Comparative Literature Concentration
McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3
!		Foreign Language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3-4
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
	UNIV 101	The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement4 (PR/CC)	3

Semester Two (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW/CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
!		Foreign Language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
		History5 (CR)	3

Semester Three (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CPLT 270	World Literature (cross-listed: ENGL 270) (CC-AIU)	3
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
!		Foreign Language3 or Carolina Core Requirement4 (CR/CC)	3
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4

Semester Four (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CPLT 300	What is Comparative Literature (MR/CC-INT)	3	C		Any 200-level lit. course
	CPLT 301 or CPLT 302 or CPLT 303	Great Books of the W. World I (cross-listed: ENGL 390) or Great Books of the W. World II (cross-listed: ENGL 391) or Great Books of the E. World (cross-listed: ENGL 392) (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
!		Second Foreign language3 (MR)	3

Semester Five (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CPLT 301 or CLPT 302 or CPLT 303	Great Books of the W. World I (cross-listed: ENGL 390) or Great Books of the W. World II (cross-listed: ENGL 391) or Great Books of the E. World (cross-listed: ENGL 392) (MR)	3	C
		Literature course in first Foreign Language7 (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		Second Foreign language3 or Elective8 (MR/PR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		CPLT course (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Literature course in first Foreign Language7 (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Second Foreign language3 or Elective8 (MR/PR)	3

Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CPLT 415	Topics in comparative Literary Relations (MR)	3	C
		Literature course in Second Foreign Language7 (300-level or above) may be taught in translation (MR)	3	C
		Minor Course6 or Elective8 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Eight (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CPLT 499	Senior Thesis9 or any 200-level or above foreign language literature course7 (may be in translation) (MR/CC-INT)	3	C
		Minor Course6 or Elective8 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (only if needed to meet hours to graduate) (PR)	3

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College & Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	30-36	48-57	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students in the Comparative Literature major are required to demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages. Students must reach proficiency equivalent to the 300-level literature course prerequisites in the first foreign language, and equivalent to the 122 course in the second language, through course credit. Students who begin at the 109/110/121 level in the first foreign language may be required to complete courses in addition to those in this map in order to reach the 300-level language proficiency needed in preparation for the Literature courses in the first foreign language. Students who test out of the 122-level of a second foreign language will be required to take a higher-level course in the language.
4. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
5. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
6. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. A second major eliminates the minor/cognate requirement.
7. Examples of foreign language literature courses include, but are not limited to: FREN 450, 451, 452, and 453 (if taught in French); GERM 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 (if taught in German); ITAL 404 and 405 (if taught in Italian); PORT 312, 325, and 375 (if taught in Portuguese); RUSS 319L and 320L (if taught in Russian); SPAN 375, 404, and 405 (if taught in Spanish). Foreign language literature courses must be approved by an advisor.
8. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.
9. CPLT 499 can be combined with another research project (such as Honor's Thesis or Magellan Scholar project), if approved by the CPLT Undergraduate Advisor. While CPLT 499 is optional, students should be aware that CPLT 499 also counts towards Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Research.

Program Notes

• ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 must be completed in the student's first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation. Students must complete first foreign language courses in a timely manner in order to meet language proficiency requirements for the foreign language literature courses.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement