As a discipline, Comparative Literature takes the whole of global literary history as its object, and does not limit itself to a single period or language, as do other types of literary studies. As a result, Comparative Literature has the unique task of investigating the underlying structures of literature and their ability to express similar ideas in otherwise dissimilar places. In short, Comparative Literature asks how literature works and why it seems to work everywhere.


This is a snippet from a syllabus of a class currently taught in our department. I think that this is an eloquent argument for Comparative Literature as a certain style and methodology of literary studies. It is obviously very carefully balanced and well-defined according to current debates in the field (eg. David Damrosch's What is World Literature, et al.). Yet, I do think that there are several ways that this otherwise deft statement could be improved, pedagogically speaking.

Using Friere's problem-posing model of education as a point of reference, this statement could do more to point out the way that Comparative Literature itself is a shifting, ideologically constructed discipline, particularly if such a point could be made with the potential identity of the student in mind. Questions that might arise in doing this:

Will my idea of what literature is be addressed by this class? Or, Will my idea of what the world is be addressed by this class? If not, why not?

What are the ways that in which this academic discipline or even the idea of "literature" has been constructed to assert a position of cultural superiority, either historically or within this institution?

On a similar note, what if the texts that have been described "literature" don't "work" for me? What does that make me? Do I still have a voice in this class? How can we make that voice vital and productive?

What are ways that this class can collectively create an open dialogue about these earlier questions in order to open this discipline to the particular conditions of our (the students') lives?
(I feel like this last question is particularly crucial to the future of Comparative Literature, if it does indeed have one)

Although it is easy enough to create a syllabus with these concerns in mind, creating a classroom that actively addresses all of these questions everyday may be impossible. Nonetheless, ths exercise was quite helpful for me in thinking about the context in which I would like to teach literature. Perhaps this kind of reflection should be routine before finalizing the wording of a syllabus and handing it out to the class?