2024-2025 Academic Catalog 
    
    Nov 18, 2024  
HELP
2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Comparative Literary Studies

Program Director: Dr. Ioanna Chatzidimitriou, Associate Professor of French
Advisory Board: Dr. Francesca Coppa, Dr. Tiffany Montoya, Dr. Daniel Leisawitz, and Dr. Mirna Trauger

Comparative Literature (or Comparative Literary Studies) is an established discipline in literary studies. Its defining characteristics are its comparative methodologies, its theoretical approach to literary study (psychoanalytic, eco-critical, post-colonial, post-humanist, feminist, queer, etc.), and its interdisciplinarity. Often, comparative literary studies require fluency in more than one language but that is not always the case. At Muhlenberg, we are lucky to have robust literary programs in both English and a number of other linguistic traditions (Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew, etc.), which allows us to offer our multilingual students the possibility of exploring literary texts in their original language.

Minor Requirements

The new minor in Comparative Literary Studies will have two tracks to accommodate both students with elementary skills in their L2 (or no L2 skills at all in some cases) and truly multilingual students: a Literature in Translation track and a Comparative Literature track (prerequisite for the Comparative Literature Track: completion of Intermediate II course in L2 or equivalent for all languages). Both tracks require 6 courses for completion of the minor.

Students in either track will have to take CLS 201 Introduction to Comparative Literary Studies  and one Books Without Borders class. CLS 201 offers a critical overview of the field and its comparative methodologies, and Books Without Borders classes serve as models of theoretical (and therefore intentionally interdisciplinary) approaches to literature.

- Literature in Translation students will take 4 additional courses at the 300- or 400-level (and, exceptionally, the 200-level) from a list of pre-approved courses in English equally split between any two linguistic traditions or regions.

- Comparative Literature students will take 4 additional courses at the 300- or 400-level (and, exceptionally, the 200-level) from a list of pre-approved courses equally split between any two linguistic traditions/regions where all reading and writing will be completed in the original language.

The four additional courses to be chosen in consultation with the Director include, but are not limited to, this list of courses:

Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  Academic Calendar
  Purposes and Resources
  Admission, Expenses, Financial Aid
  Academic Policies and Procedures
  Degree Requirements
  Academic Divisions and Departments
  Programs of Study
  Course Descriptions
  Division of Graduate and Continuing Education
  College Life
  The Muhlenberg Community
  My Portfolio