Comparative Literature Department
The Graduate Program
Graduate Office (812)855-9602
You can e-mail for further information.
The Comparative Literature Department is one of the oldest and largest in the United States, established in 1949 and featuring an internationally-known faculty. As will be evident from the degree requirements, both in courses and in thesis work, the Department stresses theoretical perspectives. The major portion of the student’s courses (two-thirds of M.A. hours, over one half of Ph.D. hours) is selected from the wide array offered by the Department itself. (Not all of these courses are available in the same semester or within the same academic year). The Department includes courses that concentrate on theoretical and interdisciplinary studies, periods, genres, comparative and inter-arts studies, cross-cultural studies, and translation studies. (See the courses listed in the latest Graduate School Bulletin). General topics courses (C503, C504, C601, C602, C603, C610, C611, C630, C670, C680) cover specific subjects on a less frequent basis. It is also possible to pursue directed individual readings projects (C604). The Department offers a variety of minors and a Certificate in Translation; it also participates in certificates in Biblical and Literary Studies, Medieval Studies, and Renaissance Studies.
The Department expects that candidates for the M.A. and the Ph.D. degrees will acquire some form of teaching experience. As many of its graduate students as possible are given appointments as Associate Instructors. Sections of C145-146 (“Major Characters in World Literature” and “Major Themes and Motifs in World Literature”), C151 ("Intro to Popular Culture") and C255 (“Modern Literature and the Other Arts: An Introduction”) are taught by graduate students. New Associate Instructors are required to enroll in C508. In rare instances, more advanced courses may be entrusted to outstanding graduate students. This effort should produce not just competent critics and scholars, but experienced teachers as well. Those who do not receive appointments as AI’s, and those who want additional teaching experience are strongly encouraged to enroll in C509 (“Teaching Internship in Comparative Literature”) for one hour of credit in order to collaborate with a professor in teaching upper-level undergraduate courses. Many professors in the department have expressed their willingness to work with interns. Any student interested should inquire at the Comparative Literature Office (812-855-9602). (See also section on Preparing Future Faculty Program).
Detailed information on the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees follows. The University publishes a schedule of classes for every semester and for the summer sessions. Specific descriptions of all the Comparative Literature courses offered (including cross-listed courses) are available each semester (no later than the preregistration period) from the Department Office. The Graduate School Bulletin gives a complete listing of all Comparative Literature courses; it also spells out the Graduate School requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Further information on the graduate program may be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office Ballantine Hall 913 A (812-855-9602); E-mail .
Each graduate student in Comparative Literature is expected to have a faculty mentor. The mentor's basic responsibility is to help the student become better acquainted with Comparative Literature as an academic discipline and as a vocation. On the administrative level, the mentor help the student find his or her place within the discipline. This may involve encouraging the student to determine areas of concentration, suggesting further avenues of inquiry, indicating conferences the student might attend, drawing attention to specific academic journals, and helping the student decide where to submit papers for potential publication.
The Director of Graduate Studies functions as a resource about rules and regulations and as a liaison to the Graduate School as well as to the appropriate departmental committees; he or she helps in transferring credits and oversees the academic progress of all graduate students, approving a student’s admission to the Ph.D. qualifying examinations on the basis of satisfactory completion of all the requirements, and checking a student’s record for nomination to the M.A. degree or to candidacy for the Ph.D. However, it is the student’s responsibility and not that of the Director of Graduate Studies to see that the student meets the requirements set by the Graduate School and by the Comparative Literature.
Among the committees by which the Comparative Literature Department governs itself, the Graduate Studies Committee, the Admissions Committee, and the A.I. Affairs Committee are the most important for the graduate student. The Graduate Studies Committee reviews the requirements for the Ph.D. qualifying examinations and the graduate curriculum, develops suggestions for course offerings for each academic year, and determines the recipients of the Tutungi, Stallknecht and C. Clifford Flanigan Memorial Awards. The Admissions Committee evaluates all applications for admission to the M.A. and Ph.D. Programs and ranks potential candidates for graduate fellowships. The A.I. Affairs Committee ranks all applicants for Associate Instructor positions and makes detailed recommendations to the Department Chair; it also selects the recipient of the annual Award for Distinguished Teaching.
