Literature is a cultural site where the present is negotiated, the past excavated, and the future envisioned. In a globalized world where the circulation of blogs, legal documents, political manifestos, manuscripts, online journals, and images constantly shapes and reshapes human experience, understanding texts is utterly essential.
Majoring in comparative literature provides students with tools for analyzing texts, writing, editing, translating, and thinking across disciplinary and national boundaries. Our majors engage a variety of literary traditions and historical periods, from Latin American concrete poetry to Yiddish experimental fiction. The department offers rigorous training in the following areas of strength of our internationally recognized faculty: French, German, Italian, Hebrew studies, classics, critical theory, East Asian literatures and arts, performance studies, film and media, poetry and poetics, gender and sexuality, postcolonial theory, English and American literatures, early modern and Renaissance studies and Slavic literatures and cultures.
All members of the department are deeply invested in the academic development of our students and value you as an integral part of the Comparative Literature community at UC Berkeley. The department aims to develop your creative and intellectual interests and talents. As a major, you receive the opportunity to pursue rigorous research in a variety of literatures according to your interests, engage in team-based projects, participate in discussions about political, aesthetic, and social issues, and develop a nuanced cross-cultural understanding of historical and social processes. All of our students have close contact with cutting edge scholars in their fields in a small classroom setting, with extensive individualized work. Our undergraduate majors publish and edit their own journal of comparative literature (CLUJ) and run an annual research conference. Most majors also choose to spend time in study abroad to deepen their cultural and linguistic knowledge.
Our students benefit from training in comparative literature and go on to work in a variety of professions, including journalism, media, publishing, translation, theater, and politics as well as in many roles in the legal, corporate, social, medical, and arts sectors. Additionally, we prepare our students to enter top graduate programs in the US and abroad.
"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you are not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong."
—F. Scott Fitzgerald
Declaring the Major
If you are thinking of majoring in Comparative Literature, come meet with the major adviser at your earliest opportunity. You will probably discover that the requirements are flexible enough to suit you, and may find it to your advantage to ask the department's adviser to suggest relevant freshman and sophomore courses.
Majors must see the major adviser each semester to plan a program for the coming year in order to pre-enroll via the CalCentral enrollment system. The Major Requirements tab to the right outlines the basic requirements. Keep in mind that most of these requirements will be adjusted according to the language areas in which you plan to work and your own long range plans.
Honors Program
Students who have attained junior standing may be admitted to the honors program if they:
Have accumulated at least an overall 3.55 grade point average (GPA) and at least a 3.65 GPA in the major.
Have completed at least 8 upper division units in literature, including COM LIT 100 or the equivalent.
Are prepared to do upper division work in one vernacular foreign literature or one classical literature.
In addition to the requirements for the regular program outlined above, candidates for the BA with honors in Comparative Literature must demonstrate, through either examination or coursework, a sense of the historical development of their principal literature, and earn a grade of B or higher for an honors thesis in COM LIT H195. Students interested in the honors program are urged to consult an adviser in the Department of Comparative Literature at their earliest opportunity.
Minor Program
The Department of Comparative Literature has a new minor program, open to all UC Berkeley students regardless of college. The minor comprises of 5 courses; the 3 "core" classes required for the major (COM LIT 100, CL151-165, and COM LIT 190) along with two courses from the "secondary" literature. For more information, please review the department site at complit.berkeley.edu or contact the Comparative Literature major adviser at complituga@berkeley.edu.
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in upper division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Upper Division Requirements
Course List
Code
Title
Units
Select one Introductory Course from the following:
Primary literature: select at least three upper division courses (minimum 12 units), with readings in the original language.
12
Secondary literature: select at least two upper division courses (minimum 8 units), with readings in the original language and selected to fit the student’s period of primary interest.
8
Minor Requirements
For the minor in Comparative Literature, students must take five courses for a letter grade: the three departmental core courses (COM LIT 100, 100A, B, C, or D; one from COM LIT 151–160, 156AC or 170, and COM LIT 190), and two in a secondary literature, which should be in another language aside from the student's main language. It is best that interested students meet with the major adviser to discuss planning for the minor.
All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. To declare a minor, contact the department advisor for information on requirements, and the declaration process.
To complete the minor, interested students should fill out the "Completion of L&S Minor" forms and submit to the departmental adviser no later than the fifth week of classes of your final semester before graduation. The College of L&S will be notified of minor completion approximately four weeks after the final minor course has been completed for inclusion in the student's diploma.
General Guidelines
All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A.
All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade.
A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.
Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.
No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.
All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)
Two courses in a secondary language (consult with adviser about specifics)
8
College Requirements
Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages.
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade.
The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.
College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
120 total units
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Student Learning Goals
Learning Goals for the Major
Achieve solid proficiency in at least one language other than English, to the level needed to work with original texts in at least two national literary traditions.
Attain a solid grounding in at least two national literary traditions, one of which is considered the student’s primary literature.
Understand key characteristics of historical periods in the primary literature.
Recognize and understand the workings of genre in literature (novel, poetic form, epic, drama).
Achieve fluency in the use of major critical and theoretical modes of analysis.
Situate literary movements in their relation to historical and cultural contexts.
Analyze aspects of literature that can or must be studied cross-culturally (such as translation, avant-garde movements, romanticism, modernism, diasporic literatures).
Skills
Critical reading. Students develop the capacity to:
Perform a strong and revealing close analysis of a text.
Recognize the literary and rhetorical features that structure texts and shape their reception.
Employ the conceptual tools and insights of literary theoretical texts in reading and interpreting texts drawn from various literary genres, literary criticism, historical materials, and literary theory itself.
Present accurately the arguments of a literary critic or theorist, uncovering unarticulated assumptions to illuminate the context in which the argument is made.
Understand the implications of different interpretive approaches, considering the benefits and limitations of different strategies.
Argumentation. Students learn to:
Develop a line of questioning that leads to the construction of a logical, well-supported argument.
Evaluate their own arguments and those of others on the criteria of logical coherence, good use of evidence and comprehensiveness.
Respond to new evidence or new perspectives on the evidence by refining or revising their argument.
Oral and written expression. Students learn to:
Present complex information and ideas orally, both in a prepared presentation and spontaneously.
Participate in a discussion with multiple participants by asking questions, listening closely to others, building upon their contributions, and formulating productive and relevant responses.
Write formal expository prose that is clear, persuasive, and economical.
Revise their own writing to improve its clarity and effectiveness.
Research. Students learn to:
Formulate a productive research question that has a rigorous conceptual framework and makes good use of the available evidence.
Use databases, indices, and other tools to identify and locate relevant materials.
Assess the relevance and reliability of available materials.
Cite published work properly.
Major Map
Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.
Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:
Many Comparative Literature students study abroad. The department actively encourages this experience. International study can be enlightening and fulfilling, both personally and academically. Although study abroad requires some planning ahead, the benefits are well worth the effort for most students.
Berkeley Study Abroad (BSA) is a University of California, system-wide program. Located in 160 Stephens Hall, BSA administers education abroad for Berkeley students. To begin planning an overseas program, or for more information, contact an adviser in the BSA Office; search the correct adviser by seeking programs on this page.
The Department of Comparative Literature expects its students to make normal degree progress and will review standing in the major before approving a semester or year abroad. Advanced consultation with the department adviser is highly recommended.
Comparative Literature Undergraduate Journal (CLUJ)
Students have the opportunity to run their own departmentally-supported journal, including writing, editing, and publishing. For more information, contact the Comparative Literature Undergraduate Major Advisor at complituga@berkeley.edu.
Vagabond
Students have the opportunity to run their own departmentally-supported multilingual literary magazine, including writing, editing, and publishing. For more information, contact the Comparative Literature Undergraduate Major Advisor at complituga@berkeley.edu.
Comparative Literature Undergraduate Research Symposium
Another opportunity is to participate in organizing and executing the annual Comp Lit Undergraduate Research Symposium, where scholars from around the world discuss their research. Typically the Symposium is held in mid-April. For more information, contact the Comparative Literature Undergraduate Major Advisor at complituga@berkeley.edu.
Courses
Comparative Literature
Terms offered: Fall 2007, Fall 2005, Fall 2004
Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. Limited to 10 qualified freshmen and/or sophomores who meet for round-table discussions and attend weekly tutorial sessions. Individual assignments provide each student with the opportunity to exploit his or her linguistic and literary training. H1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and H1B satisfies the second half. English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: (a) UC Analytical Writing Placement Exam, (b) a 3.5 grade point average in high school English, (c) a reading knowledge of an ancient or modern foreign language, and (d) permission of the instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of discussion per week
Terms offered: Spring 2008, Spring 2007, Spring 2006
Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. Limited to 10 qualified freshmen and/or sophomores who meet for round-table discussions and attend weekly tutorial sessions. Individual assignments provide each student with the opportunity to exploit his or her linguistic and literary training. H1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and H1B satisfies the second half. English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: (a) UC Analytical Writing Placement Exam, (b) a 3.5 grade point average in high school English, (c) a reading knowledge of an ancient or modern foreign language, and (d) permission of the instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of discussion per week
Terms offered: Summer 2011 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2004 10 Week Session
Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: A passing grade in Subject A examination or course. 1A is prerequisite to 1B
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Summer 2011 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2010 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2009 Second 6 Week Session
Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement. English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: A passing grade in Subject A examination or course. 1A is prerequisiteA passing grade in Subject A examination or course. 1A is prerequisite to 1B. to 1B
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half. English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: UC Entry Level Writing Requirement or UC Analytical Writing Placement Exam. 1A or equivalent is prerequisite to 1B
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COM LIT R1B after completing COM LIT N1B, COM LIT S1B, COM LIT H1B, or COM LIT 1B.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Fall 2001, Fall 2000, Fall 1999
Expository writing done in connection with the reading of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature and the study of selected French texts read in the original. Course will prepare students for more advanced work in French. R2A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R2B satisfies the second half. English Composition in Connection with Reading of World and French Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Three years of high school French or two years with a B plus average
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2008, Spring 2007, Spring 2006
Expository writing done in connection with the reading of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature and the study of selected French texts read in the original. Course will prepare students for more advanced work in French. R2A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R2B satisfies the second half. English Composition in Connection with Reading of World and French Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Three years of high school French or two years with a B plus average
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Expository writing done in connection with the reading of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature and the study of selected Spanish texts read in the original. Course will help prepare students for more advanced work in Spanish. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition Requirement. English Composition in Connection with Reading of World and Hispanic Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Three years of high school Spanish or two years with a B+ average
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Expository writing done in connection with the reading of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature and the study of selected Spanish texts read in the original. Course will help prepare students for more advanced work in Spanish. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition Requirement. This course is in-person. English Composition in Connection with Reading of World and Hispanic Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Three years of high school Spanish or two years with a B plus average
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
An introductory level exploration of a specific author, work, theme or literary movement in an international context. Emphasis on the ways in which literature has played (and continues to play) a crucial role in the relationship between different cultures, traditions, and languages. Readings and topics to vary from semester to semester. Episodes in Literary Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Completion of a 1A course or its equivalent is recommended but not required
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literature and philosophy. Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and literary and philosophical analysis with focus on selected literary, philosophical, critical, and theoretical texts from antiquity to the present. Readings in English. Episodes in Literary Cultures: Literature and Philosophy: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Terms offered: Fall 2019
An introductory level exploration of the study of social and cultural issues in relation to literature. Examining some of the conceptual and thematic places where literature and social sciences topics (race, gender, social and class structure, law) cross over into each others' domains, we will ask what it means to read literary texts along with social sciences methodologies. The focus will be on reading of fiction and alongside methodological texts of the social sciences (linguistics, sociology, law, anthropology, social and cultural theories of gender and ethnicity). Readings and topics to vary from semester to semester. Episodes in Literary Cultures: Literature and Society: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
An introductory level exploration of the study of literature and history. Examining the literature and historical events of a chosen period (ancient, medieval, renaissance and early modern, modern, contemporary), we will engage in readings of literature, art, and critical texts in order better to understand the imaginative and real worlds of other times and places. Readings and topics to vary from semester to semester. Episodes in Literary Cultures: Literature and History: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2020, Spring 2019
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to fifteen freshmen. Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Terms offered: Spring 2011
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25. Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Terms offered: Summer 2002 10 Week Session, Summer 2001 10 Week Session, Summer 1999 10 Week Session
A study of women as portrayed in literature, and of women writers. Selected readings on a topic which varies from summer to summer, detailed consideration of both literary techniques and the problems of women. Women and Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2019, Fall 2017
A creative writing workshop for students who wish to study the theory and practice of writing as they work in a variety of forms and media. Creative Writing in Comparative Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Comparative Literature 50 after completing S50 or S50X.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. Topics will vary from semester to semester, but may include such themes as Cultures of the City, Gender, Race, Ethnicity in U.S. Literature, Race and Identity. Students should consult the department's course bulletin well before the beginning of the semester for details. Topics in the Literature of American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. Topics will vary from summer to summer but may include such themes as gender, race, ethnicity, marriage, sexuality, identity, and the supernatural. Students should check the department's bulletin boards for summer course listings and further details. Topics in the Literature of American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session
Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. Topics will vary from semester to semester, but may include such themes as Cultures of the City, Gender, Race, Ethnicity in U.S. Literature, Race and Identity. Students should consult the department's course bulletin well before the beginning of the semester for details.
Terms offered: Spring 2022
COMPLIT 80AC: Out of Place in America, is a literature-based course that maps histories and
ongoing practices of exclusion, displacement, and surveillance in the United States as narrated in
works by Native American, African American, Latinx and Asian American writers. Out of Place in America: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2014
Group study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course and must be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies. Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Lower division standing
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.
Course may be repeated for credit. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of directed group study per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literature and culture. Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and analysis with focus on selected literary, critical, and theoretical texts from antiquity to the present. Readings in English. Introduction to Comparative Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literatures of the world in international and cross-cultural perspective along with philosophical texts and approaches. Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and analysis with focus on issues of philosophy and ethics along with selected literary, critical, and theoretical texts. Readings in English. Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literature and Philosophy: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literatures of the world in international and cross-cultural perspective. Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and analysis with focus on contemporary social and cultural issues in at least one foreign culture along with selected literary, critical, and theoretical texts. Readings in English. Introduction to Comparative Literature: Society and Culture: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literature and historical study. Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and analysis with focus on selected literary, critical, and theoretical texts from antiquity to the present. Readings in English. Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literary and Cultural History: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021
An introduction to problems of the comparative study of literatures of the world in international and cross-cultural perspective . Emphasis on principles of comparative methods and analysis with focus on contemporary social and cultural issues in at least one foreign culture along with selected literary, critical, and theoretical texts.
Readings in English.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This is a course of beginning Modern Greek involving speaking, reading and writing. Modern Greek pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and syntax is studied. In this course there is also an emphasis in practice of oral language skills. Modern Greek Language: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Modern Greek pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and syntax studied. The forms of writing (prose, poetry, drama) are studied through literary texts as auxiliary to the acquisition of compositional skills. Modern Greek Composition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Comparative Literature 112A or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2019
The literature of Greece, Rome, the Biblical lands, and other ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean basin. The Ancient Mediterranean World: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Graduate students who wish to take this course are required to go back to the original Hebrew, Greek, or Latin texts
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Graduate students wishing to enroll must know at least one foreign language relevant to the materials studied
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
European literature of the Renaissance. The Renaissance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or permission of the instructor. Graduate students wishing to enroll must know at least one foreign language relevant to the materials studied
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Graduate students wishing to enroll must know at least one foreign language relevant to the materials studied
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or permission of the instructor. Graduate students wishing to enroll must know at least one foreign language relevant to the materials studied
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2012, Fall 2011
Comparative study of American, Native-American, Spanish-American, Caribbean, and Brazilian literature and culture. Readings chosen to illustrate diverse attitudes of Americans toward their culture, politics, and environment. Fiction and Culture of the Americas: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session
Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. Topics will vary from semester to semester, but may include such themes as Cultures of the City, Gender, Race, Ethnicity in U.S. Literature, Race and Identity. Students should consult the department's course bulletin well before the beginning of the semester for details.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021
The course takes account—indeed, it focuses on—the modern American lyric poetry, approached both aesthetically and politically, of African American, indigenous peoples of the United States, Asian Americans, and Chicanos/Latinos, as well as European Americans. The course also presents substantial critical materials—philosophy, criticism, historiography, some sociology—by authors from those groups, writings that are about, or in crucial relation to, the poetry that will be the course’s primary focus. Topics in Literatures of American Cultures - Poetry: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019
Study of the earliest myth texts and of the progressive growth of literature out of myth to the present day. Myth and oral composition. Emphasis on the meanings of myth as reflected in varying idioms. Myth and Literature: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2020
An independent studies course designed to fulfill a need intrinsic to the undergraduate major's program which cannot otherwise be satisfied because it involves either a literature not covered in regularly scheduled course offerings or a special methodological framework or bias of selection. Special Topics in Comparative Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course frames methodologically selected topics in Modern Greek Literature and places them in their historical, social or cultural context. Topics in Modern Greek Literature: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
Preparation and writing of an honors thesis under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Honors Course: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Honors standing, 8 units in upper division literature courses, including 100 or the equivalent, and knowledge of a vernacular language or a classical language
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Group study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course and must be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of directed group study per week 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of directed group study per week
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Course may be repeated for credit. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of directed group study per week
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