Back to ACLAnet Syllabi & Documents

University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana
Comparative Literature
Spring 1991
Michael Palencia-Roth
Assisted by Professors Czynski, Lu, and Tikku

Schedule of Readings

Week 1. January l0):

• a. Introduction
• b. Lecture on "Perspectives"

Week 2. January 17):

• a. Read: Arnold Toynbee, "The Relativity of Historical Thought," "The Field of Historical Study," Some Definitions of Terms," From A Study of History.
• b. Read: Michael Palencia-Roth, "Comparing Literatures, Comparing Civilizations," Comparative Civilizations Review, 21 (Fall 1989), 1 - 19.
• c. Read: Amin, Preface to Eurocentrism (pp. vii-viii).
• d. Skim: A.L. Kroeber, "Kinds and Properties of Styles," "Style and Civilizations," from Style and Civilizations.

Week 3 January 24):

• a. Read: Homer, Books 9 and 10 from the Odyssey
• b. Read: Herodotus, Selections from Book IV of The History.
• c. Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 1-11; 5-24).

Week 4 January 31):

• a. Read: The Letter of Prester John.
• b. Read: Marco Polo, Selections from The Travels.
• c. Read: Mandeville, Selections from The Travels.
• d. Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 25-59).
• e. Recommended: Rudolf Wittkower, "Marvels of the East," from Allegory and the Migration of Symbols.

Week 5 (February 7):

• a. Read: Columbus, "Diary of the First Voyage (selections)," Sanchez," "Letter to the Sovereigns on the Third Voyage."
• b. Read: Vespucci, "A New World Letter."
• c. Read: Miguel Leon-Portilla (ed), Selections from The Broken Spears.
• d. Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 71-78)

Week 6 (February 14):

• a. Read: Montaigne, "Of Cannibals" and "Of Coaches."
• b. Read: Edmund Leach, "The Unity of Man," from Social Anthropology.
• c. Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 79-117).

Week 7 (February 21):

• a. Read: China's Response to the West (selected documents).
• b. Read: The Japananese Discovery of Europe (selected documents).
• c. Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 60-67)

Week 8 (February 28):

• a. Read: Mary Helms, "The Cultural Creation of Space and Distance, from Ulysses' Sail.
• b. Read: Marshall Sahlins, "Other Times, Other Customs: The Anthropology of History," from Islands of History.
• c. Recommended: F.S.C. Northrop, "The Meaning of western Civilization," "The Traditional Culture of the Orient," "The Meaning of Eastern Civilization," from The Meeting of East and West.

Week 9 (March 7):

• a. Read: O. Mannoni, Selections from Prospero and Caliban.
• b. Read: Edward Said, Selections from Orientalism.
• c. Read: "What is the Third World?" From Third World Ideology and Western Reality.

Week 10 (March l4):

• Read: Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities.

Week 11 (March 21):

• Read: Ch'ien Chung-shu, Fortress Besieged (selections)

[Spring Break]

Week 12 (April 4):

• Read: Tayeb Salih, Season of Migration to the North.

Week l3 (April 11)

• Read: Mario Vargas Llosa, The Storyteller.

Week 14 (April 18):

The Question of Eurocentrism:

• a.Read: Amin, Eurocentrism (pp. 118-152)
• b.Read: Bernard Lewis, "Other People's History"

Week 15 (April 25): (Final day)

Quod libes

Back to ACLAnet Syllabi & Documents