Comparative Literature | LSU Comparative Literature

Comparative Literature at Louisiana State University is an interdisciplinary program that encourages students to approach literary studies from a wide array of sociocultural perspectives.

Overview

The Ph.D. program is built around a core curriculum grounded in the history of literary criticism and theory. With the guidance of faculty, students develop their own degree plans and research agendas, meant to combine the study of literature, literary theory, language, philosophy, art, history, and other cultural phenomena in exciting, fruitful, and innovative ways.

As an interdepartmental program, Comparative Literature draws upon the strengths of its affiliated departments in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Welcome from the Director

The LSU Program in Comparative Literature provides a vibrant, collaborative space for students and faculty to explore transnational and interdisciplinary research in literary, cultural, and artistic traditions. Through scholarship, teaching, and community engagement, the program establishes and maintains relationships with a number of local, national, and international entities. Mutual exchange is a core value that fosters the program’s dynamic scholarly atmosphere. The interdepartmental nature of the program creates an opportunity for dialogue and research that engages many different traditions, genres and languages across the globe. In addition to an excellent grounding in multiple areas of literary study, the program envisions expanding the geographical and cultural scope of student and faculty projects. Read more about the program.

News

Starting Fall 2026, The Comparative Literature Program will offer an Undergraduate Minor in Comparative Literature!

In addition to 2000- and 3000-level World Literature courses, the program will offer: CPLT 4500 Comparative Literature and Medicine, CPLT 4600 Comparative Literature and Technology, CPLT 4700 Comparative Literature and Environmental Science, CPLT 4800 Comparative Literature and Law. For more information visit: https://www.lsu.edu/hss/complit/resources/undergraduateminor.php

Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative Meghan Hodges awarded LSU Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award 2026

Doctoral candidate in Comparative Literature, Meghan Hodges has been named this year's recipient of the LSU Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award. This award recognizes outstanding teaching ability and service to students and acknowledges and emphasizes the important role teaching assistants play in providing quality academic instruction.

Dr. Dorota Heneghan has been elected to serve on the ADPCL (Association of Departments and Programs of Comparative Literature) Executive Committee 2026-2029

Founded in late 1992, the ADPCL promotes the interests of departments, programs, and other academic units of Comparative Literature in colleges and universities primarily (but not limited to) those in North America in cooperation with the American Comparative Literature Association and the Modern Language Association, provides a forum for discussing the issues of the discipline in the context of higher education, and encourages the development and continued growth of the discipline. For more information visit: https://www.acla.org/adpcl

Ph.D. Candidate Alexander Schmid awarded the 2025-2026 LSU Dissertation Year Fellowship

Doctoral candidate in Comparative, Alexander Schmid, has been awarded a 2025-2026 LSU Dissertation Year Fellowship. This highly prestigious fellowship enables exceptional doctoral candidates like Alex Schmid to have the necessary resources and support to solely focus on their dissertation research. During 2025-2026, Alex will work on his dissertation titled "Contribution to Medieval Political Philosophy: The Arabic Rationalist Influences on Dante’s The Divine Comedy" under the guidance of his major professor, Dr. Gregory Stone, and his committee members, Drs. Adelaide Russo, Richard Godden, and Alexander Orwin.

Ph.D. Candidate Midhat Shah awarded Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award

Doctoral candidate in Comparative Literature, Midhat Shah, was selected as one of two recipients of this year’s Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award.

The university will honor Midhat for her outstanding teaching abilities and dedication to students in her classes, Introduction to World Literary Traditions CPLT 2201 / English 2201 and before that, English Composition 1001, and English Composition 2000, at a reception for the 2024 Faculty Award Winners this month.

Invited Lecture

Saturday, March 29

2:30 p.m.

Meeting ID: 494 639 4679

Passcode: 5758

The Comparative Literature Program presents a lecture by Dr. Wan Sonya Tang, Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Director of Aisan American Studies at Boston College.

Lecture: "Sanmao’s Spain: A Taiwanese Author’s Vision of and Legacy in the Canary Islands"

The Journal

Comparative Woman aims to create an environment that explores topics related to comparative literature and women/gender studies through poetry and academic essays from a multitude of perspectives. We seek to give poets a platform for reflecting on their thoughts and experiences according to each issue’s theme to present our readers with unique, diverse, and thought-provoking art while also exposing our readers to scholarly work on art created by women or about women in mediums both in and outside of the Western Literary Canon.