English and Comparative Literature 2005/2006
Policy last revised 2005/2006
The Department of English and Comparative Literature does teaching and research in English and American Literature, as well as Arabic, African, and European literature in translation. The goal of the degree programs is to provide students with an understanding, at once sympathetic and analytical, of literary representations and how these contribute to human self-understanding. Students are introduced to the variety of literary genres and to the critical approaches through which literary discourse conducts itself. Texts are studied in the historical and cultural contexts that shape them. Students are required to take a range of chronological survey courses from the medieval period through the twentieth century. These courses emphasize the development of motifs, conventions and period styles that are characteristic of an era, as well as the religious and political themes that a body of literature both reflects and contests. Specialized seminar courses are offered regularly on such diverse topics as African literature, representations of blackness, creative writing, literary and hermeneutic theories, and the Bloomsbury Group.
Rose Marie Johnston
English and Comparative Literature Library Liaison
Main Library, 1st floor
Phone: 2797-6381
E-mail: rosejohn@aucegypt.edu
For inquiries about Arabic Literature materials please contact Nassif Youssif, nyoussif@aucegypt.edu, tel: 2797-6362. For inquiries about all other materials please contact Rose Marie Johnston.
- number of faculty in the Department
- number of undergraduate and graduate majors in the Department
- the average price of books for the discipline
- the number and level of courses offered by the Department
- collection use by the Department
- student enrollment in courses by the Department
The departmental allocation is distributed for the purchase of monographs, serials, series, and the acquisition of online databases. Special interest in collection development is focused on purchasing literary and critical works of Arab and African authors, as well as feminist and anti-feminist literary and theoretical texts, and gender roles in literary texts and the image of women in different historical periods and cultural settings.
Philosophy and linguistics are also included in the English and Comparative Literature Department funds allocation. Recommendations for purchase in those areas cover prose works by philosophers from the ancient and middle ages to modern times, as well as critical works on philosophical theories and concepts such as Islamic mysticism and other subjects of interest.
Languages: Primary and secondary sources are predominantly in the English language, but Arabic and French and other language sources are also considered for purchase if relevant to the coursework.
Chronology:Sources to be acquired would cover literary works, with their different forms and genres in their chronological historical periods and cultural settings. They would include the Greek and Roman literature, and the medieval period through the twentieth century, with emphasis in specific areas such as Third World literature in its historical context and its contribution to postcolonial discourse.
Geography: English and comparative literature is not limited to published works by American and British authors. During the last three decades the English language has undergone a process of globalization, and geographical boundaries are no longer strictly applicable to the study of literature that is written by American or British authors, but also authors who write in English regardless of their nationality. Therefore areas of inclusion in collection development have been expanded to include literary works of world authors either written in English language, or translations of foreign creative works into English. This policy does not exclude the acquisition of sources in their original language such as Arabic, French, or German when they are required. The policy extends to publications in philosophy.
Publication Date: The acquisitions of literary works are not limited by publication dates, except for current literature on specific topics of interest. It is a general rule that updated new editions are purchased to replace torn or heavily used texts, especially the major classical works.
Treatment of Subject: The policy for building a comprehensive and well balanced collection in the field has to be determined in view of the courses taught in the English and Comparative Literature Department. Materials would include the major classical primary sources in British and American literature as well as philosophy, critical works on the literary genres of works in different periods of history for comparative study, and foreign literature in English translation of Arabic, French, German and Russian authors. The funds allocation is also designated for the selection of works that are of particular interest to the courses offered, such as Feminist Literature, the Bloomsbury Group as well as other subjects of interest of faculty in the Department. Authoritative secondary sources in literature and philosophy are also a consideration for selection.
Types of Materials: Monographs are selected by the English and Comparative Literature Department faculty, but they are not solicited for the choice of journals and electronic resources. The Library does not cancel any item before consulting with the department's faculty.
The purchase of major reference sources in literature is the exclusive responsibility of the Reference Department. Sources would include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and the series of reference literary works, such as Gale's Contemporary Literary Criticism, or Magill's Critical Survey of Drama. Any item of reference work that is recommended by the faculty of the English and Comparative Literature Department, would be considered for inclusion if the source is valuable.
Budget Allocation Formula: The English and Comparative Literature Department is one of 14 academic departments, and accordingly its book budget allocation is determined by, the departmental budget allocation formula developed by the Library Advisory Committee. The Department is assigned a certain percentage of the entire Departmental book budget based on the following:
The current English and Comparative Literature Department faculty liaison is
Dr. Stephannie Gearhart: e-mail - sgearhart@aucegypt.edu
The faculty liaison coordinates the process of the selection of the recommended monographs and serials titles by the faculty of the Department for acquisition.
The Library sends Choice cards as well as other selection sources to Dr. Gearhart. Requested items are initialed by the Department faculty, and are then sent to Michael Chromey, the Library Liaison, who in turn sends them to the Head of the Acquisitions Department for ordering.
A monthly list of the orders requested and a report on the latest financial status of the expenditure, encumbrance and free balance of the English Department budget allocation is sent to the Department for a review of the monthly transactions.
The collection level codes below run from numbers 2 through 4, and they describe the
levels of collection activities that are required for subjects of the courses offered at the English and Comparative Literature Department. The numbers are defined as follows:
2 = basic information level
Collection that serves to introduce and define a subject, to indicate the information available elsewhere, and to support the needs of general library users through the first two years of undergraduate programs. It may include dictionaries, encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, limited collection of representative general periodicals, bibliographies, and access to limited access to bibliographic databases.
3 = study or instructional support
A collection that provides information about a subject in a systematic way, but at a level of less than research intensity, and supports the needs of the undergraduate and the beginning graduate levels.
The collection includes a wide range of general and specialized monographs and reference sources, a wide range of basic works in appropriate formats, a significant number of classic and retrospective materials, and complete works of more important and lesser-known authors.
The collection includes periodicals both general and specialized in perspective, as well as access to the appropriate electronic resources pertaining to the subject, such as journals, bibliographies, and text.
The collection includes a limited collection of appropriate foreign language materials, foreign language materials about a specific topic, or learning materials for a non-native speaker, such as Arabic language texts with English translations and transliterations.
4= Research level
A collection includes the major published sources required for dissertation and independent original research. The collection would include all of the sources mentioned in level no. 3, but then the collecting level is very extensive in all areas, including materials containing research reports, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers. It would include all significantly important reference works, and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services. Older materials are usually retained for historical research and are preserved to serve the needs of historical research in various areas of study and research.
Subjects and Collecting Levels (According to Library of Congress Classification)