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As a comparative literature major, you will engage with literary works across languages, borders, and historical periods, exploring the traditions and innovations of the literatures of the world. From novel to poetry, drama to film, monuments to political protest, comics to audio, urban space to visual culture, you’ll be introduced to texts and cultures in the broadest sense.
The skills you will learn as a comparative literature major—how to read and think critically, how to write with precision, how to do research—will prepare you to be a high school teacher, college professor, doctor, lawyer, social worker, community organizer, social justice worker, comic strip continuity writer, grants writer, website content provider, tech entrepreneur, proofreader, magazine or website fact checker, copy editor, literary editor, publicity agent, literary agent, producer, copywriter, journalist, and more.
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2023-2024 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
I. English 2120 and 2121 (8 credits). English 2120 and 2121 are both required. Comparative literature majors should complete either English 2120 or 2121 or be enrolled in one or the other, before continuing in other electives. No ENGL course numbered lower than 2115 may count toward the major.
II. (12 credits) Three of the following: Comparative Literature 3614, 3615, 3616, 3617, 3618.
III. (7-8 credits) A total of two of the following courses chosen from two genres:
Other genres: Comparative Literature 3601, 3602, 3603, 3604, 3605, 3608, 3612, 3613, 3624, 3625, 3626, 3627, 3628, 3629.
IV. (3-4 credits) One of the following: Comparative Literature 3613, 3619, 3620, 3621, 3622, 3623, 3624, 3625, 3627, 3629, 3631 3632.
V. (4 credits) A 4000-level Comparative Literature or English literature seminar.
VI. (6-8 credits) At least six credits in literature courses numbered higher than 2010 in a classical or modern language.
Students who have successfully completed the Communication 1202 and Humanities 1204 seminars of the Special Baccalaureate Degree Program for Adults or Comparative Literature 11 or the approved equivalents for the latter automatically have the prerequisites for any advanced course in comparative literature.
Program Objective 1. Learn to read literature in its historical context; identify characteristic styles and subject matter of different periods.
Program Objective 2. Learn to read through a variety of critical lenses.
Program Objective 3. Be able to carry out close readings of literary texts.
Program Objective 1: Be able to identify and demonstrate knowledge of literary terminology.
Program Objective 1: Identify, write, and edit for currently accepted conventions of standard English mechanics, grammar, and style (including proper punctuation, subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement, parallel construction, appropriate tense sequences and moods, etc.).
Program Objective 2: Learn and follow the conventions of literary argumentation, including formulating thesis statement, and conventions of quoting and citing textual evidence.
Program Objective 3: Learn how to rethink and revise essays.
Program Objective 1: Learn to develop viable research questions and identify appropriate sources.
Program Objective 2: Learn to use library resources, including collections, databases, and archives.
Program Objective 3: Learn how to summarize and cite both primary and secondary sources in support of the argument.
Program Objective 4: Learn appropriate scholarly conventions, as explained in the MLA Manual of Style or the Chicago Manual of Style.
Program Objective 5: Learn how to avoid plagiarism by citing sources properly.
View all past degree maps.
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Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in English offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each brings a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.
Helen Phillips is the author of six books, including the novel THE NEED (Simon & Schuster, 2...
Tanya Pollard trained in Classics, English, and Comparative literature, at Oxford and Yale. She t...
For Karl Steel’s CV, see
Dorell Thomas earned master’s degrees in both English Adolescent Literature, Grade 7-12 and...
Eric Alterman is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism. He was the “The ...
Matthew Burgess began teaching at Brooklyn College in 1999 while pursuing his M.F.A. in Poetry. H...
Joseph Entin teaches in the English Department and the American Studies program at Brooklyn Colle...
The Whim (blog) Current Projects: Appalling Melodrama, ...
Roni Natov has lived her entire life (almost) at Brooklyn College, where she was a student and ha...
Jon Nissenbaum earned his Ph.D. under the supervision of Noam Chomsky and David Pesetsky. Before ...
Native New Yorker Ellen Tremper has taught at New York University and joined the Brooklyn College...
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the comparative literature B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
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