Affiliated Programs

Comparative Literature and Culture

The Program in Comparative Literature and Culture (COML) engages the study of literatures and cultures within and across national boundaries. It comprises the comparative analysis of literary and cultural texts not only in relation to genres, forms, and movements but within the larger context of social discourse and cultural practices.

East Asian Studies

The East Asian Studies Program (EAS) is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to give the student broad yet intimate knowledge of East Asian civilization. A core element of the program is the requirement of an East Asian Language, providing the basis for postgraduate study or careers relating to East Asia.

European Cultural Studies

The European Cultural Studies Program (ECS) offers students the opportunity to study English and continental literature in translation in conjunction with one or more related disciplines: fine arts, history, music, philosophy, politics, sociology and theater arts. ECS is for those students who feel intellectually adventurous, who want to explore the interrelationships of literature with various other disciplines in order to gain a broader perspective of what constitutes "culture."

History of Ideas

The History of Ideas Program (HOID) offers students the opportunity to construct an independent course of study in the history of ideas. Santayana put it well in saying: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." To understand and evaluate our beliefs and commitments — even to understand the significance of the questions and problems that beset us — we need to trace their sources and their history.

South Asian Studies

The South Asian Studies Program (SAS) offers a minor (open to students in any major) for those who wish to structure their studies of South Asia or the South Asian Diaspora. The minor offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the literatures, histories, societies, cultures, religions, arts and contemporary importance of South Asia and diasporic South Asian communities.

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS) draws on the humanities, arts, social and biological sciences to explore the broad range of intellectual questions concerning both the social positions of women and the gendered constructions of knowledge, identity, and culture. Students in the program have the opportunity to study theories of feminism, gender, and sexuality; the diversity of women's experiences and representations past and present; and women's movements in the United States and around the globe.