Literature Major and Intensive Major
What is the difference between the Literature Major and national literature departments, such as English, French, or Spanish?
The Literature Major allows you to study literature across national boundaries. We also encourage theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches to literature, and we require advanced work in literature written in a language other than English. The Literature Major offers an excellent opportunity to get a truly international education.
What is the difference between Literature and Comparative Literature?
The Literature Major is the undergraduate program of the Comparative Literature department.
How do the new major requirements affect juniors and seniors?
The classes of 2007 and 2008 can fulfill the requirements in place when they began the major. Those who have not yet taken Litr 142, World Literature, can take Litr 122, World Poetry and Performance, instead.
What is the intensive major?
The intensive major requires knowledge of a second foreign language and advanced study in a second literature (which may be English). It offers excellent preparation for a graduate program in Comparative Literature. Note, however, that your transcript will not indicate that you fulfilled the intensive major.
Required Courses and Major Focus
I am a freshman or sophomore, and I plan to major in Literature. What courses should I take?
Freshmen and sophomores should take our introductory courses, Literature 120, “Introduction to Narrative” and Literature 122, “World Poetry and Performance.” They should also fulfill the Yale College Foreign Language requirement as soon as possible. They can also take other language or literature courses in order to improve their foreign languages. General surveys of literary history, such as Directed Studies or English 129, are also recommended.
How do I know if a course fulfills the pre-1800 requirement?
Literature courses in which the majority of texts studied were written before 1800 generally fulfill the requirement.
How do I know if a course fulfills the poetry or drama requirement?
Literature courses in which the majority of texts studied were written in verse or for the stage fulfill the requirement.
Do all my courses for the major have to have “Literature” numbers?
No. In general, any course on literature offered by one of the national literature departments can count towards the Literature Major. Courses in language acquisition, composition, writing, conversation, and general culture do not normally count towards the major, although one writing course can count. A limited number of introductory courses (generally 120-level or below) can count towards the major, generally two outside the Literature Major.
How many courses can I take in departments other than Literature?
Eight of your courses can be selected from other departments. Two of these courses (or three with permission of the DUS) can be from departments other than literature departments (e.g., History), as long as they contribute to your study of literature.
What courses must have Literature numbers?
You must take six courses with Literature numbers: Literature 120; Literature 122; Literature 300; two core seminars (400-level Literature courses); and the senior essay (Literature 491 or Literature 492 and 493).
I am a junior or senior who recently joined the Literature Major, and I do not want to take the prerequisite courses. Are they really required?
Yes.
The Foreign Literature Requirement
I have not fulfilled the university’s language requirement, or I am currently interested in a language other than the one I studied in high school. What should I do?
Begin your language study as early as possible in your time at Yale. It is usually possible to fulfill all the requirements of the Literature Major even if you start your studies at Yale with no foreign language.
What courses fulfill the advanced foreign literature requirement?
“Advanced level” refers to a course in which literature is read in the original language. At least one such course should be taken before the senior year, and at least one must be above the introductory survey course level, for example, above the 160-level in French or German and above the 260-level in Spanish. A total of three foreign literature courses are required beyond the Yale College Foreign Language Requirement. With permission of the DUS, one of the courses counting towards the Literature Major may be an advanced language course.
There are no advanced literature courses in the language I am studying. What should I do?
It is usually possible to make a special arrangement with the instructor of a course on foreign literature taught in translation, whereby Literature majors read the works in the original language and do some writing in that language. See the Director of Undergraduate Studies for details.
The language I am studying (e.g., Arabic, Russian, or Chinese) requires several years of study before I can read its literature. How do I fulfill the advanced literature requirement?
In general, it is possible to count some of the most advanced foreign language courses in such languages towards the advanced literature requirement. See the Director of Undergraduate Studies for details.
The Senior Essay
What is a senior seminar essay?
With their instructor’s permission, students enrolled in a core seminar can write their senior essay in the context of that seminar, rather than through an independent study. Students receive only one credit for the seminar and the essay combined. They normally are exempted from other written work for the seminar. Such essays are judged according to the same standards as senior essays written independently.
How do I choose a topic or an advisor for my senior essay?
Consider the courses you have taken and the books you have read. Choose the ones that you found most interesting. Approach the professor who taught you the course or a professor who knows something about the books that interest you, and discuss your ideas and interests. It is best to discuss your ideas with a few professors before asking one to serve as your advisor.
I have heard that I cannot write a senior essay on a work in translation, but I am not confident enough in my foreign language to write a senior essay about foreign literature. What should I do?
Consider writing on a text written in English.
My senior essay is comparative and includes reference to some works originally written in languages I do not know. Is this permissible?
You can refer to works (such as the Bible or the Odyssey or theoretical texts) written in languages you do not know. You may even discuss such texts extensively. However, the primary subject of the essay should be in a language you can read. You may also consult translations of this primary work. Exceptions need to be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
