Karim Mattar’s work addresses the problematic of world literature within the context of global capitalist modernity. In his writings and in the classroom, he deploys a range of comparative, postcolonial, and Marxist critical approaches to assess how the dialectics of modernity are registered in and engaged by literary and cultural texts from around the world. As reflected in his two current book projects, this inquiry is at present largely focalized around the Middle East. He is at work on a monograph, Specters of World Literature: Orientalism, Modernity, and the Novel in the Middle East, and has recently completed a co-edited volume, The Edinburgh Companion to the Postcolonial Middle East (Edinburgh University Press, 2018; with Anna Ball). His other research and teaching interests include modernism, the global novel, literatures of global crisis, the Israel / Palestine conflict, and critical theory.
keywords
World literature, history of the novel, comparative Middle Eastern literatures and cultures, the Israel and Palestine conflict, Orientalism, literatures of global crisis, critical theory, Marxism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, ecocriticism, indigenous studies, translation, modernism, modernity
ENGL 2112 - Introduction to Literary Theory
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020
Introduces students to a wide range of critical theories that English majors need to know. Covers major movements in modern literary/critical theory, from Matthew Arnold through new criticism to contemporary postmodern frameworks. Required for all English majors.
ENGL 3116 - Topics in Advanced Theory
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Fall 2019
Studies special topics in theory; specially designed for English majors. Topics vary each semester. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours different topics.
ENGL 4018 - Literature and Globalization
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Fall 2018
Studies special topics that focus on transnational and global issues since 1600. Topics vary each semester and may include globalization, cross-cultural exchanges, migration, and the history and legacies of imperialism. Specially designed for English majors. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits for different topics.
ENGL 4697 - Special Topics in Multicultural and Ethnic American Literature
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Provides advanced in-depth study of literatures written by ethnic American authors. Texts may be drawn from a range of African-American, Chicano/a, Latino/a, Asian American, Native American or Indigenous literature traditions. Topics vary each semester. Same as ETHN 4692.
ENGL 5459 - Introduction to the Profession
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Introduces purposes, methods and techniques of professional scholarship in English. Provides an overview of the discipline, including traditional areas of research and recent developments. Teaches students how to use research, bibliographic, and reference tools to prepare papers for conferences and publication. Required of all MA students in English.
