Comparative Literature Boston University

Overview

Students of the Comparative Literature program offered by Boston University explore the connections of literature with history, philosophy, politics, and literary theory, and learn how literature intersects with other cultural forms such as film, drama, the visual arts, music, and new media.

Like all World Languages & Literatures (WLL) majors, Comparative Literature majors begin with CAS XL 100 Leaving Home: Explorations in World Literature, a team-taught course in which students meet the WLL faculty through guest lectures and get oriented in the rich diversity of the world’s literary traditions. Courses at the 200 level (CAS XL 222, XL 223, XL 224, and XL 225) introduce Western, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and South Asian regional literary traditions. Students take at least two of these courses, acquiring a comparative perspective on the global diversity of literary forms and genres.

Choosing two literatures to focus on from those taught in the Departments of WLL, Romance Studies, Classical Studies, and English, Comparative Literature majors take three courses in each. Another option is to emphasize only one non-English literature along with three upper-level CAS XL courses focused on literary theory or on comparing literary works across languages. A language course beyond the fourth-semester level is built into the major, ensuring some ability to encounter literary texts in the original language. The elective CAS XL 540 (Theory and Practice of Literary Translation) gives Comparative Literature majors the opportunity to interact with important literary translators and to hone their own translation practice. Seniors majoring in WLL come back together in CAS XL 479, the senior capstone seminar. Students use this course to produce a substantial project in their major and share their work with other WLL seniors working in other languages. The course provides students with structure and research guidance for developing and discussing their projects, while meetings with a faculty language mentor hone students’ advanced language skills as applied to the area of their research. Student presentations build oral communication skills and the ability to describe one’s work to others. Possible final projects could include a research paper on literature, film, or popular culture; an annotated translation or work of subtitling; a video essay; or a digital humanities project. Students producing excellent capstone projects will be encouraged to develop them into senior honors work.

Many Study Abroad courses may count for the Comparative Literature major and minor.

Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a major in Comparative Literature at BU should be able to:

• Demonstrate a general orientation in world literature and a broad familiarity with the literary traditions of at least two of the following regions: Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia.

• Read, discuss, and analyze literary and cinematic texts in at least two languages (non-English language/s should be mastered at a minimum level of ACTFL intermediate-low).

• Compose lucid, well-researched, and well-argued critical essays about literary texts.

• Apply a variety of critical approaches and interpretive methods to the study of particular literary and/or cinematic texts, including translations.