Comparative Literature (CMLT)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities

Abstract

A small, elite PhD degree program housed in the Department of English, the Comparative Literature Program is committed to the comparative and transnational study of literature and other media. Combining its own dynamic resources with those of the English Department and other units in the College of Arts and Humanities, the Program supports a wide range of interests, including Western Hemispheric and Transatlantic Studies, Film, Early Modern Studies, Classical Reception, and Diasporic and Postcolonial Studies. Students in the Program work in at least two languages and national literatures, one of them Anglophone. The Comparative Literature PhD Program complements the current PhD Program in English, giving students a place to pursue true comparative studies. Students seeking admission to the PhD Program in Comparative Literature must demonstrate advanced language proficiency before entry into the Program, and commit themselves to achieving a high degree of intellectual expertise in two or more languages and national literatures. Graduates are as likely to find academic positions in departments of foreign languages as they are to find them in English. A doctoral degree in Comparative Literature can uniquely prepare them for a profession that more and more studies literatures and cultures within a globalized, transnational context. 

Financial Assistance

The Comparative Literature Department, in conjunction with the College of Arts and Humanities and the Graduate School, awards a combination of fellowships and teaching assistantships to admitted PhD candidates..

Contact

Tawes Hall
7751 Alumni Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Email: englishgrad@umd.edu

Website: http://www.english.umd.edu
 Courses: CMLT ENGL
Relationships: English Language and Literature (ENGL)

General Requirements

Program-Specific Requirements

  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • CV/Resume
  • Writing Sample: A single sample of critical writing of approximately 12-20 pages. While we encourage you to submit your best writing sample, we prefer a writing sample in your declared field of interest. The writing sample should include an updated works cited page to help us evaluate your critical and theoretical familiarity with a field, a period or a genre. (uploaded to the Uploads Requirements section of the application)
  • Master's degree

Applicants should have a strong background in arts and humanities. Students will not be admitted to the program without demonstrated proficiency in English and at least one other language. Each student must submit a critical writing sample (in English), three letters of recommendation and evidence of language proficiency. We do not require the GRE for admission to our program. International applicants must also submit TOEFL/IELTS scores. 

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant Fall Deadline
Domestic Applicants
US Citizens and Permanent Residents December 3, 2024
International Applicants
F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants December 3, 2024

RESOURCES AND LINKS:

Program Website: http://www.english.umd.edu
Application Process: gradschool.umd.edu/admissions

The Comparative Literature Program combines the benefits of a small department with the opportunities available at a large research university located in suburban Washington, D.C. Students have access to such University resources as the rare books and special collections of McKeldin Library, the Women’s Studies Graduate Certificate program, and the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies. Area resources include the extensive archival collections of the Library of Congress, the U.S. Archives, and the Folger Institute, as well as museums, galleries, embassies and cultural institutions in the Washington area and in the Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York corridor.

Last Name First/Middle Name Graduate Faculty Status Academic Credentials Positions
Anischenkova Valerie Full Member B.A./M.A. St. Petersburg State University, 1997; M.A. University of Michigan, 2001; Ph.D. University of Michigan, 2007 Affiliate Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Baer Hester Full Member B.A. Bard College, 1992; M.A. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1994; Ph.D. Washington University, 2000 Associate Professor, German Literature and Language
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Balachandran Orihuela Sharada Full Member B.A. Mills College; Ph.D. Univ. of California, Davis. Director, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Barrenechea Francisco Full Member B.A., Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 1996; M.A., Columbia University, 1999; Ph.D., Columbia University, 2005 Associate Professor, Classics
Affiliate Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Graduate Director, Classics
Bauer Ralph R. Full Member B.A., University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, 1991; M.A., Michigan State University, 1993; Ph.D., 1997. Professor, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Carpenter Faedra Full Member B.A., Spelman College, 1992; M.A. Washington University, 1994; Ph.D., Stanford University, 2005. Affiliate Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Cohen William A. Full Member B.A., Swarthmore College, 1985; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1993. Professor, English Language and Literature
Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Collins Merle Full Member B.A., University of the West Indies-Mona, Jamaica, 1972;M.A., Georgetown University, 1980; Ph.D.,London School of Economics & Political Science, 1990. Professor, Comparative Literature
Professor Emerita, English Language and Literature
Doherty Lillian E. Full Member B.A., St. Mary's College, 1974; M.A., University of Chicago, 1977; Ph.D., University of Chicago 1982. Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Donawerth Jane L. Full Member B.A., Miami University-Oxford, 1969; M.A.,University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1970; Ph.D., 1975. Professor, Comparative Literature
Professor Emerita, English Language and Literature
Affiliate Professor, American Studies
Eades Caroline M. Full Member Agregation Lettres classiques, 1979; Doctorate, University of Paris III, 1987. Professor, French Modern Studies
Professor, French Studies
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Frisch Andrea Full Member B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1988; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1996 Professor, French Modern Studies
Professor, French Studies
Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Graduate Director, French Modern Studies
Graduate Director, French Studies
Gaycken Oliver Full Member B.A., Princeton University, 1994; M.A., University of Chicago, 1996; Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2005. Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Graduate Director, Comparative Literature
Hallett Judith P. Full Member A.B., Wellesley College, 1966; A.M.,Harvard University, 1967; Ph.D., 1971. Affiliate Professor, American Studies
Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Kauffman Linda Full Member B.A., University of California-Santa Barbara, 1971; Ph.D., 1978. Professor Emerita, English Language and Literature
Professor Emeritus, Comparative Literature
Keshavarz Fatemeh Full Member Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Levinson Jerrold Full Member B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969; Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1974. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Long Ryan F. Full Member B.A. Macalester College, 1994; PhD, Duke University, 2002 Professor, Spanish Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Mason Michele Full Member Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Nunes Zita Full Member B.A., Brown University, 1983; M.A.,University of California-Berkeley, 1986; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley 1994. Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Ontiveros Randy Full Member B.A., Biola University, 1997; M.A. University of California, Irvine, 2001; PhD., 2006. Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Papazian Elizabeth Full Member Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Passannante Gerard Full Member B.A., Yale University, 2000; PhD Princeton Univ. 2006. Professor, English Language and Literature
Professor, Comparative Literature
Peterson Carla L. Full Member B.A., Radcliffe College, 1965; Ph.D., Yale University, 1976. Professor Emerita, English Language and Literature
Professor Emerita, Comparative Literature
Quintero-Herencia Juan Carlos Full Member B.A. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras 1986; M.A. Princeton University, 1988; Ph.D. Princeton University, 1995 Affiliate Professor, Comparative Literature
Ray Sangeeta Full Member B.A., University of Calcutta,1980; M.A., 1983; M.A., Miami University, 1987; Ph.D., University of Washington, 1990. Professor, English Language and Literature
Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Professor, American Studies
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies
Resmini Mauro Full Member Assistant Professor, Comparative Literature
Richardson Brian Full Member B.A., University of Washington, 1982; M.A.,1984; Ph.D., 1988. Professor, English Language and Literature
Professor, Comparative Literature
Robertson Kellie Full Member B.A., Univ. of Virginia, 1990; M.A./M.Phil., Yale University, 1993; Ph.D., 1998. Professor, English Language and Literature
Professor, Comparative Literature
Robinson Eugene S. Adjunct Member B.A., University of Maryland-College Park, 1973; M.A., 1975; Ph.D., 1984. Instructor, Comparative Literature
Schonebaum Andrew Full Member Affiliate Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Valiavitcharska Vessela V. Full Member B.A., Sofia University, Bulgaria, 1995; M.A., Chicago University, 1997; Ph.D. University of Texas, 2007. Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Wang Orrin Full Member B.A., Reed College, 1979; M.A.,University of Chicago, 1984; Ph.D., 1989. Professor, English Language and Literature
Professor, Comparative Literature
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Zakim Eric S. Full Member B.A., Oberlin College, 1982; M.A. University of California-Berkeley, 1989; Ph.D., 1996. Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature