Comparative Literature, BA

Location(s): Main Campus

Comparative Literature studies literature and cultural expression across languages, nationalities, and disciplines. Our program stresses foreign language skills and encourages students to approach literature from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will acquire critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as writing, editing, and translating across linguistic, cultural, national, and disciplinary boundaries. The comparative literature program strives to offer an individualized program for our majors, as well as humanities courses of interest to all students at Binghamton University.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

COLI 110 - World Literature I AND
COLI 111 - World Literature II (or appropriate equivalents)
One comparative literature course at the 200-level or higher
One course in a foreign language beyond the 203-level
Three courses in advanced literature, art or related disciplines at the 300- or 400-level (These should be chosen on an individualized basis through consultation with the departmental undergraduate advisor)
COLI 371 - World, Text, and Critic
COLI 372 - Works that Call Forth Thinking
COLI 481 - Method & Masterpieces Tutorial

Additional Information About the Program

No courses shall be taken as Pass/Fail to count towards the major requirements.

Depending on prior exposure to the language, introductory/elementary language courses (typically language courses numbered 101 and 102 or 111 and 115) and intermediate I level language courses (typically language courses numbered 203 or 211) are required prerequisites for completion of the major. Majors are expected to take courses for a letter grade to have them count for their major or minor in comparative literature.

For more information on the Comparative Literature BA program, please refer to the Comparative Literature website. To apply to the Comparative Literature BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.