UNderstanding through connections

Learn literary theories, ideas and applications with a major or minor in Comparative Literature. The program is flexible to suit your interests, intersecting with art, pop culture, history, politics, philosophy and many other fields. Resting on three principles - foreign language training, individual curricular planning and comparative methodology - you're guaranteed to engage with at least one culture and language other than English. You’ll leave with a broad literary education and critical thinking and analysis skills applicable to a variety of careers and post-graduate studies.

 

Experiential EducationLanguage in Action

Attend lectures on the implications of code switching hosted by the Fisher Center for the Study of Gender and Justice or work with published authors during workshops sponsored by the Trias Residency for Writers.

At Hobart and William Smith, learning goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. You’ll gain high-impact practical experience that deepens learning and opens doors.

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No Borders:Global Education

Study social deviance in the Czech Republic or the effects of colonial rule in Ireland.

Wherever you go, our top-ranked global education program will allow you to apply classroom knowledge, develop cultural understanding and build global connections that expand your personal capacity and sense of purpose.

Ireland

Learn the concepts and vocabulary of Comparative Literature and the ways in which they can be used.

ENG 200 – Critical Methods

Train yourself in the concepts, vocabulary and research methods required for advanced textual analysis and writing in comparative literature.

ENG 213 – Environmental Literature

Address questions about how humans define and categorize nature and the environment by putting literary texts in conversation with some of the following concepts: nature, energy, biodiversity, sustainability, global interconnectivity and environmental justice. 

ENG 304 – Feminist Literary Criticism

Introduce yourself to feminist literary theories and critical practices that are considered to be of crucial importance in the field of feminist literary theory today. 

 

 

Alum ImpactTurning a PassionInto a Career

Meredith
Meredith Kellog, '19 Latin and English Teacher at East Palmyra Christian School; Fulbright Award Recipient

A love of literature and languages led Meredith to major in Comparative Literature and Classics at HWS. Those passions translated into a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in the Czech Republic and later, a Latin and English teaching position at East Palmyra Christian School.

Companies That Employ Our graduates

  • Casa Museo Pablo Neruda
  • CBS, Inc.
  • Dispatches Magazine
  • Esperanza Viva Youth Home
  • Fox News Network, LLC
  • Helene Fuld Medical Center
  • MAAX
  • Needham Public Schools
  • Peace Corps
  • Pope Memorial Library
  • Rubenstein Communications, Inc.
  • The Hartford Courant
  • The Robert H. Jackson Center
  • Yellowstone National Park

universities where our graduates are studying

  • Columbia University
  • UCLA
  • University of New Haven
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison