Comparative literature, an interdepartmental undergraduate and graduate program, combines the study of national literatures with courses that address the relationships between literature and other disciplines and fields such as cultural studies, gender studies, linguistics, philosophy, religious studies, translation studies, media and technology studies, psychology, cognitive sciences as well as the fine and performing arts.
The Comparative Literature Program offers two undergraduate major tracks leading to the B.A. degree, Comparative Literature with Foreign Language Emphasis and Comparative Literature with Interdisciplinary Emphasis, a Minor in Translation Studies, and M.A./Ph.D. and Ph.D. programs at the graduate level.
A degree in comparative literature provides preparation for possible careers as teachers and scholars in literary and cultural studies as well as for careers that require expertise in foreign languages and familiarity with multi-cultural perspectives, such as international journalism, business, law, and diplomacy.
Senior Honors Program in Comparative Literature
To qualify for the program, students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.5 (overall and in the major) and have completed at least two quarters of their junior year at UCSB.
To earn departmental senior honors, the student will work with a professor of his/her choice for two quarters to complete a senior honors thesis (an extended research project, the minimum length is 30 pages), while enrolled in Comparative Literature 199 (Independent Studies) or Comparative Literature 196H (Senior Honors Independent Research). No more than 4 units of 199 or 196H credit may be applied to the major requirements. Students who complete departmental honors will receive the notation of “Distinction in the Major” on both official transcripts and their diploma. Students interested in departmental honors should consult with their undergraduate advisor.
Comparative
Literature Advisory Board
Julie Carlson, PhD (English)
Nadege T. Clitandre, PhD (Global Studies)
Francis Dunn, PhD (Classics)
Bishnupriya Ghosh, PhD (English)
Dominique Jullien, PhD (French and Italian)
Xiaorong Li, PhD (East Asian Language and Cultural Studies)
Juan Pablo Lupi, PhD (Spanish and Portuguese)
Didier Maleuvre, PhD (French and Italian)
Eric Prieto, PhD (French and Italian)
Dwight F. Reynolds, PhD (Religious Studies)
Katherine Saltzman-Li, PhD (East Asian Language and Cultural Studies)
Roberto Strongman, PhD (Black Studies)
Elisabeth Weber, PhD (Germanic and Slavic
Studies)