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Comparative literature
is a way of studying world literature. It is a literary discipline designed
to go beyond the chronological, geographic and linguistic boundaries of
individual national literatures.
The undergraduate program in Comparative and World Literature
is an interdisciplinary one, which provides students with a global perspective
through the reading and analysis of national literatures. Students develop
university-level understanding of what different cultures have in common
as well as what makes each culture unique. The study of comparative literature
also seeks to establish relationships between literature and other fields,
from the arts and sciences to folklore and religion. In addition to taking
courses in various national literatures in the original languages and
in English translation, students learn the methods and techniques of literary
analysis and comparison.
The undergraduate major and minor are designed for students
who wish to gain an interdisciplinary and broad liberal arts education.
The undergraduate degree also provides a solid foundation for students
who wish to continue work in comparative literature or in a specific national
literature at the graduate level (please note that Ph.D. programs in comparative
literature generally require reading knowledge of two to three languages
other than English). Students find that the program offers a rich background
for teaching in the humanities, liberal arts, English and foreign languages.
Upper-division courses (taken as part of the degree requirement)
may be counted towards the Single Subject Teaching Credential in English
(Comparative Literature Emphasis). For information about the Teaching
Credential, please consult the Credentials Office in the College of Education.
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REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR IN COMPARATIVE
LITERATURE
TOTAL MINIMUM UNITS FOR THE CWL MAJOR 39 units
Core Courses 12 units
CWL 400, Approaches to Comparative Literature
3
3 CWL courses (must fulfill requirements below)
9
These three courses must be chosen in consultation
with departmental advisers. Each course must involve comparison of
literary texts from more than one national/linguistic tradition (for
example, CWL 420, Studies in Comparative Literature; CWL 430, Heroic
Tales of the Mediterranean). Only one of these courses may be an appropriate
lower-division CWL course (for example, CWL 230, Introduction to World
Literature; CWL 250, Fables and Tales; CWL 260, Myths of the World).
Program Electives 27 units
Program Elective Minimum Distribution Requirements
(to be selected only in consultation with an adviser)
Note: The Program Elective Minimum
Distribution Requirements do overlap; that is, it is expected that
some courses will fulfill more than one distribution requirement (for
example, French 515, "Renaissance Française," could count as
one course in a single non-English literary tradition, one course
that focuses on literature written before 1800, and one course that
is part of the student's defined area of focus).
The overall goal of the program electives is to combine
a sense of the historic, linguistic, and critical breadth of literary
studies with a student-defined area of focus that fits within the
general discipline of comparative literature. Students should take
careful note of the fact that, no matter how much the distribution
requirements may overlap, a minimum of 27 units is required
in the area of "program electives."
In addition to the following distribution requirements,
all majors must have reading competence for literature written in
at least one language in addition to English. Most students will fulfill
this requirement by successfully completing an adviser-approved course
on literature written in another language. The requirement may also
be met by examination when there are no appropriate courses available.
- 2 courses in a single non-English
literary tradition (in original or translation).
- 2 courses in a second national/linguistic
literary tradition (this may be English).
- 2 courses that focus on literature
written before 1800. These courses must differ in either period
or literary tradition.
- 1 course that includes a literature
"less commonly experienced" in the student's academic preparation
(for example: African, African American, Asian American, Chinese, Israeli,
Japanese, Lesbian/Gay, La Raza, Latin American). This course cannot
be part of the student's focus (see below).
- 4 courses that define an area of focus or an
organizing principle for the student's studies. These might
emphasize an historical period, a genre, a single national literature,
or a topic in literary study. Development of the overall program and
focus will be addressed in CWL 400, Approaches to Comparative Literature,
which should be taken as early in the program as possible. The overall
program and the focus will be updated in conjunction with the statement
of goals and annual self-assessment of the Student Portfolio and in
consultation with departmental advisers.
Students have a wide range of options, structured
by the current interests and future plans developed in their Student
Portfolio and in consultation with department advisers. In constructing
an elective program, students must choose upper-division literature
courses that fulfill the distribution requirements described above.
Upper-division courses in departments other than Comparative and World
Literature, English, and Foreign Languages and Literature that focus
on literature or literary theory (for example, courses in Classics,
Ethnic Studies, Humanities, Women Studies) may be used for program
electives with the approval of a department adviser. Students should
also consider how their General Education Segment III cluster and
university elective units supplement their work in the major (please
note that no more than two courses used to fulfill Segment III requirements
may be used to fulfill major requirements). See sample programs (attached)
for some suggestions regarding selection of electives and defining
an area of focus within the major.
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