Program of Study
The Department of Comparative Literature offers courses in the
history and theory of literature through comparative approaches. The
department accepts candidates for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and
Doctor of Philosophy.
The field of Comparative Literature provides students the opportunity to study imaginative literature in all its forms. While other literary disciplines focus on works of literature as parts of specific national or linguistic traditions, Comparative Literature draws on literature from all contexts in order to examine the nature of literary phenomena from around the globe and from different historical moments, while exploring how literary writing interacts with other elements of culture and society. The field studies literary expression through examinations of genres such as novels, epics, and poetry, and new aesthetic forms such as cinema and electronic media. Although Comparative Literature does not restrict its focus to single traditions or periods, it does investigate the complex interplay of the literary imagination and historical experience. Attention is also paid to questions of literary theory, aesthetic philosophy, and cultural interpretation.
Along with the traditional model of comparative literature that juxtaposes two or more national literary cultures, the department supports teaching and research that examine literary phenomena with additional tools of inquiry such as literary theory, the relationship between literature and philosophy, and the enrichment of literary study with other disciplinary methodologies. Comparative Literature also encourages the study of aspects of literature that surpass national boundaries, such as transnational literary movements or the dissemination of particular genres. In each case, students emerge from the program with enhanced verbal and writing skills, a command of literary studies, the ability to read analytically and critically, and a more global knowledge of literature.
The field of Comparative Literature provides students the opportunity to study imaginative literature in all its forms. While other literary disciplines focus on works of literature as parts of specific national or linguistic traditions, Comparative Literature draws on literature from all contexts in order to examine the nature of literary phenomena from around the globe and from different historical moments, while exploring how literary writing interacts with other elements of culture and society. The field studies literary expression through examinations of genres such as novels, epics, and poetry, and new aesthetic forms such as cinema and electronic media. Although Comparative Literature does not restrict its focus to single traditions or periods, it does investigate the complex interplay of the literary imagination and historical experience. Attention is also paid to questions of literary theory, aesthetic philosophy, and cultural interpretation.
Along with the traditional model of comparative literature that juxtaposes two or more national literary cultures, the department supports teaching and research that examine literary phenomena with additional tools of inquiry such as literary theory, the relationship between literature and philosophy, and the enrichment of literary study with other disciplinary methodologies. Comparative Literature also encourages the study of aspects of literature that surpass national boundaries, such as transnational literary movements or the dissemination of particular genres. In each case, students emerge from the program with enhanced verbal and writing skills, a command of literary studies, the ability to read analytically and critically, and a more global knowledge of literature.