What is Literature?

Literature is the story of human aspirations and our search for meaning. But it is not only that: to study literature is also to reflect on who we have been, and what we have felt and thought over the course of human history, and to study literature is to come to a greater understanding of these things. The history of literature is a series of revolutions and continuities. The works of the writers we study retain their significance because they still have the power to propose different ways of thinking and meaning. Because it is the product of imagination and intellect, literature not only documents and interprets, it also proposes, explores, and creates new worlds and new possibilities. All of these possibilities are there for the student of literature to explore.

Literature at the UPRM

Our program has a very strong literature track, which not only provides students with a solid foundation in the major periods and genres of British and American Literature but also a variety of options that they can choose to supplement this foundation. Students can enrich their study of English with a wide variety of literatures in English, from Old English literature to 21st-century authors. We also regularly offer courses in Literature of American Minorities, Postcolonial literature, Modern Drama, Modern British Literature, Romanticism, the Renaissance, and the Medieval Period. Moreover, the Literature Track also has a strong writing component, so that students who specialize on the Literature track are trained to be skilled writers as well. Our majors who have graduated from this track have gone on to be lawyers, film-makers, and journalists, in addition to teachers and professors.

Contact

Chair of the Literature Sector: Nandita Batra, Ph.D. (nandita.batra@upr.edu)

Our Faculty

Nandita Batra
Ricia Chansky
Nickolas Haydock
José Irizarry
Eric D. Lamore
Linda Rodriguez