Fact Sheet 07: Comparative Literature

Revised August 2007

Comparative Literature Minor

The comparative literature studies minor provides a challenging curriculum option if you, as a student, are interested in interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multiethnic studies. In consultation with an adviser, you will develop your own program with an international, interdisciplinary focus.

This program's chief purposes are to enrich your knowledge and understanding of world literatures and cultures and to emphasize the connections between literatures within the framework of Western culture. The program's concentration in the humanities satisfies the requirements of professional schools, which currently expect their students to integrate disciplines and focus on the relationship between cultures. The program exposes you to selected cultural artifacts of the world and challenges you to question your ethnocentric assumptions about identity, society, language, and culture.

The comparative literature studies minor enhances your humanities program by attesting to your breadth and depth of knowledge in an interdisciplinary curriculum.

Career Opportunities

Comparative literature studies prepares you for a wide range of careers, including law, medicine, government, publishing, journalism, translation, and teaching. Additional academic study is necessary for careers in some of these areas.

Special Study Opportunities

As a comparative literature studies student, you can earn credit by studying abroad in recognized programs offered in a country of your choice. Internships are available in publishing and editing scholarly journals.

Typical Courses

African Studies
Classical Mythology
Classical Mythology in the 20th Century
Contemporary Latin American Narrative
Contemporary Literary Criticism
Introduction to World Literature
Law, Literature, and Communication
Literature and Film
Literature Translation Workshop
Modern World Drama
Modern World Fiction
Modernity/Postmodernity
Themes in Contemporary Literature
Women and Film
Women's Literature I and II
World Literature I and II

Faculty

You can obtain a complete listing of faculty and their academic qualifications for this program from the contact person listed below.

For More Information

Dr. Linda Myrsiades, Coordinator
Comparative Literature Studies
529 Main Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2959/2822
E-mail: lmyrsiades@wcupa.edu