• We are one of the largest comparative literature departments in the world, with a full-time faculty of seventeen. We offer a series of courses in European literature from the Middle Ages to the present, as well as courses in the literatures of East and Central Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia. We also have regular offerings in literary theory and interdisciplinary studies, including courses in literature and cinema, East Asian cinema, literature and the visual arts, literature and music, and literature and science.
  • We are also the home department of eight Asian and African language programs: Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, Swahili, Yoruba and Zulu. Students in these programs develop their communication skills through regular interaction with native speakers, and they participate in various activities that enhance their understanding of the language’s cultural heritage.
  • The department also encourages international study by serving as the home department for Study Abroad programs in Avignon, Budapest and Tanzania, with a fourth program soon to be available in India.