Comparative Literature, BA
Comparative Literature is a field that promotes the multidisciplinary, historically self-reflective study of cultural expressions across languages, periods, genres, media, discourses, and the traditional boundaries of regional and national traditions. The Comparative Literature Department at Tulane is a place where rigorous, multilingual study meets innovative theory and close reading with the aim of investigating the diverse forms of life, thought, literature, and the products and processes of culture (both “high” and “mass”) in ways that bring us new understandings of an increasingly complex and interconnected, globalized world.
Taking as our point of departure that studies in literature are vital to a clear and complex understanding of human cultural expressions and aesthetic and social formations, and in the spirit of modeling a global perspective on the wider humanities and social sciences, Tulane’s BA in Comparative Literature seeks to rethink what comparative literary studies might mean for critical thinking and practice today. Our program strives to expand the field’s foundational set of interests in language, literature, translation and critical aesthetics explored in, and across, distinct national literature fields. It draws on philosophical and theoretical reflections on the questions of what counts as “literature” and “culture,” and why; and attends equally to how literary studies are also informed by knowledge forms made available through other established humanities disciplines (e.g. history, philosophy, political science, anthropology, music, art history, visual and cinema studies).
The Comparative Literature BA seeks to foster in our students creative thinking and critical acuity, comparative analysis and theoretical reflection, as well as work that integrates practice and theory. Our faculty’s expertise spans diverse literary traditions, fostering a unique blend of historical insight and critical analysis in literature, thought, film, and media. The community of comparatists at Tulane includes scholars across the departments and programs in the School of Liberal Arts who share a commitment to transnational, transhistorical. interdisciplinary, and multilingual study. The areas of expertise of our expanding department cover philosophy and literature, film and visual studies, postcolonial literatures and cultures, classical reception, environmental humanities, literary theory, comparative historiographies, music, sound, and performance studies, AI and digital literary studies, and translation studies.
Although these groupings may suggest segregated interests, the Program’s hallmark is inclusiveness and collaboration. Our courses are not confined to a single national literature but rather engage many different languages and traditions. Comparative Literature faculty and students work in several areas, several literatures, and often several disciplines at once. Department course offerings and scholarly research set literature in juxtaposition to art, film, philosophy, linguistics, music, history, law, political science, medicine, and other fields that provide context and comparison. The Tulane Global Humanities Center programming, events, and speakers will enrich the program both for faculty and students.
Representative courses that can be chosen as electives for the Major and Minor are listed here below. Electives will be chosen in concert with faculty advisors, and up to 2 courses from Study Abroad (per semester) may be counted toward the Major/Minor as electives, including 1 language course (see Language Requirements section below). All Core courses for the Major/Minor will be taught by a rotating team of core and affiliated faculty, and some courses will be taught collaboratively.
All students must take three core courses: COLT 2010 Introduction to Comparative Literature, with an option for Tier-1 Intensive Writing; COLT 3010 Global Forms (to be taken Sophomore or Junior year); and COLT 5010, a senior seminar on a comparative topic or field. In addition they will complete 6 electives plus one language course in the 3rd language, not fulfilled by the NTC language requirement. (see below) Students will complete 10 courses (for the major) and 5 courses (for the minor). Service learning may accompany these courses. Core courses will be counted as fulfilling the requirement for courses above the 3000 level.
While at least half of the required courses must be taken in residence at Tulane, students will be strongly encouraged to spend their junior year abroad (1 semester or 1 year).
Languages
Languages are a necessary tool in scholarship and global careers. Completion of the NTC language requirement satisfies part of the Comparative Literature major or minor language requirement. Students must also study a third language, loosely interpreted to include spoken languages and also coding, music, the digital humanities, and others. This requirement can be satisfied by language courses that are not used to satisfy the Newcomb-Tulane College core language proficiency requirement including, but not limited to 1010, 1020, 1120, 2030, and 2040 courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, (subject codes: ARBC, ASTC, FREN, GERM, GREK, HACR, HBRW, ITAL, ASTJ, ASTK, LATN, PORT, RUSS, SPAN). Study Abroad courses and additional courses in other fields including anthropology, linguistics, music, computer science, and less commonly taught languages can be approved by the Program Director.
Students are encouraged to study abroad. Tulane’s Office of Study Abroad offers suitable programs. (see https://cge.tulane.edu/study-abroad-programs). Students can petition to count appropriate special topics courses, and independent study courses and courses taken abroad at other universities or programs toward the ten-course requirement. One language course completed during Study Abroad can count toward the major.
Students pursuing this bachelor’s degree must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in the Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum, 120 credit hours in their degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000. More information on degree and core curriculum requirements can be found here.
See Curriculum Requirements and Sample Plan of Study below.
Curriculum Requirements
The Comparative Literature major requires a minimum of 30 credit hours in 10 courses: 3 required courses taken in sequence (COLT 2010 Introduction to Comparative Literature, 3010 Global Forms (taught with variable title), and 5010 Senior Seminar) plus six electives chosen from departments listed on the program proposal (including English, French & Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Communication, History, Music, Art), three of which must come from the School of Liberal Arts (SLA). In addition, one course in a third language must be completed, from subject codes: ARBC, ASTC, FREN, GERM, GREK, HACR, HBRW, ITAL, ASTJ, ASTK, LATN, PORT, RUSS, SPAN). Study Abroad courses and additional courses in other fields including anthropology, linguistics, music, computer science, and less commonly taught languages can be approved by the Program Director for this third language requirement.
A minimum of three courses at or above the 3000-level are required for the major, with the core courses 3010 and 5010 counting in that total. A maximum of two courses from 1000-level language courses can be counted toward the fulfillment of the major, and a maximum of two study abroad courses (per semester of study abroad) can count towards the degree.
Six elective courses are selected from the various departments offering classes in related fields. Comparative Literature students should consult the Schedule of Classes each semester to review available electives and are advised to confer with their major advisor to structure their course of study, particularly when planning study abroad coursework. Additional electives may be approved by the Program Director.
Completion of the NTC language requirement satisfies part of the Comparative Literature major or minor language requirement. Students must also study a third language, loosely interpreted to include spoken languages and also coding, music, the digital humanities, and others. This requirement can be satisfied by language courses that are not used to satisfy the Newcomb-Tulane College core language proficiency requirement including, but not limited to 1010, 1020, 1120, 2030, and 2040 courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, (subject codes: ARBC, ASTC, FREN, GERM, GREK, HACR, HBRW, ITAL, ASTJ, ASTK, LATN, PORT, RUSS, SPAN). Study Abroad courses and additional courses in other fields including anthropology, linguistics, music, computer science, and less commonly taught languages can be approved by the Program Director.
Curriculum Requirements Summary
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| COLT 2010 | Introduction to Comparative Literature | 3 |
| COLT 3010 | Global Forms | 3 |
| COLT 5010 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Seven Electives 1 | ||
| See Elective List table below for course options. Additional Special Topics courses may be available. Review the Schedule of Classes each semester for offerings. | ||
| Four electives may be at any level | 12 | |
| A maximum of 9 credits from the 1000-level. | ||
| Three must be at the 3000-level or higher | 9 | |
| Up to two courses can be approved as electives from Study Abroad Programs See Major Advisor for details and approval | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Students are encouraged to take up to two language courses at the 1000-level as electives in the major in order to facilitate reading comprehension in a non-English language literature course. See Major Advisor for full list of elective options. COLT 4010 Novels of Thinking: Philosophical Fiction (3 or 4 c.h.) will be offered annually.
Comparative Literature Elective List
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative Literature | ||
| COLT 4010 | Novels of Thinking: Philosophical Fiction | 4 |
| Arabic | ||
| ARBC 3220 | Introduction to Arabic Literature 2 | 3 |
| ARBC 3250 | Arab Modern Culture 2 | 3 |
| Art History | ||
| ARHS 3111 | Tombs and Temples: East Asian Art before 1300 | 3 |
| ARHS 3112 | Monks and Merchants: East Asian Art from Medieval to Contemporary | 3 |
| ARHS 3200 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art | 3 |
| ARHS 3210 | Art and Experience in the Middle Ages | 3 |
| ARHS 3220 | Romanesque and Gothic Art | 3 |
| ARHS 3350 | Renaissance & Baroque Architecture | 3 |
| ARHS 3410 | Theaters of the Baroque | 3 |
| ARHS 3420 | Van Eyck to Bruegel | 3 |
| ARHS 3430 | Rubens to Rembrandt | 3 |
| ARHS 3510 | Rococo To Romanticism | 3 |
| ARHS 3540 | Impressionism and Post-Impressionism | 3 |
| ARHS 3580 | Impressionism in Paris Museums | 3 |
| ARHS 3620 | Contemporary Art Since 1950 | 3 |
| ARHS 3650 | Early Twentieth Century European Modernism | 3 |
| ARHS 3680 | History of Photography | 3 |
| ARHS 3700 | Art and Architecture of Ancient America | 3 |
| ARHS 3710 | Colonial Art of Latin America | 3 |
| ARHS 3750 | Global Contemporary Art | 3 |
| ARHS 3760 | Modern Arts Latin America | 3 |
| ARHS 3770 | Art in Latin America since 1950 | 3 |
| ARHS 3780 | Contemporary Art Latin America | 3 |
| ARHS 3871 | Introduction to African American Art and Visual Culture, c. 1700-1940 | 3 |
| ARHS 3872 | Art of the African Diaspora, c. 1925 to Present | 3 |
| ARHS 6050 | Scandals of Modern Art | 3,4 |
| ARHS 6210 | Medieval Pilgrimages: Saints, Bones, and Art | 3 |
| ARHS 6220 | Women and Gender in Medieval Art | 3,4 |
| ARHS 6310 | Global Renaissance | 3 |
| ARHS 6320 | Colonialisms in Latin American Art | 3 or 4 |
| ARHS 6330 | Prints & Ways of Knowing | 3 to 4 |
| ARHS 6350 | Landscape Theory (1450–1800) | 3 or 4 |
| Classics | ||
| CLAS 1010 | The Rise of Rome | 3 |
| CLAS 1030 | The Greeks | 3 |
| CLAS 1040 | Mythology | 3 |
| CLAS 1050 | The Romans | 3 |
| CLAS 2020 | The High Roman Empire | 3 |
| CLAS 2120 | The Archaeology of Israel | 3 |
| CLAS 2310 | Tyrants & Democrats Anc Greece | 3 |
| CLAS 2320 | Ancient Greek Religion | 3 |
| CLAS 2400 | Ancient Medicine | 3 |
| CLAS 2600 | The Classical World in Film | 3 |
| CLAS 2610 | Sex and Gender in Antiquity | 3 |
| Communication | ||
| COMM 2400 | Topics in Int'l Film Movements | 3 |
| COMM 2750 | Latin American Icons | 3 |
| COMM 3600 | Documentary Film | 3 |
| COMM 4190 | Intro to Latin American Film | 3 |
| English | ||
| ENLS 2040 | Introduction to Anglophone Literature | 3 |
| ENLS 2155 | Literatures of Tourism | 3 |
| ENLS 2450 | Introduction to Postcolonial Literature and Theory | 3 |
| ENLS 4030 | Literary New Orleans 2 | 3 or 4 |
| ENLS 4040 | Early Modern Transatlantic Lit | 3 |
| ENLS 4260 | Modern Irish Literature | 3 |
| ENLS 4300 | African Literature | 3 |
| ENLS 4430 | Caribbean Literature | 3 |
| ENLS 4710 | Intro To Literary Theory | 3 |
| ENLS 4720 | Feminist Literary Theory | 3 |
| ENLS 4750 | New Media Theory | 3 |
| ENLS 4760 | Topics In Literary Theory | 3 |
| ENLS 4810 | Cultural Criticism | 3 |
| ENLS 4820 | Col/ Postcolonial Discourse | 3 |
| ENLS 4840 | Performance Studies | 3 |
| ENLS 4850 | Cultural Politics & Practice | 3 |
| ENLS 4852 | Feminisms in the 21st Century | 3 |
| ENLS 4855 | Literature and the Environment | 3 |
| ENLS 4857 | Literature and Technology | 3 |
| ENLS 4870 | Global Literatures | 3 |
| Environmental Studies | ||
| EVST 3500 | Climate Fact/Climate Fiction | 3 |
| French | ||
| FREN 3010 | Topics French Cultr Stud | 3 |
| FREN 3030 | French and/or Francophone Women Writers in Translation | 3 |
| FREN 3040 | African and Caribbean Literature | 3 |
| FREN 3120 | Paris, City of Immigrants | 3 |
| FREN 3170 | French Pop Culture 2 | 3 |
| FREN 3250 | Topics in French Society & Institutions 2 | 3 or 4 |
| FREN 3710 | Revitalizing French in Louisiana 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4080 | French Around the World 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4160 | Translation Theory & Practice 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4400 | Sustainable Development in the Francophone World 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4530 | Islam and Enlightenment 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4750 | The Avant-Garde 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4800 | Survey of Francophone Literature 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4830 | Francophone Literature of the Maghreb 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4840 | Philosophy, Francophone Literature, and Politics: Imagination and Institutions 2 | 3 |
| FREN 4850 | Morocco in Film and Literature | 3 |
| FREN 4870 | Women Writers of the Arab World 2 | 3 |
| German | ||
| GERM 3050 | Advanced Grammar & Composition 2 | 3 |
| History | ||
| HISE 2220 | France in the Tropics | 3 |
| HISE 2230 | France since 1789 | 3 |
| HISE 3220 | WWII In French Film | 3 or 4 |
| HISE 3231 | The French Revolution | 4 |
| HISE 6520 | Immigr & Identity in France | 3 or 4 |
| Italian | ||
| ITAL 2250 | In Hell with Dante | 3 |
| ITAL 3000 | Introduction to Italian Literature 2 | 3 |
| ITAL 3300 | Topics in Italian Literature and Cinema 2 | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 3350 | Italian Food Culture in Art, Literature, and Cinema | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 3560 | The Italian Cinema 2 | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 3565 | The Italian Cinema | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 4510 | Narrazioni della migrazione in Italia: nuove facce di una nazione 2 | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 4515 | Narratives of Migration in Italy: New Facets of a Nation | 3 or 4 |
| ITAL 4520 | Cinema neorealista italiano 2 | 3 to 4 |
| ITAL 4525 | Italian Neorealist Cinema | 3 to 4 |
| Music | ||
| MUSC 2016 | Music, Sound and Climate Change | 3 |
| MUSC 3421 | Women Die in Opera | 3 to 4 |
| Philosophy | ||
| PHIL 3020 | Topics in Bible & Philosophy | 3,4 |
| PHIL 3110 | Contemporay European Philosophy | 3 |
| Portuguese | ||
| PORT 4160 | Afro-Brazilians | 3 |
| PORT 4510 | Luso-Brazilian Cities 2 | 3 |
| PORT 6190 | Avant-Garde Move Lat Am | 3 |
| Russian | ||
| RUSS 3030 | Masterpieces Russ Lit I | 3 |
| RUSS 3040 | Masterpieces Russ Lit II | 3 |
| Spanish | ||
| SPAN 4100 | Gender/Sex Hisp Culture 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4120 | Social Problems in Spanish American Literature 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4130 | Topics Spanish-American Literature 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4140 | Intro Colonial Letters 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4160 | Afro-Latin American Literature 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4280 | Sex, Sentiment, Marriage | 3 |
| SPAN 4510 | Hispanic Cities 2 | 3 |
| SPAN 4610 | National Cinemas Latn Am | 3 |
| SPAN 4710 | Environmental Literature 2 | 3 |
| Theatre | ||
| THEA 2810 | Global Theatre & Performance | 3 or 4 |
| THEA 4710 | Foundations of Theatre History | 3-4 |
| THEA 4720 | Modern and Contemporary Non-US Theatre | 3-4 |
- 2
Pre-requisites required, as listed in the University Catalog. See the Schedule of Classes for more information. Course pre-requisites do not satisfy requirements for this major.
Sample Plan of Study
This example plan of study for the Comparative Literature, BA represents a fall semester start and encompasses all program requirements. Students are responsible for reviewing university, school, and program requirements, along with prerequisites and the sequencing of courses in coordination with their academic and major advisors.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| COLT 2010 | Introduction to Comparative Literature | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one COLT elective* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| COLT 3010 | Global Forms | 3 |
| Select one COLT elective* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one COLT elective* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one COLT elective* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one COLT elective at the 3000-level or higher* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| COLT 5010 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Select one COLT elective at the 3000-level or higher* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one COLT elective at the 3000-level or higher* | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- *
Consult with major advisor to select electives.
For more information, contact the School of Liberal Arts.