Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study of international relations, but works with languages and artistic traditions, so as to understand cultures 'from the inside'".
While most frequently practiced with works of different languages,
comparative literature may also be performed on works of the same
language if the works originate from different nations or cultures among
which that language is spoken.
The characteristically intercultural and transnational field of
comparative literature concerns itself with the relation between
literature, broadly defined, and other spheres of human activity,
including history, politics, philosophy, art, and science.
Unlike other forms of literary study, comparative literature places its
emphasis on the interdisciplinary analysis of social and cultural
production within the "economy,
political dynamics, cultural movements, historical shifts, religious
differences, the urban environment, international relations, public policy, and the sciences"
Students and instructors in the field, usually called "comparatists",
have traditionally been proficient in several languages and acquainted
with the literary traditions, literary criticism, and major literary texts of those languages. Many of the newer sub-fields, however, are more influenced by critical theory and literary theory, stressing theoretical acumen and the ability to consider different types of art concurrently, over high linguistic competence.
The interdisciplinary nature of the field means that comparatists typically exhibit acquaintance with sociology, history, anthropology, translation studies, critical theory, cultural studies, and religious studies.
As a result, comparative literature programs within universities may be
designed by scholars drawn from several such departments. This eclecticism
has led critics (from within and without) to charge that Comparative
Literature is insufficiently well-defined, or that comparatists too
easily fall into dilettantism, because the scope of their work is, of
necessity, broad. Some question whether this breadth affects the ability
of Ph.D.s to find employment in the highly specialized environment of
academia and the career market at large, although such concerns do not
seem to be borne out by placement data that shows comparative literature
graduates to be hired at similar or higher rates than their peers in
English.
The terms "comparative literature" and "world literature" are often
used to designate a similar course of study and scholarship. Comparative
Literature is the more widely used term in the United States, with many
universities having Comparative Literature departments or Comparative
Literature programs.
Comparative literature is an interdisciplinary field whose
practitioners study literature across national borders, across time
periods, across languages, across genres, across boundaries between
literature and the other arts (music, painting, dance, film, etc.),
across disciplines (literature and psychology, philosophy, science,
history, architecture, sociology, politics, etc.). Defined most broadly,
comparative literature is the study of "literature without borders".
Scholarship in comparative literature include, for example, studying
literacy and social status in the Americas, studying medieval epic and
romance, studying the links of literature to folklore and mythology,
studying colonial and postcolonial writings in different parts of the
world, asking fundamental questions about definitions of literature
itself.
What scholars in comparative literature share is a desire to study
literature beyond national boundaries and an interest in languages so
that they can read foreign texts in their original form. Many
comparatists also share the desire to integrate literary experience with
other cultural phenomena such as historical change, philosophical
concepts, and social movements.
Well-conducted, and with good health status.
1. Application Form
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2. Health certificate
Photocopy of notarized foreigner physical examination record (for durations of study over 6 months)
3. Photocopy of valid passport
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4. Passport photo
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5. Undergraduate school transcript
6. Bachelor's degree diploma
Graduation
certificate in languages other than Chinese or English should be
translated into Chinese or English and be certified by notarization.
7. Two letters of recommendation
From professor or associate professor or equivalents
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