COLT Major
The major is administered by the Comparative Literature Steering Committee. Students design their major plan in consultation with an advisor and the Chair, and must fill out an application form, available on the COLT website, describing their major, as well as the online declaration on DartWorks. All applications to the major must be approved by the Steering Committee. Major cards can be signed only by the Chair. Students interested in becoming majors should consult the Chair well in advance of their intended declaration of a major.
Prerequisite for the major: COLT 001 or any from among the COLT 10's.
COLT 79: Independent study; requires approval of the chair & a syllabus that has been worked on by the student and advisor. This proposal should be sent to the chair for approval by the steering committee. An independent study should be on a topic that will not be the subject of a COLT class in the running academic year.
Required courses: any from among the COLT 72's, COLT 85, and, for honors majors writing a thesis only, COLT 87.
COLT 85 (Senior Seminar) is required to fulfill the culminating experience requirement in the major for all students. Students accepted into the Honors program also complete COLT 87 (Thesis Tutorial).
Major Requirements:
Students have two options for structuring their additional eight courses:
A. Comparative study of literature and culture in two languages. Students must demonstrate fluency in one language beyond English and competence in another language beyond English. This typically involves 3-4 upper-level courses in one language and 1-2 upper level courses in another language or other evidence of advanced work in the respective languages. Furthermore students take 2-4 Comparative Literature courses above COLT 10.
B. Comparative study of literature and culture in one language (normally not English) and one other non-literary discipline (e.g. music, film, art, history, geography, physics, etc.).
Students must demonstrate fluency in one language beyond English. This typically involves 3-4 upper-level courses or other evidence of advanced work in the respective language. Furthermore students take 2-4 Comparative Literature courses above COLT 10, and demonstrate substantive preparation in a non-literary discipline (3-4 upper level courses).