Master of Arts in Comparative Literature
Comparative Literature is a graduate program of study for the
Master of Arts, available to majors in British, French, German,
Italian, Peninsular Spanish, Latin American, or United States
literatures.
Comparative Literature broadens the context of single
works of literature, provides a method of looking beyond the
national frontiers of languages and cultures, and studies major
authors, periods and genres, trends and movements in
international contexts.
Comparative Literature is also, by tradition, the study of
literature beyond the geo-cultural boundaries of one particular
country or hemispheric region. In addition, it pays special
attention also to the study of relationships between literature
and other areas of knowledge and intellectual inquiry. This
includes areas such as linguistics, the visual and performing
arts (e.g., cinema, painting, sculpture. architecture, music),
philosophy, history, the social sciences (e.g., politics,
economics, sociology), as well as other fields such as the
sciences, religion, etc. In sum, it is the comparison of the
literary with other spheres of human epistemology, expression,
and intellectual investigation.
A cardinal feature of the graduate curriculum is the small
core requirement in terms of specific courses, and the
correspondingly large number of electives taken in different
fields. Each student develops his or her own program in
consultation with Comparative Literature faculty, and pursues
individually supervised research interests, beginning in LIT 6066
and culminating in a comparative thesis (30 credit program) or
exam without thesis (36 credits). An additional forum for
discussion and co-operative effort is FACS (Florida Atlantic
Comparative Studies), a professional scholarly journal edited in
the Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative
Literature.
Admission to Comparative Study
Any student admitted to graduate study by the Department
of Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature or the
Department of English is eligible to apply. The student who
specializes in two literatures will be expected to study both
literatures in their original languages, and an advanced
competency exam may be required in the primary and/or secondary
language.
In addition, students who do not hold the Bachelor’s
Degree (or equivalent) in one of the literatures or other areas
of concentration may be asked to do a certain amount of
preliminary course work, without credit toward the degree; these
courses may be taken after admission to the Master’s
program.
Course Requirements
The M.A. degree in Comparative Literature requires the
student to pursue one of the two following programs: (1) the
study of two literatures in their original languages, one of
which may be British or American literature; or (2) the study of
one literature as the primary concentration and a non-literary
field as the secondary concentration.
The literature studied may be chosen from among the
following, which are offered at FAU: American (i.e., United
States, Canadian, Anglo/Caribbean), British, French, German,
Italian, Spanish Peninsular, Latin American. There is no
additional language requirement beyond the Dorothy F. Schmidt
College of Arts and Letters requirement for the Master of Arts
degrees.
Course work will consist of at least 30 graduate credits
for the thesis option and 36 for the non–thesis option (all
in courses with readings in the original languages), with the
following minimum distribution:
-
Thesis Track:
Comparative Literature Core
LIT 6066 Introduction to Comparative Study 3 credits
LIT 6xxx Comp Lit seminar 3 credits
Graduate Credits
Primary Literature of Concentration 12 credits
Secondary Area of Concentration 6 credits
Thesis (6 credits)
LIT 6971 Thesis 6 credits
Minimum Total for Thesis M.A. Degree: 30 credits
Non-thesis Track:
Comparative Literature Core
LIT 6066 Introduction to Comparative Study 3 credits
LIT 6xxx Comp Lit seminar 3 credits
Graduate Credits
Primary Literature of Concentration 15 credits
Secondary Area of Concentration 9 credits
Electives (6 credits) 6 credits
Minimum Total for Non-thesis M.A. Degree: 36 credits
The Literatures of Concentration: General
Expectations
A knowledge of the student’s primary literature of
concentration should comprise an acquaintance with each of the
major historical periods and literary genres. A knowledge of the
second literature will focus, for the purpose of the
student’s program, on a major historical period (e.g.,
Middle Ages, Renaissance, Neo-classical, or Modern Period), major
literary genre (poetry, drama, or novel), or other special
emphasis approved by the Comparative Literature advisors. Any
such emphasis should presuppose both a clear awareness of the
theoretical issues involved and a solid grounding in the
historical development of the literatures studied.
In consultation with Comparative Literature advisors, each
student should prepare a provisional program of studies beginning
not later than the second semester of study.
The Thesis
Early in the student’s program, a three–person
thesis committee should be constituted from Comparative
Literature faculty plus, as appropriate, faculty advisors from
the primary and secondary concentrations. The M.A. degree will be
awarded upon acceptance by the candidate’s committee of a
thesis dealing with two areas of study, as defined above.
The Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive exam will consist of a three-day written
exam and a one and one–half hour oral exam. The written
exam will be drawn from the student’s course work and the
general reading list of required general works selected in
consultation with the student’s faculty advisor.
For more information, see Yolanda Gamboa,
Head, Program in Comparative Literature
Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative
Literature
Telephone (561) 297-2530 • Fax (561) 297-2657
E-mail: ygamboa
@fau.edu
