So my ideal major has been Comparative Lit for basically all of high school. I’m a big literature/writing fan, so as an underclassman, which is my main interest, but I love foreign texts as well as the visual arts/film, so the interdisciplinary aspect really appeals to me.
Unfortunately, it seems to be kind of a rare major. I keep looking for Comp Lit programs, but it seems like there are under 100, and they tend to be at selective schools. While I have a relatively high GPA/SAT score (and am working for a higher ACT), it’s also unrealistic to just apply to those schools. So I’m looking for less selectivity. I love Yale and Brown’s programs but…they’re Yale and Brown.
I’m really looking into University of Iowa and UMass Amherst (I’m from MA, but might be able to qualify instate for AZ too). I love love love Amherst’s program, esp. since it has a film track.
I can obviously always double major, esp. since majors can change, but if possible, I’d like for Comp Lit to be an option. Are there any schools, preferably not super selective so I can qualify for merit aid or at least get in, that offer it?
Regarding the basis of your search, I would say that the study of “Comparative Literature” and the more simply titled “Literature” or “English” can strongly overlap, so be careful with regard to restrictions that may not serve your purposes. However, by reading through course descriptions, you should be able to make distinctions that pertain to your particular interests.
The above noted, Kenyon offers a concentration in Comparative World Literatures that might appeal to you.
Bard College has a marvelous world literature department with professors, including authors, from all over the world, including Africa. It has very holistic admission, as well.
“The Literature Program at Bard is free from the barriers that are often set up between different national literatures or between the study of language and the study of the range of intellectual, historical, and imaginative dimensions to which literature’s changing forms persistently refer. Literary studies are vitally engaged with interdisciplinary programs and concentrations such as Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, Experimental Humanities, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Medieval Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Victorian Studies.”