University of Maryland
Graduate Catalog Fall 2009

Comparative Literature (CMLT)

Faculty

Professor
Bearden, Elizabeth, Berlin, Adele, Chuh, Kandice, Collins, Merle, Harrison, Regina, Jelen, Sheila, Nunes, Zita, Ontiveros, Randy, Passannante, Gerard, Peterson, Carla L., Ralph Bauer, Ray, Sangeeta, Richardson, Brian, Valiavitcharska, Vessela V.,

Associate Professor
Wang, Orrin,

Instructor
Robinson, Eugene S.,

Abstract

A separate degree program in the English Department, the Comparative Literature Program is committed to the comparative and transnational study of literature and other media. Combining its own dynamic resources with the particular strengths of the English Department and other units in the College of Arts and Humanities, the Program focuses especially on Western Hemispheric and Transatlantic Studies and on Diasporic and Postcolonial Studies. Students in the Program work in at least two languages and national literatures, one of them Anglophone. The Comparative Literature PhD Program complements the current PhD Program in English, giving students a place to pursue true comparative studies. Students seeking admission to the PhD Program in Comparative Literature must demonstrate advanced language proficiency before entry into the Program, and commit themselves to achieving a high degree of intellectual expertise in two or more languages and national literatures. Graduates are as likely to find academic positions in departments of foreign languages as they are to find them in English. A doctoral degree in Comparative Literature can uniquely prepare them for a profession that more and more studies literatures and cultures within a globalized, transnational context. Students entering this small, elite PhD program will already hold an MA degree either in English or in another language/literature; students seeking admission with the BA will be directed to the appropriate MA language/literature program at Maryland, and, upon admission and completion of the MA program, could then apply for the PhD in Comparative Literature. People interested in the Program should apply directly to Comparative Literature, not English.

Admissions Information

Applicants should have a strong background in arts and humanities. Students will not be admitted to the program without proficiency in English and at least one other language. Each student must submit a critical writing sample (in English), three letters of recommendation, evidence of language proficiency, and GRE scores. International applicants must also submit TOEFL scores. Applicants will no longer be admitted to the Master of Arts program as of Fall 2006; admission only to the Ph.D. is available.

Application Deadlines

 

Fall

Spring
Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines


Applications must be received by January 15, 2010 .


This program does not accept applications for this semester.

 


International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT:   International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.   

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31
 

Application Requirements

  1. GRE General
  2. 3 Letters of Recommendation
  3. Critical Writing Sample
  4. Language requirement

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Note: The Comparative Literature Program will no longer admit students into the Master of Arts program as of Fall 2006. Applicants interested in Comparative Literature at the University of Maryland should apply instead to the Ph.D. program.

A total of 30 course credits is required. These comprise 24 credits of course work (8 courses) and 6 credits of thesis research. Among the eight courses needed for the M.A. degree are two required courses: CMLT 600, Introduction to Critical Theory, and CMLT 601, Problems in Comparative Studies. Of the remaining six courses, at least three must constitute a concentration (i.e., a medium or genre, a form of cultural expression, a period or movement, a topic, a discursive field) that is demonstrably cross-cultural or interdisciplinary. The M.A. course of studies must include at least one course focused on literature and at least one course focused on a non-print medium such as film; this requirement may be fulfilled concurrently with other requirements. Each M.A. student will be expected to write a substantial thesis and defend it orally.

(mfa)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Ph.D. degree normally entails at least 18 credits of course work (beyond M.A. courses) and 12 credits of dissertation research. Students take one course in Methodology (3 credits); one course in Theory (3 credits); two courses in Early Modern Literature (6 credits); and two courses in Modern Literature (6 credits). The designations early modern and modern remain flexible to accommodate different literary histories. In each of the two general periods, at least one course must be taken in the English Department in Anglophone or Comparative Literature and at least one course outside of the English Department in another language/literature. Students can use six credits of MA work to satisfy distribution requirements (though not total credit number requirements). Advising will address the depth, breadth, and coherence of each students course plan and, if necessary, coordination among different histories of the early modern and modern.

Facilities and Special Resources

The Comparative Literature Program combines the benefits of a small department with the opportunities available at a large research university located in suburban Washington, D.C. Students have access to such University resources as the Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies, the rare books and special collections of McKeldin Library, the Program for Africa and Africa in the Americas, and the Women's Studies Graduate Certificate program. Area resources include the extensive archival collections of the Library of Congress, the U.S. Archives, and the Folger Institute, as well as museums, galleries, embassies and cultural institutions in the Washington area and in the Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York corridor.

Financial Assistance

Comparative Literature students are eligible for graduate assistantships and university fellowships. Depending on available resources and the student's own expertise, teaching and research assistantships may be available either in Comparative Literature or in an affiliated department.

Contact Information

For more specific information about the program, contact:

Zita Nunes Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature Director, Comparative Literature Program
2116 Tawes Hall, University of Maryland
College Park
MD  20742
Telephone: (301) 405-3839
Fax: (301) 314-7539
cmltgrad@deans.umd.edu

http://www.cmlt.umd.edu

current URL: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/programs/printable.cfm?CODE=59

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