Programs by Campus
Bloomington
Comparative Literature
College of Arts and Sciences
Departmental E-mail: complit [at] indiana [dot] edu
Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/complit
(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin. Requirements may or may not be reflected identically in departmental URLs.)
Curriculum
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, dual Master of Arts/Master of Library and Information Science, Master of Arts for Teachers, and Doctor of Philosophy
Special Program Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
For details about departmental rules and procedures, consult the current Comparative Literature Graduate Handbook, available upon request from the Graduate Studies Office, Ballantine Hall 913A.
Admission Requirements
Graduate Record Examination General Test required. For the Ph.D., fluent reading knowledge of at least two foreign languages. For the M.A., fluent knowledge of at least one foreign language. Deficiencies in undergraduate work and foreign languages must be removed within one year. Only students holding the M.A. or its equivalent will be considered for direct admission to the Ph.D. program. (Note: Students admitted on a provisional basis must present proof of completion of the B.A. or M.A. upon their arrival at Indiana University.)
Master of Arts Degree
Course Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours, 20 credit hours of which must be in comparative literature, including C501, C502, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537, or C538), and one proseminar. With the consent of the instructor, any full course in Comparative Literature other than C501, C502, and C507 may be designated a proseminar. Consult the Comparative Literature Graduate Handbook for details. M.A. students must complete a proseminar chosen from the graduate courses in Comparative Literature that students have not used to fulfill the other course requirements.
Language Requirements
Reading proficiency in two foreign languages. Proficiency may be certified by: (1) receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate-level literature course in which the assigned readings are in the foreign language, or (2) passing an examination in translation and explication of literary texts in the foreign language administered by the Department of Comparative Literature in consultation with faculty in other departments. Successful completion of the 491/492 course sequence in a foreign language will not be accepted as certification of reading proficiency. Students whose native language is not English and who have passed the proficiency test administered by the Center for English Language Training may request certification of English as one of their foreign languages.
Master’s Project
There are three ways to meet the master’s project requirement: (1) by revising or expanding a suitable term or seminar paper as a master’s essay; (2) by writing an original master’s essay; or (3) by writing a formal master’s thesis. Consult the Comparative Literature Handbook for details. The requirement should normally be fulfilled no later than the end of the fourth semester after beginning graduate studies in comparative literature at Indiana University. Consult the Comparative Literature Handbook for details.
Dual Master of Arts Degree
Students admitted to the dual Master of Arts program may obtain M.A. degrees in comparative literature and a related field with fewer credits than would be required if the two degrees were taken separately. Consult the Comparative Literature Graduate Handbook for details.
Dual Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature and the School of Library and Information Science (M.A./M.L.S.)
The joint program consists of a total of at least 50 credit hours: a minimum of 30 credit hours in Library and Information Science, and a minimum of 20 credit hours in Comparative Literature. Consult the Graduate Handbook for details.
Master of Arts for Teachers Degree
Admission Requirement
B.A. degree in comparative literature or an individual literature.
Course Requirements
A total of 36 credit hours, 20 of which must be in comparative literature, including C501, C502, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), and one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537 or C538).
Language Requirement
Certification of reading proficiency in one foreign language.
Examination
A 90-minute written examination analyzing two texts drawn from an approved reading list. One text may be a work of art in a nonliterary medium. If both texts are written, one must be in a foreign language.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, including 65 credit hours of course work, of which 35 credit hours must be in comparative literature, including C501, C502, one course on European literature in the premodern period (C505, C521, C523, or C525), one course on European literature in the modern period (C506, C529, C533, C535, C537, or C538), and one proseminar. With the consent of the instructor, any full course in Comparative Literature other than C501, C502, and C507 may be designated a proseminar. Consult the Graduate Handbook for details. Ph.D. students must complete a proseminar chosen from the graduate courses in Comparative Literature that they have not used to fulfill the other course requirements. The dissertation must not exceed 25 research credit hours.
Language Requirements
Reading proficiency in three foreign languages. Proficiency may be certified by: (1) receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate-level literature course in which the readings are in the foreign language, or (2) passing an examination in translation and explication of literary texts in the foreign language administered by the department. Successful completion of the 491-492 course sequence in a foreign language will not be accepted as certification of reading proficiency. Students whose native language is not English and who have passed the proficiency test administered by the Center for English Language Training may request certification of English as one of their foreign languages. With the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, doctoral students may be allowed to substitute intensive preparation (at least 27 credit hours) in a nonliterary discipline for the third foreign language.
Minor
A minimum of 12 to 15 credit hours in an outside field selected in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Requirements are set by the department or program administering the minor. Students have the option of taking a second minor or of completing an intensive minor with a minimum of 24 credit hours.
Qualifying Examination
One written exam on three topics (areas). The examination will take into account work done in the minor field(s). At the student’s request, one part may be written in a foreign language. Oral examination will follow.
Final Examination
Oral defense of dissertation.
Ph.D. Minor in Comparative Literature
Four courses in comparative literature, including C501; fluent reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.
Ph.D. Minor in Literary Theory
Jointly administered by the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of English, the minor requires a minimum of three courses, including at least one selected from Comparative Literature C503, C504, C601, or C602; and one from English G660, L605, L607, L608, or L707. Other courses approved for the minor include French and Italian F564 and F584; Germanic Studies G505; Slavic Languages and Literatures R598; Spanish and Portuguese S473 and S512; and Theatre and Drama T555 and T556. Other courses may also be acceptable toward completion of the requirement; written consent to count such courses must be obtained in advance from the graduate advisor in the Department of Comparative Literature or the Department of English.
Ph.D. Minor in Biblical Literature
See this bulletin under Institute for Biblical and Literary Studies.
Graduate Certificate in Literary Translation
Course Requirements
Twenty-one (21) to 24 credit hours, including C580 History and Theory of Translation; C581 Workshop in Literary Translation; one other workshop in translation; and three further courses in Comparative Literature or one of the foreign language departments, consisting either of graduate-level literature courses using original-language texts or advanced courses (300 level or above) in the language itself. In exceptional cases, the student may petition the Translation Studies Committee to accept, in lieu of one or more of these courses, other evidence of advanced knowledge of the language, such as extensive undergraduate or overseas training or educated native proficiency.
Language Requirements
In-depth knowledge of English and one other language.
Translation Project
Translation of a literary or scholarly work or works into English, accompanied by an introductory essay. If the translation project is completed in partial fulfillment of the M.A. degree, the guidelines for the M.A. degree pertain.
For further details consult the current Comparative Literature Handbook.