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
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcript(s)
- TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)
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 1, 2023 |
| International Applicants | |
| F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants | December 1, 2023 |
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. | 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. | Associate 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, English Language and Literature Professor, Comparative Literature Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies |
| 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, Women's Studies 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 | B.A. University of Oregon, Eugene (1989), M.A. University of California, Los Angeles (1995), Ph.D. University of California, Irvine (2005) | 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, English Language and Literature Associate Professor, Comparative Literature Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's 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. | Associate Chair, English Language and Literature 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 |