Arizona State University • Department of English
Master of Arts in English (Comparative Literature)
Professor Claudia Sadowski-Smith, Director
The M.A. in Comparative Literature introduces students to the study of literary and cultural phenomena beyond linguistic, national, or academic boundaries. Students are asked to study cultural productions in English and at least one other language, and to explore approaches ranging from textual criticism, critical theory, and translation to cultural studies and the social sciences. Comparative Literature invites students to investigate the interactions of literary and cultural productions with adjacent fields like film, theater, linguistics, history, philosophy, American Indian, ethnic, area, women and gender studies as well as with the social sciences. The field of Comparative Literature also encourages the exploration of cultural phenomena from a transnational and global perspective.
In coordination with the director of the program and with the students’ supervisory committee, students can largely design their own programs of study within a general set of requirements. The M.A. in Comparative Literature can provide students with an excellent education in the humanities as well as with the flexibility to pursue other fields of interests if desired. The M.A. degree qualifies for admission to Ph.D. programs in Comparative Literature, English, and other language-based literature and culture programs of a student's specialization as well as to interdisciplinary programs more generally. The degree also prepares students for careers in business, government, and the media. For admission to the M.A. in Comparative Literature program, fluency in at least two languages is required; students may specialize in any language and culture to the extent that they are sufficiently covered at ASU.
Admission Requirements:
The Graduate College requires a grade point average of “B” (3.0) or better in the last two years of work leading to the bachelor’s degree, and the recommendation of the department or academic unit in which the student plans to study. Applicants must submit an official Graduate College Application for Admission online at www.asu.edu/graduate/admissions. A $65 application fee ($80 for international students) is required. Official transcripts must be sent to the ASU Graduate College, Admissions Office, Box 871003, Tempe AZ 85287.
For more information on how to apply to visit www.asu.edu/english/gradstudies/apply.htm. The deadline is February 1. The following supporting materials must be sent to the Department of English Graduate Coordinator, Box 870302, Tempe, AZ 85287-0303:
● A Statement of Purpose detailing the student’s background, reasons for wanting to do graduate work in comparative literature, and plans for the future.
● Three letters of recommendation from faculty familiar with the applicant’s work.
● Department of English Supplemental Application.
● Copies of transcripts
Specific Course Requirements:
At least 36 hours at the graduate level are required, with a minimum of 12 hours being taken in a language other than English in the School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC) or other ASU units, such as Transborder Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies (TCLS). Independent reading is an important part of the program. The course listing below illustrates not only the breadth offered by the program but also suggestions for the kinds of in-depth study possible. In addition, special needs can be met by Reading and Conference (ENG 590).
I. Core courses: Concepts and methodology (9 hours)
A. Bibliographical methods: ENG 500: Research Methods; FRE 500: Bibliography and Research Methods; GER 500: Research Methods; CHI 500 or JPN 500: Bibliography and Research Methods, required.
B. ENG 503: Comparative Literature, Theory, and Practice; 504: Cross-Cultural Studies; or ENG 603: Advanced Studies in Comparative Literature, required. Other courses may also apply.
C. One course selected from the following:
a) Literary Criticism and Theory (e.g., ENG 400: History of Literary Criticism; ENG 502: Contemporary Critical Theories; ENG 602 Advanced Studies in Theory and/or Criticism; ENG 604: Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies; SPA 545: Concepts of Literary Criticism or FRE 510: Introduction to Textual Analysis)
b) Theory and Problems of Translation (e.g., JPN 585: Advanced Problems of Translation or ENG 550: Translation).
II. Core Courses: Topics (6-9 hours) to be chosen from the following categories:
A. Courses in related fields, such as Linguistics (e.g., LIN 510: Linguistics, CHI 543 Chinese Language and Linguistics, ASB 480: Principles of Linguistics); Philosophy, Religious Studies (e.g., REL 444: Religion in Japan), Art, Film, Theater (e.g., THE 591: Theater and Performance in the Americas), History (e.g., HST 417: Topics in Mexican American History), Anthropology, Geography, Sociology (SOC 486: Contemporary Theory), Political Science (e.g., POS 550: Comparative Politics)or in women and gender, ethnic, or area studies (e.g., TCL 464: Latino-Latina Literature).
B. Period courses, e.g. courses in literary and cultural productions of a particular time period (such as ENG 538: Studies in Modern and Contemporary American Literature or SPA 564: Nineteenth-Century Spanish Prose Fiction), appropriate to the individual course of study, as determined in consultation with the MA in Comparative Literature director and the student’s supervisory committee; appropriate special topics courses also apply.
C. Topics courses: e.g., ENG 591, 598, or other appropriate courses chosen in consultation with the MA in Comparative Literature director and the student’s supervisory committee.
III. Core courses: Language and literature courses in languages other than English (12-15 hours) 400-500 level courses in a language other than English, exclusive of courses in translation.
Supervisory Committee : Each candidate in the program is closely advised by a three-member supervisory committee, chosen by the student. Each examination will be evaluated by the student’s supervisory committee as named on the student's program of study.
Written Examination : The supervisory committee is charged with administering a written examination to each student in the program. The examination typically consists of three parts:
1) Reading list of works and issues assembled by the student based on his or her coursework
2) Reading list in area(s) associated with student’s specialization for the thesis
3) List of works of current theory in student’s specialization
Thesis : (ENG 599 6 hours) Under the direction of the supervisory committee, the student writes a master's thesis and defends it at an oral examination.
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