1. Ancient Near Eastern Literatures and Cultures
2. Literatures of Ancient and Classical China and Japan
3. Early and Classical Literatures and Cultures of India
4. Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Literatures and Cultures
5. Medieval Europe Literatures and Cultures
6. Pre-Islamic and Classical Islamic Literatures and Cultures
7. Early Modern and Colonial Literatures and Cultures of Europe and the Americas
8. Enlightenment and Romanticism in Europe and the Americas
9. Realism, Naturalism, and Symbolism in Europe and the Americas
10. Modernism and Avant Garde literatures and culture in Europe and the Americas
11. Postcolonial Literatures and Cultures (1950 to the present)
12. Indigenous Literatures and Cultures of the Americas
13. European Cinema
14. American Cinema
15. Postcolonial Cinema (Latin American, African, Middle Eastern, Asian)
16. Caribbean Literatures
17. U.S. Ethnic Literatures (African, Asian, Hispanic, Arabic)

These areas may be defined by period, geographical area, genre or theme. The elective area list should include 15-20 primary works and two to three reference works. The elective area and its corresponding reading list must be approved by the advisor and the program committee.

Sample elective areas

1. Travel narratives
2. Epistolary literature
3. Autobiography, diaries, memoirs, spiritual narratives
4. War literature
5. Francophone Literatures
6. Global English literatures
7. Opera
8. Testimonio
9. Prison narratives
10. Oral narratives
11. Literature and Human Rights
12. Women’s writing
13. Bildungsroman
14. The epic
15. Queer literatures and film