ENGL 581

Spring 2026

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Seminar Literary Theory
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Credit: 4 hours.

May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: A college course devoted entirely to criticism or consent of instructor.

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CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
48036
Lecture-Discussion
G
3:00PM -5:30PM
W
113 English Building
Somerville, S
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/20/26-05/06/26
Section Title:
Seminar in Literary Theory
Section Info:
SP26 ENGL 581 - Seminar in Literary Theory - Siobhan Somerville - Queer Theory, For Now - At this moment, it’s abundantly clear that there is nothing inevitable about the field of interdisciplinary inquiry known as queer theory. The title of this course – “Queer Theory, For Now” -- marks the provisional quality that has, from the start, characterized the field, once memorably described by Eve Sedgwick as “an open mesh of possibilities.” Given that queer theory initially emerged within shifting conditions of precarity in the 1980s and 1990s, this course also asks how and in what forms queer theory might be relevant “for now,” in this present moment of heightened uncertainty and precarity. We will begin by revisiting early work in the field, with an emphasis on queer of color critique, and then turn to recent and emerging work that brings together queer theoretical perspectives with migration and citizenship studies, trans studies, indigenous studies, and settler colonial studies, among others.
Restriction(s):
Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
78049
Lecture-Discussion
WH
3:00PM -5:00PM
R
1136 Literatures, Cultures, & Ling
Hassan, W
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/20/26-05/06/26
Credit:
4 hours
Section Info:
SP26 CWL 571 / ENGL 581 - Seminar in Literary Theory - Wail Hassan - What is World Literature? This seminar examines the concept of “world literature,” from Goethe’s popularization of the term “Weltliteratur” to the current academic industry, which has boomed since the end of the Cold War, producing conferences, workshops, monographs, and anthologies. What are the theoretical underpinnings of world literature in its various articulations and paradigms? What is considered “world literature” and what is not? Topics of discussion include the role of translation, transnational circuits of exchange and mobility, literary prizes, and the publishing industry, along with the multiple afterlives of older classics such as The Arabian Nights and Shakespeare, as well as more recent genres like the novel.
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