Overview

Program highlights

Drawing on faculty from the various literature departments as well as from other disciplines (such as art history, film studies, music, and philosophy), the CLS program reflects the belief that literary texts can best be understood within the context of diverse literary traditions and other cultural phenomena. CLS encourages students not only to read and interpret works of literature but also to reflect on the assumptions, methods, and goals that shape literary and other humanistic studies.

In contrast to literature departments in which students trace the development of one literature in a particular culture over a specific time period, CLS juxtaposes literatures of different cultures and epochs in a variety of ways. Comparative literature studies the themes, conventions, and movements shared by distinct literary traditions as well as the features that differentiate them. Though the field has traditionally dealt with the canonical texts of Western literature, Northwestern’s CLS program strongly encourages students to explore literatures outside the European and American canon (especially those of Africa and Asia) as well as expand the Western canon to include the literatures of excluded or marginalized groups.

Comparative Literary Studies students at Northwestern University also examine literary theories and critical approaches to literature. In considering texts ranging from the classics of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations to contemporary critical theory, students not only learn to understand specific literary works but also to raise questions about their relations to other forms of discourse (e.g., historical, scientific, and philosophical) and about the nature of literature itself. To this end, the CLS program emphasizes both the study of various types of specifically literary theory (such as structuralist, poststructuralist, psychoanalytic, sociopolitical, and New Historical) and the examination of the theoretical and methodological concerns of other disciplines (such as anthropology, history, philosophy, gender studies, and sociology).

Finally, Comparative Literary Studies considers literary texts in relation to other forms of creative production. The relationship of literature to other arts such as music, the fine arts, and new media is an important focus of interest in many comparative literature courses, and students of comparative literary studies are also encouraged to take courses in other fields and disciplines.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Reading World Literature: Global Literary Ecologies

Oral Poetry from Homer to Hip Hop

Literature of French Existentialism

20th C. Russian Literature

Gender and Revolution in Soviet Russia

Taiwanese New Wave Cinemas
Politics, Gender, and Philosophy

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-23 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-01-02 00:00:00

Language

English

Credits

45 alternative credits

units of credit

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Evanston, United States

Disciplines

Literature View 1012 other Bachelors in Literature in United States

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

Common Application or Coalition Application*
Official secondary school transcript and school report
Counselor recommendation
At least one teacher recommendation
SAT or ACT scores
While there is no minimum score required by Northwestern, competitive applicants demonstrate a high level of English proficiency and typically score in the high range on all sections of the exams we accept.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

69375 USD / year

≈ 69375 USD / year
Out-of-State

69375 USD / year

≈ 69375 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

69375 USD / year

≈ 69375 USD / year

Living costs

Evanston

United States

1100 - 1500 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Bachelor's scholarship opportunities for Comparative Literary Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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