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Comparative Literature & Thought (CL&T) immerses students in modern and contemporary literary and intellectual cultures, examining how global, national, and subcultural texts and media emerge, circulate, and interact. Our interdisciplinary curriculum spans intellectual history, translation, creative practice, digital humanities, media studies, and political thought, allowing undergraduates to pursue both critical and creative capstone projects, engage in collaborative digital research, and take courses in multilingual writing, translation, and arts journalism.

At the graduate level, CL&T offers a PhD in Comparative Literature with both research‑focused and international writers’ tracks, three graduate certificates (in translation, early modern studies, and data science in the humanities), and joint doctoral options across five disciplines. We also administer the Germanic Languages & Literatures programs, including BA, MA, and PhD degrees with special tracks for international writers.

Our Community

Our faculty members are award-winning teachers, known for their enthusiasm as well as their close mentoring of students, as well as internationally recognized scholars in fields ranging from early modern literature to postwar German cinema. All of our courses, regardless of the level of instruction, emphasize communication and participation in a relaxed environment, helping students to hone their reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills through explorations of literature, film, philosophy, music, art, politics, and society.

Our community extends beyond the classroom to encompass a variety of co- and extra-curricular activities, from academic lectures and symposia to film-series, theater and museum visits, Pizza-Pausen, and Kaffeestunden. We also offer summer, semester, and yearlong study abroad opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our doctoral candidates work closely with faculty mentors on innovative, interdisciplinary research projects, and receive extensive pedagogical training in preparation for careers in academe and beyond.