It is important to begin planning early for a concentration program in comparative literature. Interested students should consult with the concentration advisor during Semester III and IV, or earlier yet. More detailed descriptions of the programs are also available on the department website.
To ensure sufficient range, courses should be (1) selected to include each of the three major literary genres: poetry, drama, and narrative; (2) distributed within at least three distinct periods: ancient, medieval, Renaissance, eighteenth century, and modern (nineteenth and twentieth century); (3) drawn from at least two literature departments other than comparative literature. Program I requires at least two advanced literature courses in the appropriate foreign literature department; Program II requires at least two advanced literature courses in each of the appropriate foreign literature departments. Some courses in the program may be drawn as well from nonliterary fields related to literature.
To ensure sufficient focus, students should build a number of courses around a particular coherent aspect of literary study (e.g. period, genre, theme, philosophical or literary problems, relation of literature to another discipline). Students not taking honors are urged (but not required) to complete a senior essay, which may be less extensive in scope and length than an honors thesis but which should constitute an integration of some aspect of their study.
There are three concentration programs as follows:
A total of at least ten advanced literature courses (generally 100-level courses), including CO 121, drawn from among the offerings of comparative literature, English and the appropriate foreign literature department. Honors may be undertaken by completing an acceptable honors thesis in addition to the ten course program.
To have completed before Semester V the prerequisites for taking 100-level courses in a classical or modern foreign literature.
A total of at least ten advanced literature courses (generally 100-level courses), including CO 121, drawn from among the offerings of comparative literature, English, and the appropriate foreign literature departments. Honors may be undertaken by completing an acceptable honors thesis, in addition to the ten course program.
(1) to have completed before Semester V the prerequisites for taking 100-level courses in a classical or modern foreign literature; (2) to have completed before Semester VII the same prerequisites for another such literature.
(1) three or four courses in English creative writing, translation, and linguistics. CO 171; (2) at least five or six advanced literature courses (generally 100-level courses), including CO 121, drawn from among the offerings of comparative literature, English, and the appropriate foreign literature departments; (3) completion of a senior translation project, equivalent to an honors thesis (for which the student may register in CO 198, which will be taken in addition to the ten required courses).
To have completed before Semester V the prerequisites for taking 100-level courses in a classical or modern foreign literature.
Page last updated in April, 2007.