The Comparative Literature program at Purdue University is housed in the School of Languages and Cultures and offers B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. It is an interdisciplinary program designed for students passionate about cultures, languages, transnational literature, performance studies, music, film, or media studies, seeking a broadened perspective beyond singular cultural traditions. This program cultivates a deep understanding of the intricate connections among diverse cultural expressions. Through an exploration of cultures, arts, and ideas across genres, periods and disciplines, comparative literature refines students’ intellectual, critical, and intercultural skills, equipping them with competencies for an interconnected and globalized world.

Pathways

Benefiting from faculty expertise across multiple departments, our programs offer personalized study plans for both undergraduates and graduates. Purdue's Comparative Literature faculty have outstanding credentials and show a strong commitment to both research and teaching.

• Undergraduate

Extending beyond the confines of a singular cultural tradition, the comparative literature major provides students with the opportunity to tailor their coursework to their unique interests, by offering a variety of courses that span global cultures, classical and transnational literatures, performance studies, music, film, and media studies. Students have the freedom to explore cultural trends through a wide range of genres and cultural expressions, including the integration of interdisciplinary studies and scientific discourses. Students work closely with the Director of Comparative Literature and the Associate Head/DUS to create their course of study and have access to faculty mentoring and guidance.

The comparative literature major serves well as second major for both dual majors within the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and for Degree + students outside of CLA. With approval from the Director of the program, students can count up to 2 courses from their primary major towards the Comp Lit Major.  

Comparative Literature students must either achieve proficiency at the 200 level (intermediate) in a language other than English or demonstrate proficiency through a language test. https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/slc/placement/index.html

• Graduate

The Comparative Literature program draws on the expertise of several academic departments and offers flexibility, a diverse range of affiliated faculty scholars, excellent library resources, and individual attention. The program has enjoyed excellent ranking nationwide and is proud of its outstanding alumni professionals internationally. Students at the graduate level pursue work in literatures in original languages such as Arabic, British, Chinese, French (both continental and francophone), German, Classical Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin (classical and medieval), Portuguese (Luso-Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (both Peninsular and Spanish/American), and American, as well as Transatlantic literatures.

Qualified graduate students at Purdue receive financial support for their studies and research travels. Although teaching assistantships are most often the primary funding source, there exist several grants and fellowships, excellent but competitive opportunities to explore, such as the Andrew/Ross for incoming graduate students, or the Bilsland Fellowship for their final year in completing the dissertation, and ultimately the CLA Dean’s Graduate Student Excellence in Research Grant or the PDE Presidential Doctoral Excellence Award.

For latest information on events and news please see our most recent Comparative Literature Newsletter

Comparative Literature Director | Beate I Allert