The BA program in Comparative Literature is designed to attract, among others, three sorts of undergraduates :

• students who come to the University with a strong background in languages in addition to English, and an interest in working in two or more literatures (one of which can be English)
• students strongly interested in literary study who want to tackle general, generic and/or transnational questions across the lines of national literatures
• students interested in the interrelationship of literature and culture, and other issues that transcend the traditional demarcations of national literary history and area studies.

These categories are not mutually exclusive. Plans of course work will be individually designed in consultation with each student in such a way as to suit that student's needs and to take best advantage of the rich offerings of this university.

Typically, an undergraduate student wishing to work in two literatures (one of which can be English) might choose those two literatures as the major and minor fields (requirements 2 and 3). A student interested in literary study across national boundaries with a focus on generic and transnational questions might wish to create a major field along generic lines, such as film, the epic, the novel, poetry, drama, or opera; the minor field might be a particular national literature or a portion of such a literature.