Comparative Literature and Culture Major

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The Comparative Literature and Culture program promotes linguistic proficiency and cultural literacy, with emphasis on critical thinking, practice of close reading, extensive writing and text analysis so students can be successful in their academic and professional endeavors but also in the service to others in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Articulate in writing and discussions responses to literary texts in the context of their historical, cultural and/or aesthetic traditions
Identify and compare ideas and formal features of an integrated body of literary or non-literary texts using the disciplinary convention and methodologies of literary and cultural analyses
Analyze the main ideas of various cultural phenomena, such as literature, art, music, film and popular media
Appreciate and explain the plurality of meanings and diversity of perspectives presented in literary and non-literary texts of one or more ethnic, racial, religious and culturally diverse groups, or their communities within the US

Major Requirements (48 units)

Foundations Level (12 units)

Students take either Comp Lit 200 or Comp Lit 210, and two of the three English courses below. English foundation course selection will depend on the topics covered in Comp Lit 200/10, selected to avoid redundancy.

Critical Analysis (4 units)

ENGL 399 - Critical Analysis

Foreign Language (8 units)

Students must complete two semesters of one foreign language above the three semesters required by the College of Arts and Sciences (level 101, 102, and 201 or equivalent, as determined by placement tests.)

4th Semester of a Foreign Language (202 in target language)
5th Semester of a Foreign Language (300-level course taught in the target language)

Capstone Seminar (4 units)

The capstone project must be grounded in comparative methodologies, must analyze at least one written text in target language, and must combine studies in two languages (with at least one source in original target language - other than English). Interdisciplinary projects welcome.

ENGL 490 - Senior Seminar in Literature

Electives (20 units)

Students will select five 300+ elective courses from MCL (either in the target language or in translation) and English. They must select two from each Department.

Unit Transfer

Students may transfer up to twelve (12) units toward their elective requirements from another institution or a study abroad program. To transfer, courses must be at the minimum level of 300 or above, or its equivalent. To facilitate transfers, student will provide the course syllabus, a major paper written for that course and a petition form for each course.

Study Abroad

Majors in Comparative Literature and Culture are strongly encouraged to study abroad.

Students may transfer up to twelve (12) units from their University sponsored study abroad program toward the Comparative Literature and Culture Major. A minimum of twenty-four (24) of the total forty-four (44) units required for the Comparative Literature and Culture Major must be completed in residence at USF.