- What is Comp Lit?
- Advising and Declaring
- Courses
- Student Spotlights
- Major in Comparative Literature
- Major in Translation
- Minor in Translation Studies
- First Year Writing Prize
- Senior Prize in Literary Translation
- Transfer Students
- Transfer Credit
- Accelerated MA Program in Transcultural Studies
- Comp Lit Plagiarism Statement
- Recommendation Requests
- Activities
- Peer Mentors
A major in Comparative Literature provides an ideal intellectual site for students to draw connections across cultures, periods, genres, and disciplines in a rigorous yet individually designed way.
Our faculty represents the diversity of Comparative Literature as a discipline. Faculty members in our department all hold joint appointments with other departments, but all of us are united by a passion for literature and a strong commitment to international and interdisciplinary approaches to literary and cultural studies. We encourage students to follow their curiosity and develop their commitments to literature, culture, and theoretical investigations by venturing beyond national and disciplinary boundaries, and to explore literature’s intersections with other media and disciplines.
The guidelines of the program allow great flexibility in shaping a course of study according to your intellectual goals. As a student majoring in Comparative Literature, you will have the opportunity to work with faculty in several departments. If you wish to pursue a double major, it may be possible to count some courses for your other major toward your major in Comparative Literature as well. If you have an interest in translation, it is possible to pursue a translation project as part of your coursework, or you could sign up for a Minor in Translation Studies. There is also the option of integrating one or two semesters of study abroad into your plans for the major.
We encourage you to keep in regular touch with our Director of Undergraduate Studies and we invite you to become part of the Comp Lit community. Our department organizes a welcome back reception every year in September, a holiday reception in December for all students and faculty in Comparative Literature, and a graduation reception in April. We encourage you to meet our graduate students and to attend lectures and other events organized by the department, in order to learn more about new ideas and current debates in the field of Comparative Literature.
