The Department of Comparative Literature takes a global approach to the study of literature, crossing national and cultural boundaries -- from ancient to modern times.  Students with independent minds and international perspectives find their intellectual home in our program.

Our curriculum traverses national cultures -- from Slavic to Spanish, from English to East Asian languages, from Italian to Arabic.  It also intersects with other contemporary disciplines -- from literary studies to Black Studies, Chicana/o Studies, and Film and Media Studies.  Students may tailor their sequence of courses to their own interests and learn about diverse approaches to literature in a range of eras.

The Comparative Literature Major offers two distinct emphases: Foreign Language, in which students conduct in-depth study of literature in its original language; and Interdisciplinary, in which students explore issues and relationships between literature and the arts, social sciences, or the natural and physical sciences.  We also offer a minor in Translation Studies.

Comparative Literature News & Features

Featured
On Gender Neutrality in the French Language
On Gender Neutrality in the French Language

Developing gender-neutral vocabulary in French can be challenging due to the highly gendered nature of the language and resistance from French academics and politicians. But Jordan J Tudisco, a doctoral student in Comparative Literature and French teacher at UC Santa Barbara, looks to provide students with the inclusive vocabulary they need to express themselves. In a recent interview, Tudisco discussed their work, some of the challenges that hinder the use of inclusive language in French, and what they see for the future of inclusive vocabulary.

Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Beyond the Technology
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Beyond the Technology

Nowadays, machines are so technologically advanced that they can handle problems humans are ordinarily responsible for. But, we should view artificial intelligence in cultural rather than technological terms, French AI researcher Alexandre Gefen recently told a UC Santa Barbara audience at an event sponsored by the Comparative Literature Program and the English Department’s Transcriptions Center.

Numbers: A Personal Essay
Numbers: A Personal Essay

“Numbers,” by Connor Ding won first place in the prose category of UC Santa Barbara’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts spring creativity contest, in response to the prompt “Stories That Matter.“ The personal essay is about Ding’s family back in China during the winter weeks of the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

English Major Aims to Share Her Love for Literature
English Major Aims to Share Her Love for Literature

In an interview, fourth-year English major and Education minor Cynthia Montes discusses her pursuit of a career teaching high school English. As president of the UCSB Literature Club, she is already showing leadership in her chosen field.

Celebrating 100 Years of Jorge de Sena
Celebrating 100 Years of Jorge de Sena

Scholars from around the globe gathered last week to celebrate the 100th birthday of the late UC Santa Barbara professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Compartive Literature, Jorge de Sena. The event, a colloquium titled ““One Hundred Years of Jorge de Sena Itineraries: Portugal, Brazil, United States,” featured five keynote speakers who each provided unique insight into de Sena’s literary work and personal life.

Race and Literature: Urging Young Black Women to Forge Their Own Paths
Race and Literature: Urging Young Black Women to Forge Their Own Paths

“It is very necessary to talk about race, and black girls are often left out of the conversation,” said Amoni Jones, who recently facilitated the MultiCultural Center’s first Race and Literature event at UC Santa Barbara. The monthly event explores race using various literary works.

Jones is a Feminist Studies doctoral student, who has worked with underprivileged African-American girls in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. She used the novel Shapeshifters, by Aimee Cox, to talk about the struggles young black women face growing up, and to show that society often stereotypes girls of color and forces them into roles they don’t want to be in. 

FOCUS ON FACULTY: Susan Derwin's Writing Workshop for Veterans
FOCUS ON FACULTY: Susan Derwin's Writing Workshop for Veterans

Having the ability to tell your story can change your life – at least according to Susan Derwin, a specialist on trauma studies and a professor in UC Santa Barbara’s Comparative Literature and Germanic and Slavic Studies departments. Derwin has created a space for student veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – as well as their loved ones  — to employ storytelling in order to both recover from personal trauma and to share their experiences with the public.

As director of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) on campus, Derwin created the course seven years ago and continues to teach it today. The class is titled “Writing Workshop for Student Veterans and Their Loved Ones,” and during the summer there is an opportunity for student veterans from across the entire UC system to participate in a similar workshop.

In a recent interview, Derwin discusses the power of narrative today, a time when many voices continue to go unheard.