Comparative Literature

3 semester credits. Bibliotherapy is a systematic method that utilizes literature and other narrative forms to transform traditional reading into a strategy to cope with a variety of psychological conditions. The activity of reading as a healing practice comes from a longstanding tradition: bibliotherapy dates back to ancient Greece, when libraries were seen as sacred places with healing powers. Particular attention will be given to the history of using literature for healing purposes, starting from the first historical references to the present day. This course will focus on developing a deep understanding of the therapeutic functions of books for psychological issues such as depression, eating disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and emotional and social development in adolescence. Coursework will examine the spectrum of bibliotherapeutic techniques and will enable students to experience bibliotherapy in action.

6 semester credits. Bibliotherapy is a systematic method that utilizes literature and other narrative forms to transform traditional reading into a strategy to cope with a variety of psychological conditions. The activity of reading as a healing practice comes from a longstanding tradition: bibliotherapy dates back to ancient Greece, when libraries were seen as sacred places with healing powers. Particular attention will be given to the history of using literature for healing purposes, starting from the first historical references to the present day. This course will focus on developing a deep understanding of the therapeutic functions of books for psychological issues such as depression, eating disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and emotional and social development in adolescence. Coursework will examine the spectrum of bibliotherapeutic techniques and will enable students to experience bibliotherapy in action. This course includes experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI).

3 semester credits. This course focuses on the literary panorama of Florence, creating significant connections with the fields of linguistics, history, and socio-politics. Students will gain knowledge about the origins of the Italian language, they will learn about war literature and poetry, discover the key venues wherein literature flourished, explore the works of the locals, and also that of illustrious foreign authors who studied and wrote in Florence, and ultimately uncover the new literature developing in the city. The course is held outside, since Florence is the very setting of its academic content. Therefore, students will gain awareness of the significance of walking in the city so as to develop a new gaze that allows them to travel through various epochs and literary movements. This way, students will undertake an insightful journey through language, history, and narratives.

3 semester credits. This course explores the theme of migration in contemporary postcolonial literature. The focus will be on both fictional and non-fictional modes of transcribing the experience of dislocation. A special emphasis will be placed on the role played by literary tradition in the writer's shaping of personal identity; the first lessons will provide students with the basic theoretical tools to help them discuss a literary text (especially autobiographical writings). Experimentation of form as well as significant innovations in content will be covered with in detail. Students will also be introduced to the basic historical events and changes of such countries as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Algeria in order to better understand past and contemporary interactions between the ex-colonies of ex-colonial powers such as Britain and France. Readings will include works by J.M. Coetzee, Michael Ondaatje, Hanif Kureishi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Azouz Begag, Salman Rushdie, and Edward W. Said.

3 semester credits. This course will explore love and romantic relationships through the words of notable individuals from the past. The letters written by great men and women - poets, novelists, musicians, philosophers, politicians, kings and queens - to their loved ones will provide an opportunity for students to examine the evolution of romantic relationships from the ancient Roman times to modern days, with a special focus dedicated to the 18th and 19th century. Through reading, analyzing, and discussing love letters and other background materials, students will explore the ties between the experience of love and its expression through the means of writing as a characteristic trait of human interaction, from an historical, social, cross-cultural, and literary point of view.