Comparative Thought and Literature Minor Requirements
The Comparative Thought and Literature (CTL) minor is designed for students who wish to examine and practice humanistic thinking in order to tackle complex contemporary problems, which no single civilization or discipline alone can solve. The minor provides a broad introduction to the documents and thought of modern culture for all students, from those interested in a general liberal arts preparation to those in one of the university’s pre-professional programs.
These courses develop ways to think along with texts of philosophy, intellectual history, literature, film, music, and art. Students will learn how to engage deeply with national and trans-national literatures, media, and intellectual history from across the globe, placing a wide range of aesthetic and philosophical traditions, including those of underrepresented groups and Indigenous peoples, in conversation and debate.
Courses for the minor will allow students to:
- explore the transformative power of literary, aesthetic, philosophical, and aesthetic cultural forms
- examine how different traditions form different concepts of personhood, freedom, collective life, and nature
- develop the habits of attention, close reading, and imagination that prepare students to think intelligently about questions at the heart of the human (and more-than-human) condition
- prepare students to play an effective and creative role in their respective fields by testing their assumptions and critically examining humans as ethical agents
The CTL minor supports the core “Foundational Abilities” of the General Education Model. Small, writing-intensive seminars enable students to engage in close study and intense discussion of critical texts and verbal works of art from a range of traditions around the world (Foundational Abilities #1 and #3). Many CTL classes also explore ethical foundations in local, national, and global traditions in a profound way (Foundational Abilities #4 and #5). The capstone option, as well as CTL’s Honors Program, supports Foundational Ability #6, enabling a senior to “independently conceptualize and complete a large-scale, consequential project.”
CTL minors must receive a grade of C- or better in all minor requirements and no minor requirements may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
General Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Session for New Contemporary Thought & Literature Minors | ||
| New Contemporary Thought & Literature minors must complete an introductory session consisting in a faculty-led roundtable exploring the questions “what is a concept?” and “what is a text? | ||
| Text-Based Course | ||
| One Text-Based Contemporary Thought & Literature course at any level (CTL-TEXT) | 3 | |
| Concept-Based Course | ||
| One Concept-Based Contemporary Thought & Literature course at any level (CTL-CONCEPT) | 3 | |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Four Contemporary Thought & Literature courses | 12 | |
| Three Contemporary Thought & LIterature courses must be at the 300 level or higher | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Students near the completion of the minor will be invited to participate in a student-designed capstone experience. This could be a practicum, a symposium, or special event.