Comparative Literature

The Department of Comparative Literature at University of Oregon is a home for students drawn to the intersection of disciplines, languages, and cultures. In this case “literature” refers both to literature as it is traditionally conceived—fiction, drama, poetry, and literary nonfiction—and to visual and cultural production more broadly. Students in comparative literature have access to award-winning professors, innovative pedagogy, internships, mentorship programs, and publishing opportunities.

Comparative Literature Commencement Ceremony

Sunday, June 15, 2025
1:00 p.m.
EMU Ballroom

More Commencement Information

What You Can Do with a Degree in Comparative Literature

Comparative literature adds a level of intellectual rigor and creativity to any career pursuit. Majors in comparative literature pursue careers that emphasize storytelling, research, and analysis, film and visual culture, or political or business-related careers. Professions include:

  • Journalist
  • Lawyer
  • Activist
  • Filmmaker
  • Writer
  • Business executive
  • Teacher
  • Multimedia designer
  • Arts administrator
  • Film production
  • Non-profit work
  • Political advocate
  • Environmental planner

Our Degree Programs

The comparative literature major is an individualized program of study with a high degree of flexibility and a supportive community of faculty and students with shared interests and values. Undergraduate students can earn a bachelor of arts (BA), bachelor of science (BS), which have the same requirements, or minor in comparative literature.

2 students working on computer and 2 students working on whiteboard in background at 2015 Luks Programming Contest
Learn from Experts in the Field

The Department of Comparative Literature is administered by a core of permanently appointed faculty members as well as faculty drawn from related departments serving fixed-term appointments. Additional affiliated faculty work with students as teachers and mentors. They are a close collective whose diverse interests, in their aggregate, define a core of inquiry both open and coherent.

People discussing literature
Get Real-world Experience

Our students extend their learning beyond the classroom through numerous experiential learning opportunities. Become part of the Nomad Mentorship Program, participate in a research-based internship administered by faculty, deepen your study of language and cultures while studying abroad, and complete your degree with an honors thesis.

Scholarships and Funding

Undergraduate students can seek funding through the College of Arts and Sciences, which awards various scholarships to both incoming students and those who are already attending the UO. Select doctoral students receive funding through graduate employment.

Undergraduate Scholarships  
Graduate Funding

Academic Support

Academic advisors in Tykeson Hall help students understand their major or minor requirements, plan their course of study, explore study abroad opportunities, and more.

Undergraduate Advising  
Support for Graduate Students

Comparative Literature News and Events

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, SPANISH - Leah Middlebrook, associate professor of comparative literature and Spanish for the College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed as the new director of the Oregon Humanities Center. Her new position starts July 1, 2024. Middlebrook brings a rich humanities background to the position and she said the position is an honor she takes seriously.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE - From nontraditional undergraduate student to prize-winning essayist, the journey feels far from complete for Laurel Sturgis O’Coyne. The University of Oregon doctoral candidate marked a milestone this April when she won the A. Owen Aldridge Prize in Comparative Literature for her 2020 essay “Toward Weaving/Reading Hemispheric Land and Literature.”
Twenty outstanding faculty members, the most since 2007, have been selected for the sought-after Fund for Faculty Excellence Awards for the 2021-22 academic year. The fund is designed to reward, recognize and retain world-class teaching and research at the UO.

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Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society Presents: Study and Sustenance Apr 25 McKenzie Hall
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