Advising

There will still be many occasions when you’ll need to seek out someone for advice.  Here are three typical situations:

  • To declare Comparative Literature as your major or minor

Declaring a major or minor is easy.  First, schedule a meeting with the COLT chair or student services advisor.  Together you will discuss your particular interests, decide which major/minor track fits them best, and outline a probable sequence of courses to complete the requirements.  You will then fill out the necessary form for changing or adding a major/minor.  Once this form has been processed, your new major or minor will be official.

  • For continuing Comparative Literature majors and minors

You should plan to meet at least once each semester with the COLT chair and student services advisor to track your progress toward completing the requirements, to go over your upcoming course work, and especially, when graduation nears, to check that all requirements will have been fulfilled in time and are properly entered into your record.  If you will be enrolling in COLT courses for the next semester, it’s helpful to read through the descriptions for the scheduled semester before coming in for your advising appointment.  You are also, of course, welcome at any time to drop by during the Chair’s regular office hours.

  • To enroll in Comparative Literature classes as a non-major/minor.

Students from all over the university can take Comparative Literature classes.  Since none of our courses carries any prerequisites, the full roster of COLT classes every semester is available for non-major/minor enrollment.  Note that some courses require D-clearance, which should be acquired with the Department of Comparative Literature by calling (213) 740-0102 or emailing complit@dornsife.usc.edu.  Be sure to provide the section number and your USC ID.

It’s a good idea, however, to visit the COLT office or to check this website for descriptions of upcoming courses.  You’ll learn far more about the content of our classes from these descriptions than from the minimal Catalogue descriptions.  You are also welcome to schedule an appointment or drop by during the Chair’s office hours to discuss any classes you’re interested in taking.

More questions regarding the major or minor in Comparative Literature?

Please contact our student services (undergraduate) advisor Jessica Kanoski at jkanoski@usc.edu or set an appointment with her via Calendly.

More questions regarding enrollment and courses in Comparative Literature?

Please contact Undergraduate Program Director Natania Meeker at nmeeker@usc.edu.

Fall 2023 Course Descriptions

  • Khanna                   T/Th                 11:00-12:20pm

    Course Description:

    Comparative study of works from a broad range of cultural traditions that originate from, and provide insight into, vital global locations outside the Western sphere.

     

    Satisfies New General Education in Category B: Humanistic Inquiry; Satisfies Old General Education in Category II: Global Cultures and Traditions

  • Spanos                   T/Th                 9:30-10:50am

     

    Course Description:

    Survey of literary and other cultural texts from the 19th to the 21st centuries, with emphasis on the individual and social change.

    Satisfies New General Education in Category B: Humanistic Inquiry; Satisfies Old General Education in Category I: Western Cultures and Traditions; Duplicates Credit in former COLT 151x.

  • Bernards                 T/Th                 2:00-3:20pm

     

    Course Description:

    Comparative approach and general introduction to literature and cinema from the four major nations of maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia).

    (Enroll in EALC 255gw)

  • Khanna                   T/Th                 2:00-3:20pm

     

    Course Description:

    Cultural dimensions of issues in globalization: migration, diaspora, terrorism, communications, climate change, collectives, production and technology, money and exchange. Required for COLT major and minor.

     

     

  • Zondi                M/W                10:00-11:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Introduction to African cultural history by way of a comparative study of major literary works and intellectual thought from representative regions and countries in Africa.

  • Mendez                   M/W                 10:00-11:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Survey of cultural critique focused on Latin America as a cultural region and on Latin Americanism as a transnational academic practice.

  • Du Plessis            T/Th                 12:30-1:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Introduction to psychoanalytic literature on the arts, including classic texts by Freud, Jones, Lacan, Derrida, and others. Readings of theoretical and fictional works.

  • Yashin                   M/W                 12:00-1:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Survey of major texts in the literary criticism of the West from the Greeks to postmodern theories.

  • Du Plessis            T/Th                 3:30-4:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Representative works from the “fantastic” and related currents within the European, U.S., and Spanish American traditions; reading of texts by authors such as Borges, Cortazar, Kafka, and Poe. Discussion of relevant theoretical concepts and critical works.

  • Yashin                   M/W                 3:30-4:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Exploration of twentieth-century Arabic autobiographical writings and interrogation of the complex ways by which such works unsettle fundamental assumptions of literary history and modernity.

  • Lippit                  W                 10:00-1:50pm

     

    Course Description:

    Introduction to critical reflection on the image. Analysis of criticism, fiction, film, and visual artifacts.

  •  

    Course Description:

    Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

  •  

    Course Description:

    Writing of an honors thesis under individual faculty supervision.