The Center for Comparative Literature and Society was established at
Columbia in 1998 to promote a global perspective in the study of
literature and its social context. The Center became an Institute in
July 2007. Committed to the cross-disciplinary study of literary works,
the institute brings together the rich resources of Columbia in the
various literatures of the world; in the social sciences and law; and
in art history, architecture, and media.
The Major in Comparative Literature and Society allows qualified
students to pursue the study of literature, culture, and society with reference
to material from several national traditions, or in a combination of literary
study with comparative study in other disciplines in the humanities and social
sciences. Under the guidance of the director of undergraduate studies, students
select courses offered by the various participating departments.
The major is innovatively designed for students whose interest and
expertise in languages other than English permit them to work comparatively in
several national or regional cultures. The course of study differs from that of
traditional comparative literature programs both in its cross-disciplinary
nature and in its expanded geographic range, including not just European, but
also Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American cultures. The program
includes course work in the social sciences, and several of the program’s core
courses are jointly taught by faculty from different disciplines. Students will
thus explore a variety of methodological and disciplinary approaches to cultural
and literary artifacts in the broadest sense. The cross-disciplinary range of
the program includes visual and media studies; the law and the humanities; and
studies of space, cities, and architecture. As a major, the program in
comparative literature and society can be said to flow naturally from Columbia’s
Core Curriculum, and consistently attracts some of Columbia’s most ambitious and
cosmopolitan students.
Given the wide variety of geographic and disciplinary
specializations possible within the major, students construct their course
sequence in close collaboration with the director of undergraduate studies. But
all students share the experience of the "Introduction to Comparative Literature
and Society" seminar in their sophomore year as well as that of the required senior
seminar. The major is designed for students interested in the cross-disciplinary
and cross-cultural study of texts, traditions, media, and discourses in an
increasingly transnational world.
The Institute for Comparative Literature and Society
also offers a
concentration that allows qualified students to complement their work
in other majors with the study of literature, culture, and society.
Like the major, the concentration is designed for students whose
interest and expertise in languages other than English enable them to
work comparatively in several national or regional cultures. The
concentration is also interdisciplinary, affording students the
opportunity to explore a variety of methodological and disciplinary
approaches to the study of cultural and literary artifacts. Students
pursuing a concentration share with students in the major the
experience of the Introduction to Comparative Literature and Society seminar in their sophomore year.
If you have questions or are interested in finding out more about a
major or concentration in Comparative Literature and Society please
contact Prof. Carlos J. Alonso, Director of Undergraduate Studies, at (212) 854-5177.
