Academic Departments

The College of Letters is a three-year, interdisciplinary major for the study of European literature, history, and philosophy, from antiquity to the present. During these three years, students participate as a cohort in a series of colloquia in which they read and discuss works together (in English), learn to think critically about texts in relation to their contexts and influences—both European and non-European—and in relation to the disciplines that shape and are shaped by those texts. Majors also become proficient in a foreign language and study abroad in order to deepen their knowledge of another culture. The COL, a unique college within the University, has its own library and workspace where students can attend lectures, study together, and meet informally with their professors, whose offices surround the library.

We will hold an open house for prospective majors on Monday, October 13 at 4:30 in the COL Library at 41 Wyllis.

TO: Members of the Class of 2018

FROM: Kari Weil, Director of College of Letters
The College of Letters cordially invites you to attend our Open House which will be held on Monday, October 13 at 4:15p.m., College of Letters Library, 3rd Floor, 41 Wyllys Avenue.
I will speak briefly about the program and a number of students and faculty will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
The College of Letters is an interdisciplinary major in Western Literature, Philosophy, and History with a required area of Foreign Language concentration with a semester in residence
abroad (usually in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, or Israel). To learn more about the COL, study abroad possibilities, and the application process please visit the COL website at:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/col/

Unlike most majors, COL begins in the fall of the sophomore year, which is why the application for it must be made in the Spring of your first year.

This year the deadline for application is Monday, March 23, the first day after Spring Break.

I look forward to seeing you at the COL Open House.

Kari Weil
Director, College of Letters

HIST 258
Fall 2014
Certificates: South Asia Studies
Pre-modern India is often conceived as the epitome of the Mystic East, a timeless land of fabulously rich maharajas, massive war elephants, sinister yogis, and powerful courtesans. Well, it turns out that pre-modern India did have all these things, and much more besides. But India was never timeless. This course examines the major patterns and transformations that defined South Asian society in the four centuries preceding the rise of formal British imperialism in 1858, focusing in particular on such themes as war and military service; asceticism and devotionalism; the jungle and human-animal relations; statecraft and kingship; trade, pilgrimage, and travel; cross-cultural encounter; physical culture and sexuality; poetry and performance traditions; information networks, spying, and court intrigue.

American Jewish History, 1492-2001

The two central questions is this course are these: How did American Jews begin, and continue, to develop a distinct identity from Jews elsewhere? And in turn, how has America been influenced by their presence?

While we begin with Christopher Columbus and discuss colonial episodes (for instance, George Washington’s significant letter to the Touro Synagogue), our primary focus will be the 19th and particularly the 20th centuries. Among issues to be explored are the successive waves of Jewish immigration, business and labor, political expression, the arts and popular culture, intergroup relations, and the impact on American Jews of European and Middle Eastern developments.

In addition to primary sources and historical scholarship, the class will look at fiction, poetry, music, and film.

The course will meet on Monday and Wednesday from 2:40-4pm. It is available as History 210 and as American Studies 223. Open to First-Years. Taught by Professor Ron Schatz

A three-year, interdisciplinary major combining Literature, History, Philosophy and Foreign Language Study. Applications due in the spring.

The College of Letters is a three-year, interdisciplinary major for the study of European literature, history, and philosophy, from antiquity to the present. During these three years, students participate as a cohort in a series of colloquia in which they read and discuss works together (in English), learn to think critically about texts in relation to their contexts and influences—both European and non-European—and in relation to the disciplines that shape and are shaped by those texts. Majors also become proficient in a foreign language and study abroad in order to deepen their knowledge of another culture. The COL, a unique college within the University, has its own library and workspace where students can attend lectures, study together, and meet informally with their professors, whose offices surround the library.

Please check the COL website or contact the director, Kari Weil with questions (kweil@wesleyan.edu)