CPLIT-BA - Comparative Literature (BA)
Download as PDF
Program Overview
The undergraduate program in Comparative Literature aims to develop students’ verbal and written communication skills, their ability to read analytically and critically, and their global knowledge of literary cultures and the specific properties of literary texts. The program allows students to study imaginative literature with several methods and a consciousness of methodology.
A Comparative Literature major prepares a student as a reader and interpreter of literature through the sophisticated examination of texts and by developing a critical vocabulary with which to discuss them. Along with providing core courses that introduce students to significant literary phenomena in a comparative frame, the program of study accommodates the interests of students in areas such as specific regions, historical periods, and interdisciplinary connections between literature and other fields such as philosophy, music, the visual arts, gender, and queer theory, and race and ethnicity. Attention to verbal expression and interpretive argument serves students who will proceed into careers requiring strong language and communication skills and cross-cultural knowledge of the world.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
This gateway to the major is usually taken by the end of sophomore year. It introduces literature and its distinctions from other modes of linguistic expression and a fundamental set of interpretive skills. This course fulfills the Writing in the Major requirement.
Elective courses taken to meet the 65 unit major minimum can be taken within the following parameters:
Majors must complete at least 40 units of electives.
15 of the 40 units must be COMPLIT courses (excluding COMPLIT 194). The remaining courses should form a coherent intellectual focus requiring approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. They may be drawn from Comparative Literature offerings, other literature departments, or other fields of interdisciplinary relevance.
Language classes taken for a letter grade (excluding conversational courses) and up to ten units of SLE or COLLEGE courses taught at least partially by a Comparative Literature Department faculty member may be counted towards the elective requirement.
Electives are subject to advisor consultation and approval.
Students whose major concentration involves languages other than their native language(s) are encouraged to receive the Foreign Language Proficiency Notation. The Stanford Language Center administers the Foreign Language Proficiency Notation, which involves an Oral Proficiency Interview and Writing Proficiency Test, and results in a notation on the student’s official Stanford transcript. Students should achieve a minimum rating of Advanced Low (for cognate languages) or Intermediate High (for non-cognate languages) on the Foreign Service Institute/American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency scale. Successful completion of the OPI is required to proceed with the WPT.
Students are recommended to take the OPI in or before the Winter of their senior year.
All courses applied to the major must be taken for a letter grade, and a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better must be achieved in each core course. Students must complete coursework for a total unit load of at least 65 units.
This gateway to the major is usually taken by the end of sophomore year. It introduces literature and its distinctions from other modes of linguistic expression and a fundamental set of interpretive skills.
This senior seminar is designed as a culmination to the course of study while providing reflection on the nature of the discipline. Topics vary.
Students majoring in any DLCL department (i.e., Comparative Literature, French and Italian, German Studies, Iberian and Latin American Cultures, and Slavic Languages and Literatures) who have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or above and who maintain a 3.5 (GPA) in their major courses, are eligible to participate in the DLCL’s honors program.
Declaring Honors
Prospective honors students must select a senior thesis advisor from among their home department's regular faculty by May 1 of junior year. During the Spring Quarter, they should also meet with their department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.
By the end of Spring Quarter, students must submit the Honors application form. This includes a unit distribution plan to accommodate the program, thesis outline or summary, preliminary reading list, unofficial transcript confirming they meet GPA requirements, and confirmed approval from both their primary advisor and second reader. Once a student submits their application, a notice will be sent to the advisor and reader listed in the application. They will confirm their acceptance of the responsibilities of the committee through an approval process workflow. The completed application is submitted to the DLCL Undergraduate Student Services Officer.
Once approved by both the department and the DLCL Undergraduate Student Services Officer, students will formally request honors through Axess.
Honors theses vary in length and approach depending on topic, historical scope, and methodology. They may build on work begun in coursework but must show enhanced comparative or theoretical depth. Quality, not length, is the primary criterion. Most honors theses range from 40 to 90 pages, excluding bibliography and notes.
Honors students are strongly encouraged to apply to Bing HonorsCollege (BHC), a two-week summer program that helps students develop their projects before senior year. Applications must be submitted through the Bing Honors College program website. Please note: the DLCL does not have a specific College, so reach out to the DLCL SSO for additional instructions for enrolling in the program.
Program Requirements
To earn honors, students must complete a minimum of 9 units (as outlined below) and submit a thesis. Honors theses are due to the primary advisor no later than 5:00 PM on May 15 of the senior year. A thesis that receives a grade of A- or higher qualifies the student for honors at graduation.
1. Autumn Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189A Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units S/NC) Taught by a DLCL appointed faculty member, this course focuses on researching and writing the honors thesis.
2. Winter Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189B Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units S/NC) Conducted under the primary thesis advisor, the focus is on writing and revising the thesis draft. Each Independent Study course requires a minimum of two meetings with your primary advisor.
3. Spring Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189C Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units, letter grade) Each Independent Study course requires a minimum of two meetings with your primary advisor. Students enroll with your primary thesis advisor and present their thesis at the annual Honors Colloquium, held between May 15 and May 30th. The grade for 189C reflects the grade for the thesis and is assigned by the primary advisor, with input from the second reader. Students finalize and submit the thesis to their thesis advisor and the Student Services Officer by May 15 at 5:00 p.m.
The honors thesis in the DLCL embodies Stanford's commitment to excellence in coursework and research. It serves both as a student’s intellectual legacy and as part of the University's scholarly record. Far more than a final paper, the honors thesis reflects original, rigorous research that contributes to broader academic conversations and showcases the intellectual vitality of the discipline.
For these reasons, DLCL honors theses will be visible to future scholars researching similar questions through full online access through the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR) and may be used as course materials for future Stanford honors preparatory courses. A printed copy may also be kept in DLCL spaces. Students who wish to limit the access or sharing formats may do so by submitting a restriction request form to the DLCL Student Services Officer.
Students must complete coursework for a total unit load of at least 66 units.
The remaining two courses must be instructed by the Comparative Literature faculty and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Up to five units of SLE may be counted instead of one of these two courses.
This course should be taken as early as possible in the student's career, normally in the sophomore year.
Complete one course from the PHIL 170 series.
Two courses in the history of philosophy, numbered above PHIL 100. Up to five units of SLE may be counted in place of one of these two courses.
Two upper-division courses relevant to the study of philosophy and literature as identified by the committee in charge of the program. A list of approved courses may be found on the Philosophy and Literature website.
One course, typically in translation, in a literature distant from that of the student’s concentration and offering an outside perspective on that literary tradition.
Write an honors thesis on a topic at the intersection of literature and philosophy. Students must complete a minimum of 9 units (as outlined below) and submit a thesis. Honors theses are due to the primary advisor no later than 5:00 PM on May 15 of the senior year. A thesis that receives a grade of A- or higher qualifies the student for honors at graduation.
1. Autumn Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189A Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units S/NC) Taught by a DLCL appointed faculty member, this course focuses on researching and writing the honors thesis.
2. Winter Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189B Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units S/NC) Conducted under the primary thesis advisor, the focus is on writing and revising the thesis draft. Each Independent Study course requires a minimum of two meetings with your primary advisor.
3. Spring Quarter of the senior year (required): DLCL189C Honors Thesis Seminar (3-4 units, letter grade) Each Independent Study course requires a minimum of two meetings with your primary advisor. Students enroll with your primary thesis advisor and present their thesis at the annual Honors Colloquium, held between May 15 and May 30th. The grade for 189C reflects the grade for the thesis and is assigned by the primary advisor, with input from the second reader. Students finalize and submit the thesis to their thesis advisor and the Student Services Officer by May 15 at 5:00 p.m.
The honors thesis in the DLCL embodies Stanford's commitment to excellence in coursework and research. It serves both as a student’s intellectual legacy and as part of the University's scholarly record. Far more than a final paper, the honors thesis reflects original, rigorous research that contributes to broader academic conversations and showcases the intellectual vitality of the discipline.
For these reasons, DLCL honors theses will be visible to future scholars researching similar questions through full online access through the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR) and may be used as course materials for future Stanford honors preparatory courses. A printed copy may also be kept in DLCL spaces. Students who wish to limit the access or sharing formats may do so by submitting a restriction request form to the DLCL Student Services Officer.
Write a 5,000-word paper on a topic of their choosing, serving as the culmination of their work in the field. To write the paper, students must enroll in a 3-unit, letter-grade independent study with a faculty member (or affiliate) in the Philosophy and Literature Focal Group. The paper must involve philosophy and literature, and the faculty member must approve the topic by the add/drop deadline.
Substitutions and transfer credits are generally not permitted for the PHIL 170 series class or the PHIL 180 series class and are never permitted for PHIL 80, COMPLIT 181, or the capstone seminar.
Units devoted to acquiring language proficiency are not counted toward the Comparative Literature and Philosophy subplan 66-unit requirement.