Comparative & World Literature
Founded in 1967, the Program in Comparative and World Literature at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has been at the forefront of interdisciplinary teaching and research in the humanities, offering courses that work across different national languages and literary traditions, as well as those that combine the study of literature with other disciplines, including film and visual culture, science and medicine, economics and law. Our program was one of the first to offer and emphasize non-Western and cross-cultural perspectives, and World Literature – from Asia and Africa, to Europe and the Americas – is an area where we continue to excel today.
Recent News
Harriet Murav named CAS professor
Harriet Murav has been appointed as a Professor in the Center for Advanced Study starting Fall 2020, one of our highest honors.
Cultural Myths and Everyday Heroes
A Comparative Literature undergraduate responds to the rhetoric of the COVID-19 crisis.
Interview with Prof. Calderwood in Cordopolis
The Spanish newspaper Cordopolis published a long interview with Prof. Eric Calderwood about the...
Faculty receive Public Voices Fellowship
New program at Illinois helps professors amplify their ideas to a wider audience.
Upcoming Events
URAP Graduate Mentor Application Info Session
https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace
KAM Exhibition | HIVE
Nov 01, 2020 to Jan 23, 2021
Krannert Art Museum | 500 E Peabody Dr.
KAM Exhibition | Bea Nettles: Harvest of Memory
Nov 01, 2020 to Nov 28, 2020
Krannert Art Museum | 500 E Peabody Dr.
KAM Exhibition | Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s United States
Nov 01, 2020 to Nov 14, 2020
Featured Courses
Global Consciousness and Lit
CWL 114
Exploration of the cultural and historical roots of globalization and the development of global consciousness from...
Early Masterpieces of Western Culture
CWL 241
Comparative study of major works of literature, philosophy and culture in the Western tradition from the ancient...
Cross-Cultural Thematics
CWL 151
Credit: 3 hours.
Explores a combination of western and non-western literature through the focus on a...
