Information for Majors
Declaring the Major
Ideally during the course of the sophomore year, students interested in majoring in Comparative Literature should first meet with their academic adviser to map out what courses will fulfill the for Comparative Literature and to fill out the major declaration form. It is strongly advised that students consult the major planner form for assistance in this process.
Once the academic adviser has signed off on the major declaration form, the student should meet with the chair of the Comparative Literature committee to get his or her signature for the form as well.
Major Proposal
In the first semester of the junior year, students should write a one-page major proposal by September 15th. Spring/Fall majors should complete this by February 15th. This proposal should inform the Comparative Literature Committee of the following:
- What are your proposed area(s) of focus for the Comparative Literature major?
- What potential topics might you write your thesis on?
- How does your proposed coursework support your major and potential thesis topics, as described?
Sample major proposal - Literature Track (PDF)
Sample major proposal - Interdisciplinary Track (PDF)
Qualifying Exam
Early in the second semester of the junior year, Comparative Literature majors will produce a list of 10 works (literary works, artworks, etc.; it can include works read as part of a class) that might provide the basis for a qualifying exam. The Committee recommends that students select works that will productively lead to the proposed thesis topic(s). The Committee (or its delegates) will write a qualifying exam from that list of works.
The qualifying exam will consist of two essay questions: one question will be drawn from the materials from Comparative Literature 201; the other question will be drawn from the list of works provided by the student. Students may also be asked to read a secondary source that will be included with the exam materials. The exam will be scheduled for a week late in the second semester of the junior year. The student can pick up the exam from the division secretary on the date announced and will be expected to return the completed exam one week later. The essays should be typed, double spaced, and can each be anywhere from 6 to 8 pages in length. Students will be expected to make specific reference to the works cited in the question so the exam is considered "open book." Students should not consult additional secondary sources for the exam.
Each Junior Qualifying Examination is read by two members of the Comparative Literature Committee and evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Students receive written feedback from the Committee chair that reflects comments made by each of the faculty readers. The goal of this feedback is to help students become increasingly self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses as readers and writers, as analysts of complex texts, in advance of the thesis process.
Criteria for success
A successful qualifying exam will contain the following: a careful close analysis of one or more literary texts or films; the successful incorporation of secondary sources into the analysis of the primary objects of analysis; an argument that provides a unified approach to that analysis; evidence of an awareness of the methods of comparative literature.
Senior Thesis
The senior thesis is the result of a 2-unit, yearlong process of research and writing under the guidance of a faculty thesis adviser in the student's chosen area of inquiry. Comparative Literature majors will normally have a thesis adviser from the Division of Literature and Languages.
Like all other students in the Division of Literature and Languages, students submit one chapter of the thesis (18-25 pages) at the end of the fall semester to the adviser and a first reader for a "mini-oral." In the second semester of thesis, the student completes the document by adding one or two chapters, an introduction, a conclusion, and a bibliography. Thesis culminates in a 1.5 hour oral examination in which the student defends thesis's argument and evidence before a board of four faculty questioners. Thesis grades are given by the adviser in consultation with the board on by evaluating the yearlong process, the document, and the oral defense. No fixed ratio is assigned to these three components.
Criteria for success
A successful thesis will demonstrate the student’s ability to: conduct independent research; formulate an interesting thesis topic comparing more than one text or medium or historical period, or negotiating relations between literature and theory; and pursue this investigation in a methodologically sound fashion. The thesis will be evaluated according to whether it: is well written; provides a clear frame of analysis; displays a high level of conversance with the methods and terminology distinctive to literary analysis and/or literary theory and/or literary history; and makes intelligent use of pertinent secondary sources. The oral examination will be evaluated according to whether it provides evidence of the student’s ability to explain the nature of their project and the logic underlying the structure of the written manuscript and reflects the student’s ability to respond to a variety of broader questions about the significance of the research for the wider field under consideration.