COLT 103 by the group and the workshop instructor.
Students will provide a summary of their essay topics in a conference-style presentation before faculty during the fourth week of the spring term. Presentations will be followed by questions and discussion. The final paper is due two weeks before the end of the term. It will be reviewed by a committee consisting of: the graduate director, the instructor of COLT 103, the student’s tutor for
COLT 102, and an outside reader who has not been involved in advising the student during the development of the essay. The committee determines whether the essay fulfills the degree requirement to produce “an essay of professional standard.” Students receive substantive written feedback from at least two faculty readers. The instructor for COLT 103, separately, assigns a grade, according to the syllabus for COLT 103.
Grading: Graduate Courses
Students are expected to maintain a high level of achievement after they have been admitted to the program. You will be graded according to the standards of the Graduate Studies Office: High Pass
(HP), Pass (P), Low Pass. Letter grade equivalents: HP=A, P=A- to B, LP=B-. In the case of courses taken in combination with undergraduates, students agree with instructors on an amended syllabus so that the work completed corresponds to graduate-level credit. Typical amendments include: additional reading/writing, additional meetings, different writing assignments, same assignments with different expectations.
Grading: Undergraduate Courses
For courses in which graduate credit is not available (such as language courses, numbered 1-10 in most cases), you may elect to receive either a letter grade or CR/NC (Credit / No Credit). Courses taken for undergraduate credit do not count toward the 9 credits required for the MA degree.
Teaching and Research Assistantships and Internships
Students fulfill their two-term assistantship requirement in a variety of ways: as an Apprentice Teacher in a language course (through the relevant department’s training and hiring process; appointments are not guaranteed); as a Teaching Assistant in an upper-level language or literature course (subject to faculty interest and funding availability); as a discussion leader for a lecture course (subject to availability); as an intern with a collaborating campus program in the Humanities (including Rauner
Library, Leslie Humanities Center and the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric) (placements depend on
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appropriate matching). The Director of Graduate Studies facilitates matches between students and faculty; students may also seek out interested faculty and propose their own matches for the Director’s approval.
Ethics Seminar
The Graduate School requires all students to complete a professional ethics seminar during their studies. You will complete the 3-session seminar during fall in meetings to be scheduled with Dr. Laura
Braunstein, the research bibliographer for Comparative Literature (and other disciplines) at Baker/Berry
Library. The seminar will be scheduled around your course and TA/RA commitments.
Comparative Literature and other sponsored events
Graduate students are expected to attend Comparative Literature Program lectures, presentations, and undergraduate thesis presentations. You should also take advantage of other lectures and conferences on campus that relate to your areas of interest. Event announcements typically come through the program administration and the daily “D2U” postings; you can also check the campus Calendar and keep an eye out for posters.
Conference Travel
The Graduate Studies Office has a limited fund for the support of full-time, stipend supported graduate students who present papers at professional meetings. When there is more than one author, only the student actually delivering the paper can be supported. This fund can be used for transportation, conference registration fees, and hotel expenses (excluding meals). For more information, please visit http://graduate.dartmouth.edu/funding/travelawds.html
.
Comparative Literature will contribute up to $200. For procedures, see the Comparative Literature
Administrative Office. Of course, you should consult your advisor and the Graduate Director before submitting an abstract.
Graduate Steering Committee
The Graduate Steering Committee oversees students’ individual progress as well as the overall curriculum of the program. It consists of: Dennis Washburn, Chair of Comparative Literature; David
LaGuardia, Director of Graduate Studies; Gerd Gemünden, instructor for COLT 103; and other faculty members. The Graduate Advisor serves as the liaison between graduate students and the committee.
Students are advised to take all academic questions to the Graduate Advisor who will communicate them when necessary to the committee at large.
Dartmouth Graduate Student Council
The GSC ( http://sites.dartmouth.edu/gsc/ ) organizes a number of events and initiatives related to graduate student life at Dartmouth. Comparative Literature graduate students should select a representative to the GSC during the first weeks of the term, and then contact the chair of the GSC to receive information about meetings and events.
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Campus Resources
Graduate Studies Office
Course Descriptions
Faculty Directory
Teaching and Learning
Housing
Humanities Research
Computer Help http://www.dartmouth.edu/~gradstdy/ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~reg/ and consult individual department and program web pages on the Dartmouth main website, especially prior to the end of August http://dfd.dartmouth.edu/
DCAL, Baker Library http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dcal/
North Park graduate housing http://graduate.dartmouth.edu/studentlife/northpark.html
Real Estate Office, 4 Currier Place http://www.dartmouthre.com/rental-housing/dartmouthrentals/apply-for-graduate-rental/
Leslie Center for the Humanities, 263 Haldeman http://www.dartmouth.edu/~lhc/
Student Computing Help Desk, Berry Library mailto:help@dartmouth.edu
Writing Program, general assistance RWIT, Baker Library, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rwit/
Writing Program, ESL http://www.dartmouth.edu/~tucker/service/local/school/esl
Visa & Immigration
.html
63 South Main Street, Suite 303
Financial Aid Office http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ovis/
McNutt Hall
Bookstores Wheelock Books, 2 West Wheelock Street
Dartmouth Bookstore, 33 South Main Street
Parking Operations McKenzie Hall http://www.dartmouth.edu/~fom/services/parking/ http://www.advancetransit.com/ Bus Routes
Comparative Literature Faculty
For information on faculty not formally affiliated with Comparative Literature, but who may have relevant research and teaching interests, consult department web pages and the Dartmouth Faculty Directory
( dfd.dartmouth.edu
). You may work with faculty advisors from any department, subject to the Graduate
Director’s approval.
Rebecca Biron (Spanish and Portuguese, Comparative Literature) Latin American Literary and Cultural
Studies; Mexican Cultural Criticism; Literary Theory; and Gender Studies
Ayo Abietou Coly (African and African American Studies, Comparative Literature)
African Literatures and Cinema, Postcolonial Theory, Colonial and Postcolonial Masculinities, Human
Rights
Jonathan Crewe (English, Comparative Literature)
English Renaissance literature; critical theory; cultural and interdisciplinary studies; the Renaissance and modernity/postmodernity
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Gerd Gemünden
(German Studies, Comparative Literature)
Contemporary German and European film and literature; cinema of the Third Reich, literary theory and cultural studies; special interests include travel literature, and tourism
Lynn Higgins (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
French culture and society since World War II; literary criticism and theory; twentieth-century novel; cinema history and theory
Irene Kacandes (German Studies, Comparative Literature)
Twentieth century prose fiction, especially the novel; modern German literature (1750-present);
Modern Greek literature; Holocaust studies; cultural studies; feminist theory; discourse analysis; orality and literacy
John Kopper (Russian, Comparative Literature)
Modernist prose, literature and science, Russian novel, symbolism, genre theory, classical roots of
European literature
Lawrence D. Kritzman (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
Literature of the European Renaissance; psychoanalysis and literature; critical theory; cultural studies; contemporary European intellectual thought; Jewish studies
David LaGuardia (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
16th century French literature, philosophy and criticism, narrative and early-modern popular culture
Amy L. Lawrence (Film and Media Studies, Comparative Literature)
Avant garde film and poetry, women and third world film, British film and television, animation history and theory
Annabel Martín
(Spanish and Portuguese, Comparative Literature)
Cultural Studies: Mass Culture and Politics, Contemporary Urban Culture, Democracy and the Arts,
Contemporary Spain: Nationalism and Dictatorship, Tourism and National Identity, Post-Francoism,
Basque Studies (Utopia and Terrorism), Film Studies: Melodrama and Memory, New Spanish Cinema,
Gender Studies: Gender and Mass Culture, Globalization/Immigration and Women, Contemporary
Spanish Women Writers and Filmmakers
Klaus Mladek (German Studies, Comparative Literature)
18th- to 20th-century literature and literary theory, psychoanalysis, law, justice, philosophy, and politics
Monika Otter (English, Comparative Literature)
Medieval literature (English, Latin, French, German), especially 11th-13th centuries, Romances, historiography and pseudo-historiography, Saints’ lives, literature and art history, literature and music
Graziella Parati (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
Literature and culture of nineteenth and twentieth century Italy, as well as Italian American culture,
Italophone literature and migration issues; autobiographical writings and literary theory, gender issues
Beatriz Pastor (Spanish and Portuguese, Comparative Literature)
Latin America: Literatures of the discovery and conquest; colonial and cultural studies; contemporary narrative; utopias. US Latino: culture, language and politics. Interdisciplinary approaches: Sciences and
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Humanities
Israel Reyes (Spanish and Portuguese, Comparative Literature)
Latino Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Puerto Rican Literature and Culture, Gay and
Lesbian/Queer Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Media Studies
Silvia Spitta (Spanish and Portuguese, Comparative Literature)
Contemporary and colonial Latina/o American writers, theories of transculturation, narratives of mestizaje or miscegenation
Andrea Tarnowski (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
Medieval and early modern French literature; historiography and literature; translation; medieval and early modern women writers; critical theory; Christine de Pizan and her contemporaries; the evolution of allegory; Italian influence on French literature; Franco-English relations during the Hundred Years’
War
Roxana Verona (French and Italian, Comparative Literature)
19th- and 20th-century French literature; French literary criticism; French culture and society;
Romanian-French cultural relations; Eastern-European literary history; East-West cultural dialogue
Michelle R. Warren (Comparative Literature)
Medieval studies, postcolonial studies, French studies, Arthurian studies, romance philology, historiography, translation
Dennis Washburn (Japanese Studies, Film and Media Studies, Comparative Literature)
Classical and modern Japanese film and literature
Margaret Williamson (Classics, Comparative Literature)
Archaic and classical Greek literature (especially lyric and drama), translation, the reception of classical literature especially in colonial contexts
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