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Comparative Literature

In Comparative Literature, students focus on at least one language and literature in addition to English. Inquiry into literatures across national and disciplinary borders gives a fuller understanding of literature and literary criticism.

The major profile below includes: a sample of post-graduation plans of recent Princeton Comparative Literature graduates, a sample of internships from those in the major, and online resources and professional associations offering career information.

Post-Graduation Plans of Recent Comparative Literature Majors*

  • Teacher - Teach for America, Rio Grande Valley, TX
  • Teaching Assistant - The Teaching Assistant Program in France, Bordeaux, France 
  • Teacher - Harlem Academy, New York, NY
  • HSBC, International Management, London, United Kingdom
  • Associate - Taurus Education, Shanghai, Abroad China
  • Paralegal - Colt and Mosle, Paris, France
  • Junior Associate - FD, FTI CONSULTING, New York, NY
  • Marketing Track Program - L'OREAL USA, New York, NY
  • Special Assistant to the Supreme Knight - International Knights of Columbus, New Haven, CT
  • Field Organizer - Obama for America, Washua, NH
  • GEE Officer - Peace Corps, Mauritania
  • Stiletto Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA
  • External Affairs Director- Lumity (Project 55), Chicago, IL
  • Journalism, M.A., City University of New York
  • Law, J.D., Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Comparative Literature, M.A., Dartmouth College, Hanover, MA
  • Creative Writing, M.F.A, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Art History, Ph.D., Columbia University, New York, NY
  • International Law, J.D./L.L.M. Duke University, Durham, NC

* These are actual jobs and graduate programs recent graduates accepted.

Internships of Recent Comparative Literature Majors

  • Summer Research Fellow - Ketchum PR, New York, NY
  • Management Intern - Merce Cunningham Dance Company, New York, NY 
  • Editorial/Publicity Intern - Farrar, Straus, and Girous, New York, NY
  • News Intern - Tahoe Bonanza, Incline Village, NV
  • Bookstore Assistant - Wolverine Farm Publishing, Fort Collins, CO
  • Student - Princeton in St. Petersburg, St. Peterburg, Russia
  • Summer Service Intern - The Wright Foundation, Newark, NJ

Comparative Literature Alumni from Princeton

Alumni have VOLUNTEERED to have students contact them for advice and information about majors and careers. The Alumni Careers Network (ACN), with 4,500 volunteers worldwide, is a searchable on-line database of Princeton alumni who are willing and eager for you to contact them so they can provide you with advice and assistance.  Search the database for Comparative Literature alumni, to learn more about the careers that people from this major sometimes pursue.
 

Resources and Information Online

Professional Associations

A professional association is an organization of people who have similar career interests. These membership- based organizations often offer a reduced rate for students that allow access to the many resources they provide. Often professional association websites offer job/internship databases as well as opportunities to find mentors or other contacts. The National Trade and Professional Associations Directory in Career Services can provide more ideas.