Comparative Literature Minor

The minor consists of a minimum of 5 full courses (or the equivalent).

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the minor.

View the catalog page for the Comparative Literature department.

Because many departments contribute courses to comparative literature, students with an interest in the discipline should consult with their advisor and the program director to define an individual area of emphasis. For example, several courses presented for the major might focus on a specific period or movement (the Renaissance, modernism), a genre (tragedy, lyric poetry), a problem (literature and the other arts, translation) or an approach (feminism, post-structuralism).

Summary of Requirements

CMPL 200 - Introduction to Comparative Literature
One 400-Level Foreign Literature Course (course must be taught in the original language)
Minimum of Three Electives*

Notes:
*Three or more additional courses in literature, theory, criticism, cultural studies, and related disciplines chosen to include comparative study within or among courses.

No more than two of the courses required for the minor can also be counted toward requirements for another major or minor.

Three of the four courses other than CMPL 200 should have some clear thread of connection: they might be from the same century in different literatures, study the same genre (tragedy, fiction), pursue a single theme or topic, etc.

Under normal circumstances a minor must be declared by the beginning of the second semester of the junior year.

Transfer of Credit

At least three of the courses must be earned at Oberlin College.

Comparative Literature Minor Course Lists

Foreign Literature Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

Students must take at least one 400-level course in a foreign language taught in a language other than English. For the following four languages, the required level is 300: Greek, Latin, Chinese, or Japanese.

Comparative Literature Elective Courses

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