The Programs
The major and the minor undergraduate programs in Comparative Literature, like the graduate (MA and PhD) programs, give students the freedom to combine courses from the Comparative Literature Department with courses from other literature and related departments at UC Davis.
The introductory course sequence (COM 1-COM 4) provides a global overview of ancient to contemporary literature and related art forms and offers intensive practice in analytical thought. In addition, any one of the courses in the sequence satisfies the university lower-division composition requirement. All readings in undergraduate Comparative Literature courses are in English. After taking two courses from the introductory sequence, majors select upper-division courses from Comparative Literature, which encourage students to take a broad view of a historical period, a theme, a genre, or a literary movement. Additionally, elective courses may be selected from such areas as literature (in original languages, in English, and in translation); history; philosophy; anthropology; psychology; critical theory; ethnic studies; gender studies; and more. The wide variety of options in the program permits great flexibility and encourages interdisciplinary connections among literature and philosophy, psychology, history, and the arts. Each student's plan of study must be approved by the major advisor at the beginning and end of each calendar year. The department of Comparative Literature encourages students to study abroad, in the Summer Abroad program, the Quarter Abroad Program, or the Education Abroad Program. With the approval of a major advisor, applicable courses taken abroad may be accepted in the major or minor programs.
In the Comparative Literature Graduate Program, MA and PhD students study multiple literatures in their original languages, with theoretical and historically informed approaches and interdisciplinary and multicultural outlooks. Our graduate students create individual programs in support of their own intellectual and scholarly interests and goals.