The department offers the B.A. in Comparative Literature. Comparative Literature is an interdisciplinary field which is studied internationally. At UCR, the Comparative Literature curriculum is organized around a core staff of comparatists assisted by qualified faculty from other departments and programs. The discipline of Comparative Literature encourages study of interliterary relationships among various cultural traditions; on the graduate level, it seeks to promote the study of interdisciplinary relationships. Comparative Literature courses, undergraduate or graduate, require that the majors read whenever possible in the languages (two for undergraduates, one of which may be English, and three for graduates) they present. Non-majors may do all the readings in English translation. Comparative Literature majors may also work with translations.

Comparative Literature courses are open to all students.

Major Requirements

1. Lower-division requirements (12 units plus proficiency)
   1. Proficiency in at least one language (besides English), ancient or modern, through the intermediate level (second year)
   2. CPLT 001 or CPLT 001W, and 1 lower-division CPLT course
   3. CPLT 017C or 1 lower-division ARLC, CHN, CLA, CPAC, CPLT, EUR, FREN, GER, ITAL, JPN, KOR, RUSN, SEAS, or VNM
      course on literature, culture, cinema, or the like.
2. Upper-division requirements (36 units)
   1. Twelve (12) units in one literature, distributed as much as possible among courses representing the various literary periods
   2. Eight (8) units in a second literature
   3. CPLT 110, CPLT 193, (CPLT 196 strongly recommended but not required)
   4. Eight (8) elective units in Comparative Literature

Students contemplating graduate study in Comparative Literature are urged to complete two years in a second (non-English) language before graduation.

Language Placement

For information about placement exams contact Suzy Sharweed.

Committee in Charge

• Michelle E. Bloom, Ph.D. Comparative Literature/French
• Heidi Brevik-Zender, Ph.D. Comparative Literature/French
• Vrinda Chidambaram, Ph.D. Linguistics/Comparative Literature
• Johannes Endres, Ph.D., German/Comparative Literature
• Kelly Jeong, Ph.D. Comparative Literature/Korean
• Anthonia Kalu, Ph.D. African Studies/Comparative Literature
• John N. Kim, Ph.D. Germanic Studies/Japanese/Comparative Literature
• Mariam Beevi Lam, Ph.D. Vietnamese/ Comparative Literature
• Perry Link, Ph.D. Comparative Literature/Chinese
• Hendrik M.J. Maier, Ph.D., Southeast Asian Literature/Comparative Literature
• Lisa A. Raphals, Ph.D. Chinese/Comparative Literature
• Jeffrey Sacks, Ph.D. Arabic /Comparative Literature
• Yenna Wu, Ph.D. Chinese/Civilizations/ Comparative Literature
• Yang Ye, Ph.D., Chinese/Comparative Literature
• Daryle Williams, Ph.D., Interim Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, ex officio