Testing your Interest

Students find their way into Comparative Literature at different stages of their undergraduate careers and through different areas of focus. Some students approach the major through foreign language, others through a media studies or arts focus.

If you are entering your second or third year and are progressing in your chosen language(s) and/or area(s) of focus, you may start taking courses at the 200 and 300 level to meet the Humanities Requirement, such as COMPLIT 240: Literature Across Borders and COMPLIT 241: Topics in Comparative Literature.

At the 300 level, we offer COMPLIT 300: Global Humanities and other topics courses of general interest, and at the 400 level, we offer seminar-style courses in comparative methodologies. None of our courses have prerequisites. 

We encourage students to explore our full course sequence in World Literatures: 

• COMPLIT 122 (Writing World Literatures; meets First-Year Writing Requirement)
• COMPLIT 222 (Great Books in World Literatures; meets Humanities requirement)
• COMPLIT 322 (Translating World Literatures; meets Upper-level Writing Requirement)
• COMPLIT 422 (Comparing World Literatures and Cultures) 

Some Comparative Literature courses may be counted toward the “Comparative Culture & Identity'' track in International Studies. Comparative Literature, Arts, and Media Majors have successfully combined their studies with majors in language and area studies, Communications, Environmental Studies, Film, Television, and Media, History of Art, and the School of Music, Theater, and Dance.  

If you are preparing for (or returning from) Study Abroad, a major in Comparative Literature, Arts, and Media affords you the flexibility to integrate courses taken abroad into your undergraduate curriculum.