This course examines literature of the later 20th and the 21st centuries. In addition, it may explore the implications of contemporary information technologies for traditional literary forms, the role of globalization in literary production and reception, or the relation of literature to pressing current issues such as persistent violent conflict, immigration, and climate change. Possible genres and modes of writing include (but are not limited to) short fiction, the novel, poetry, graphic narrative, and electronic literature. A central concern of the course will be the question of what constitutes literature in the contemporary period, a time marked by developing and often differing trends.
