Why Choose Penn State?
Our department is committed to providing our students with the highest level of scholarly training. This commitment to excellence includes solid preparation in both traditional and innovative forms of comparative scholarship. Many of our faculty have been at the forefront of shaping the field of comparative literature and two members of our department provided essays for the report on the state of the discipline conducted in 2004 by the American Comparative Literature Association. We are also home to one of the top journals in the field: Comparative Literature Studies. Our program offers an innovative and flexible curriculum that allows students, particularly those at the doctoral level, to design individualized programs of study tailored to their interests. All students receive a thorough program in literary criticism. We offer an innovative doctoral minor in critical theory jointly sponsored with the Philosophy Department. Doctoral students can also choose to pursue minors in fields
