UCLA
The Department of Comparative Literature
From the recent Andalusian play, “Clytemnestra. Una mujer.” Faculty expert, Kathleen L. Komar. Banner image: John Locke. Faculty expert, Kirstie McClure.
Seminar, three hours. Advanced course in critical theory, drawing on wide range of approaches and methods, from anthropology, art, history, literature, performance, philosophy, and political theory. Variable topics are set annually. Includes canonical thinkers (e.g., J. Butler, J. Derrida, M. Detienne, G. Dumézil, F. Héritier, B. Latour, C. Lévi-Strauss, A. Mbembe, E. Renan, M. Strathern) and contemporary critics (e.g., E. Apter, B. Cassin, E. Coccia, S. Bachir Diagne, W. Chi Dimock, P. Frankopan, S. Hartman, L. Lowe, J. Osterhammel, J.-F. Schaub, G. Spivak, E. Viveiros de Castro). S/U or letter grading.
Seminar, three hours. Seminar on problems and methods of presenting literary texts as exemplary materials in teaching of composition. Deals with theory and classroom practice and involves individual counseling and faculty evaluation of teaching assistants' performance. May not be applied toward MA course requirements. S/U grading.
How does comparative literary study change when it engages with indigenous epistemologies? Students learn to seek comparative literary study methods that consider broader epistemologies for recorded knowledge and creative media. Study utilizes work of indigenous and indigenous studies scholars. Texts cover development of academic disciplines, such as anthropology and literary studies, to examine ramifications of their approaches on indigenous peoples. Study also covers indigenizing approaches that develop modes of engagement through native ways of knowing, such as ts'íib and cosmolectics. By expanding repertoire for recognizing and engaging forms that go beyond literary framework, study cultivates dialogue across indigenous and nonindigenous communities. Authors include Gloria Chacón (Ch'orti'), Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Maori), and Gerald Vizenor (Chippewa), among others.