Comparative literature is the study of literature and other cultural expressions across linguistic and cultural boundaries. At Brown, the Department of Comparative Literature is distinct in its conviction that literary research and instruction must be international in character, and its undergraduate and graduate programs are considered among the finest in the country. Undergraduate students study a generous range of literary works – from Western cultures, both ancient and modern, to Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic – to develop a focused critical understanding of how cultures differ from one another.
The graduate program is a vigorous and comprehensive study of literature and culture, utilizing a range of materials from several literatures to foster an understanding of individual authors, influences, literary movements, forms, and genres in a comparative critical context. The program is flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of individual emphases in literature and culture, periods, genres, history, criticism, and theory.
Haynes, KennethChair of Comparative Literature
Azoulay, AriellaProfessor of Comparative Literature and Modern Culture and Media
Bensmaia, RedaUniversity Professor Emeritus of French Studies and Comparative Literature
Bernstein, SusanProfessor of Comparative Literature
Bossy, Michel-Andre RProfessor Emeritus of Comparative Literature
Chin, TamaraAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
Clayton, MichelleAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
Foley, Stephen MerriamAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
Haynes, KennethProfessor of Comparative Literature
Hicks-Bartlett, AlaniAssistant Professor of Comparative Literature, French and Francophone Studies, and Hispanic Studies
Konstan, DavidJohn Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Classics and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature
Levy, Dore JProfessor of Comparative Literature
McLaughlin, KevinProfessor of Comparative Literature
Merrim, StephanieProfessor Emerita of Comparative Literature
Mostefai, OuridaProfessor of Comparative Literature and French and Francophone Studies
Muhanna, Elias IAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
Newman, Karen AOwen F. Walker Professor Emerita of Humanities and Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature and English
Niedermaier, JeffreyMulberry Essence Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies
Perry, Samuel EAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
Redfield, MarcProfessor of Comparative Literature
Reed, Joseph DProfessor of Comparative Literature
Richter, GerhardL. Herbert Ballou University Professor of German Studies and Comparative Literature
Sng, ZacharyProfessor of Comparative Literature
Stewart-Steinberg, SuzanneJohn P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History
Szendy, PeterDavid Herlihy University Professor of Comparative Literature and the Humanities
Valente, Luiz FernandoProfessor of Comparative Literature
Viswanathan, Meera SushilaAssociate Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature
Weinstein, Arnold LouisRichard and Edna Salomon Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature
Whitfield, Esther KAssociate Professor of Comparative Literature
