Learn About Comparative Literature and Humanities at University of Colorado Boulder

Get to know humanity, culturally, philosophically, and religiously. Better understand humanity in different cultures through literature.

What is Humanities?

The humanities are those academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. Conventionally the humanities include ancient and modern languages and literature, history, philosophy, religion, visual and performing arts (including music). Other subjects sometimes addressed in the humanities are anthropology, area studies, communications and cultural studies, although these are often regarded as social sciences.

Coolest courses in Humanities

HUMN 1010: Introduction to Humanities 1 (6 Credits) - Six meetings a week (three discussion classes and three lecture-demonstrations in art and music). This course provides an analytical and comparative study of works in literature, music, and visual arts from Aegean to Baroque eras. Introduction emphasizes structure, content, and style in specific examples.

HUMN 1701: Nature and Environment in German Literature and Thought (3 Credits) - This class will critically examine titles in German literature and thought. In Nature and Environment, you'll be exploring alienation, artistic inspiration, and nihilism. Other subjects include exploitation, sexuality, rural versus urban, meaning of the earth, cultural renewal, identity and gender. This "green" survey of German classics spans Romanticism's conception of nature as unconscious spirit to the politics and values of contemporary Germany's Green party.

HUMN 2133: The Dramatic Arts in Great Britain (3 Credits) - You'll be examining drama from an interdisciplinary point of view. The basis of the course is six live performances, four in London and two in Stratford. These productions are examined in comparison to versions of the same or a similar narrative in art, music, and literature and in reference to physical locations in and around London.

HUMN 3015: Jung, Film, and Literature (3 Credits) - Learn all you can about the basic themes of C. G. Jung's archetypal psychology; such as, shadow, anima/animus, character typology, and individuation. These will be studied and applied as tools of critical analysis to selected films and literary texts of the modern period.

HUMN 3033: The Comic Sense (3 Credits) - This class offers an interdisciplinary approach to comedy, examining art, music, literature, and film from different periods.

HUMN 3550: Imagining Meaning (3 Credits) - You'll be exploring the role of imagination in constructing narratives of meaning through close readings of various genres; such as, fiction, poetry, manifesto, essay. Also, students will learn about various modes of artistic expression; such as, art, film, photography, and documentary. Last but not least, the course will explore essays of critical theory.

What is Comparative Literature?

Comparative literature is also sometimes abbreviated as "Comp. lit." This course is critical scholarship dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups. While most frequently practiced with works of different languages, it may also be performed on works of the same language if the works originate from different nations or cultures among which that language is spoken. Also included in the range of inquiry are comparisons of different types of art; for example, a comparatist might investigate the relationship of film to literature.

Coolest courses in Comparative Literature

COML 5000: Proseminar (3 Credits) - This class introduces basic issues in comparative literature and basic problems in literary history. Students are provided an overview of history and rationale of the discipline, traditional areas of research, and recent developments.

COML 5352: Russian Novel: Theory and Practice (3 Credits) - Students will examine the Russian novel and its evolution as well as Western and Russian theories of the novel as they engage and reflect upon the claims of modernity. This class may be repeated for up to 6 total credit hours.

COML 5360: Studies in Drama (3 Credits) - Selected drama topics using a comparative approach is covered in this class.

COML 5370: Studies in Poetry (3 Credits) - This class explores topics and problems in rhetoric and poetic practice from antiquity to the present day.

COML 5410: Theory and Practice of Literary Translation (3 Credits) - After reviewing theories and practices of literary translation in their historical, linguistic, and cultural dimensions, students translate a substantial piece from a significant literary work in their chosen foreign language, and provide a detailed commentary on the process.

About the college or university

Little known facts: The school was established back in 1876. Their motto is "Let Your Light Shine". There have been approximately 24,000 undergraduates and 4,000 post-graduates. They were the first to create a new form of matter, called the "Bose-Einstein condensate" which is a few hundred billionths of a degree above absolute zero. They were the first to observe a "fermionic condensate" formed from pairs of atoms in a gas. They discovered a protein in the blood that can prevent the AIDS virus from reproducing and spreading to healthy cells. The university has also accomplished many more things; such as, the creation of a classifying and numbering system for human chromosomes, and the production of computerized 3D images of the entire body in anatomical sections.

University or college location: Boulder, Colorado

Directions to the college or university

From DIA: You will fly in or out of DIA or should I say, Denver International Airport. Driving time between DIA and Boulder is approximately 60 to 90 minutes. From DIA, follow Peña Boulevard (10 miles) south to I-70, and exit onto I-70 west. Follow I-70 west to I-270 west. I-270 merges into U.S. 36 west and takes you west into Boulder (about 23 miles). Exit at Baseline Road; turn left on Broadway and turn right or north. The campus is to the right. For alternate routes, see the map from DIA to Boulder.

From the Denver Area and South: To get to Boulder from the Denver area, go west on U.S. 36 (from I-25 or I-270) and exit at Baseline Road. Turn left (west) on Baseline Road, then right or north on Broadway to campus.

From the North: From the north, take U.S. 287 south to Highway 119. Highway 119 becomes Highway 157 (Foothills Parkway) just north of Boulder. Turn right or west from Foothills Parkway onto Baseline Road. Drive west on Baseline to Broadway, then turn right (north) on Broadway to campus.

From the West: Take I-70 east to U.S. 6. Go east on U.S. 6 to CO. 58. Turn right (east) on CO.58 to CO. 93. Make a left (north) onto CO. 93 towards Boulder. CO. 93 will turn into Broadway once in Boulder. Continue on Broadway west until you see the campus on your right. It will be shortly after you pass Baseline Rd.