Literature
- Analyzes, Interprets, and Critiques Literature
- Provides Lively Discussion and Debate
- Develops Cultural Aptitude
These courses provide the opportunity to read and discuss novels, short stories, memoirs, plays, and poetry. You will explore classic and contemporary literature from ancient texts to current bestsellers as you gain skills to analyze, interpret, and critique writing; develop cultural aptitude; and participate in nuanced discussions and lively debates.
This semester, study in-person or from anywhere in the world from the safety and comfort of your home through online or remote instruction.
History and the Self: The Fiction of Magda Szabo
Read the novels of Magda Szabó, one of the greatest women writers of the 20th century and Hungary’s treasured cultural...
Reading Homer's Iliad: Love, War, and a Peaceful Ending
Read and discuss The Iliad by Homer, a plea for peace embedded in the archetypal epic of war.
The American Ghost Story
Explore the world of American ghost stories and what makes them unique....
The Reader in the Mirror: The Power of The Short Story
We will read short stories by: Yiyun Li, Alice Munro, James Baldwin, Jhumpa Lahiri, Raymond Carver, Haruki Murakami, Anton Chekhov, Katherine...
The Short Fiction of Franz Kafka and Jorge Luis Borges
Explore the two most ambitious and experimental short story writers of the modern...
Two Novels By Dostoevsky: Devils and The Idiot
Read and analyze two of Dostoevsky’s most riveting novels.
Vibrato Vixens: Women in Literature and Opera
Read about dashing heroines and listen to the famous operas they inspired.
Brilliant Minds
Spring 2025 Reading List: Clouds, Aristophanes; Reynard the Fox, William Caxton; Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare; The Importance of Being...
Literature for the 21st Century
Discover a generation of authors likely to set literary trends well into the 21st century.
Masterpieces of 20th-Century Literature
Study major modern 20th century novels that now enjoy classic status.
The Novel Today (Fall)
Discuss major new work by today’s top writers, including emerging novelists, award-winners, and established favorites, all of whom are...
The Novel Today (Summer)
Discuss major new work by today’s top writers, including emerging novelists, award-winners, and established favorites, all of whom are...
Writing About Your Life Through Memoir, Essays, and Articles
Whether you are writing your life story, exploring a lifelong passion, or expanding your writing skills, this eight-week online course offers...
Encyclopedic Passion: The Fiction of Olga Tokarczuk
Explore the works of Nobel laureate and acclaimed Polish novelist Olga...
Masterpieces of 19th-Century Fiction
Read 19th-century classics that have passed the test of time and are still of interest to contemporary readers.
The Immigration Experience in Literature
Explore the immigration experience in literary works of various genres.
The Novel Today (Spring)
Discuss major new work by today’s top writers, including emerging novelists, award winners, and established...
The Paradox of Tragedy
Read and analyze famous tragic dramas from ancient Greece to the modern-day United...
George Eliot's "Middlemarch" in the 21st Century
Dive deep into George Eliot’s masterpiece, Middlemarch
Leo Tolstoy: The Hero is Truth
Read 19th-century classics that have passed the test of time and are still of interest to contemporary readers.
Stolen Fire: Aeschylus' Prometheus, Milton's Satan, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Explore the myth of Prometheus and how his story reappears in classic literature across the...