Comparative Literature

The aim of the program is to encourage students to study a varied and illustrative range of literary topics rather than the total development of a single literary tradition. True to the spirit of Brown's New Curriculum, a concentration in Comparative Literature affords great academic freedom. For example: advanced courses in any literature department at Brown count for concentration credit; although English is commonly one of the languages that students apply to their Comparative Literature studies, basically any language—ancient or modern—supported at Brown may form part of a Comparative Literature concentration program. In essence, concentrators study a generous range of literary works—from Western cultures, both ancient and modern, to Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic—and develop a focused critical understanding of how cultures differ from one another. Comparative Literature differs from other literature concentrations largely through its international focus and its broad-gauged view of art and culture in which the study of languages is combined with the analysis of literature and literary theory. All students take a course in literary theory and have the opportunity to complete a senior essay.

Please contact Professor Ourida Mostefai, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, with questions.