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Welcome to comparative literature at UT!
Founded in 1968 by a group of innovative faculty who sought to create a rigorous interdisciplinary program, Comparative Literature at UT has over fifty affiliated faculty members working in fields as varied as Medieval Studies, South Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Latin American Studies, African American Studies, Translation Studies, and Gender & Sexuality Studies, and our students come from more than a dozen countries. With a wealth of resources from six federally funded area studies centers as well as UT's nationally recognized foreign language programs, we are able to foster the cultivation of multilingual and multicultural critical understanding.
We offer a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, as well as an Undergraduate Minor. All accepted Ph.D. students receive six years of full funding, including an annual stipend, health insurance, and full tuition remission. We actively support participation in scholarly conferences and off-site research, and we offer a robust mentoring program, including courses and programming focused on success in and beyond the academy. We encourage our students to expand their range of professional competencies for a changing job market, while also cultivating their research and creative agendas.
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Founded in 1968 by a group of innovative faculty who sought to create a rigorous interdisciplinary program, Comparative Literature at UT has embraced the challenge of theory inclusively. We offer a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, as well as an Undergraduate Minor. Our program has over fifty affiliated faculty members working in fields as varied as Medieval Studies, South Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Latin American Studies, African American Studies, Translation Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies, and our students come from more than a dozen countries. With a wealth of resources from six federally funded area studies centers as well as UT's nationally recognized foreign language programs, we are able to foster the cultivation of multilingual and multicultural critical understanding.
All accepted Ph.D. students receive six years of full funding through a combination of Teaching Assistant & Assistant Instructor appointments and fellowships. Our funding package includes full tuition in the Fall and Spring semesters, health insurance, an annual stipend, and a substantial first-year fellowship to assist with startup costs. Students are also eligible to compete for fellowships and awards offered by the UT Graduate School, as well as professional development awards to support research travel and career development activities. We actively support participation in scholarly conferences and off-site research, and we offer a robust mentoring program, including courses and programming focused on success in and beyond the academy. We encourage our students to expand their range of professional competencies for a changing job market, while also cultivating their research agendas.
20th Annual graduate conference in comparative literature - november 2025
The 20th Annual Graduate Conference in Comparative Literature, Configurations of Place and Death, will take place on Friday, November 7, and Saturday, November 8th, 2025, at the University of Texas at Austin. This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Muhammad Farooq.
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Dr. Geraldine Heng
Comparative Literature's very own, Dr. Geraldine Heng elected to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences
In April 2023, Dr. Geraldine Heng, a medievalist in the Program in Comparative Literature and the Department of English at the University of Texas, received the honor of a lifetime. Dr. Heng was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Heng joins some illustrious past and present members of the Academy, including Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Emerson, Graham Bell, Margaret Mead, Barbara McClintock, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Georgia O’Keeffe!
Dr. Syed Akbar Hyder
Dr. Syed Akbar Hyder named 2023 Outstanding Graduate Teacher
Dr. Syed Akbar Hyder, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and faculty of the Comparative Literature Program, is the 2023 recipient of the UT's Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award. This prestigious award is given each year to one faculty member from across the university, and we are proud that Professor Hyder’s transformative graduate teaching has been recognized this year. Dr. Hyder has served on more than 60 dissertation and thesis committees at UT and has helped make UT a premier institution for the study of Urdu language & literature and of Islam in South Asia.
From left to right: Aycan Akçamete, Boya Lin, Andra Bailard
"The Last Piece" by Aycan Akçamete, Boya Lin and Andra Bailard
Students from the 2017 Cohort of Comparative Literature are shown placing "the last piece" of a puzzle put together over a weekend in Houston right before Aycan's defense and Boya's graduation. Aycan's dissertation was titled "Reconceptualizing Theater Criticism: A Case Study on Arcola Theater", and Boya's dissertation was titled "Double Consciousness and the Reimagination of Revolution in Black Leftist Fiction in the U.S. and Haiti, 1940-1959."
From left to right: Dr. Kathleen Higgins, Dr. Syed Akbar Hyder, Hamza Iqbal, Dr. Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali, Dr. A. Azfar Moin
Congratulations to Hamza Iqbal!
Hamza Iqbal successfully defended his dissertation on the life and works of the Urdu poet Jaun Elia (1931-2002), titled "Jaun Elia: A Portrait of a Poet-Intellectual." His dissertation committee comprised of Dr. Kathleen Higgins, Dr. Syed Akbar Hyder, Dr. Elizabeth Richmond Garza, Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali and Dr. A Azfar Moin. Following a successful defense, Hamza has accepted an Assistant Teaching Professor position at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. UT Comparative Literature wishes him all the best for his future endeavors!
Contact Us
Comparative Literature Program
Dr. Hannah Chapelle Wojciehowski, Director
The University of Texas at Austin
204 W. 21st St. B5000, Austin, TX 78712-1164 78712