Bachelor of Arts in Comparative and World Literature

Advising

To ensure adequate planning of a student's program, all majors must consult an advisor regularly throughout their undergraduate years. Students who are interested in pursuing a teaching credential in English with a comparative literature emphasis in addition to the B.A. in Comparative and World Literature should consult the credential requirements section in this Bulletin and meet with an advisor in the Department of Comparative and World Literature.

Students are advised to take CWL 400GW as early as possible in the major and to take HUM 690/CWL 680 in the final spring semester.

Program Learning Outcomes

During the course of study for the Bachelor of Arts in Comparative and World Literature, the student will:

1. Read closely in a variety of forms and modes, and articulate the value of close reading in the study of comparative and world literature.
2. Show familiarity with many literary genres, periods, and critical approaches to World Literature.
3. Write clearly, effectively, and creatively, adjusting style appropriately in accordance with the content and rhetorical context of the assignment.
4. Develop and complete research projects and locate, evaluate, and incorporate information effectively.
5. Identify and articulate relations among culture, history, and texts.
6. Develop and define an individual area of focus, such as a given historical period, genre, national literature, or other topic of literary study.
7. Compile a Student Portfolio of undergraduate work in consultation with a department advisor.

Comparative and World Literature (B.A.) — 36 Units Minimum

Core Courses (21 Units)

Course List

Code	Title	Units
CWL 400GW	Approaches to Comparative and World Literature - GWAR	3
HUM 690/CWL 680	Senior Seminar: Research in the Humanities and Comparative & World Literature	3
Select five CWL courses. Only one lower-division CWL course may be used in the core.		15

Program Electives (15 Units)

In consultation with departmental advisors, students select literature courses that reflect their chosen advising pathway. These courses may be CWL courses not used to fulfill the core, HUM courses, or courses from departments other than CWL. No more than two lower-division courses may be used for electives. 

Notes:

General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements

Requirement	Course Level	Units	Area Designation
English Composition	LD	3	1A
Critical Thinking	LD	3	1B
Oral Communication	LD	3	1C
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning	LD	3	2
Arts	LD	3	3A
Humanities	LD	3	3B
Social and Behavioral Sciences	LD	6	4
Physical Science	LD	3	5A
Biological Science	LD	3	5B
Laboratory	LD	1	5C
Ethnic Studies	LD or UD	3	6
Science or Math/Quantitative Reasoning	UD	3	5UD or 2UD
Arts or Humanities	UD	3	3UD
Social and Behavioral Sciences	UD	3	4UD
SF State Studies
Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective.
American Ethnic and Racial Minorities	LD or UD	3	AERM
Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action	LD or UD	3	ES
Global Perspectives	LD or UD	3	GP
Social Justice	LD or UD	3	SJ

Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.

First-Time Student Roadmap

SF State Scholars

The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master’s degree.

Comparative and World Literature BA + MA SF State Scholars Roadmap

Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)

For students with an AA-T in English or Spanish.
ENG or SPAN ADT Roadmap

This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in English or Spanish

California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T). 

Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.

An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area 3 and 3 units in lower-division GE area 4 until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.

Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.

Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.

A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:

• How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
• Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
• How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.

Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
   • a course in U.S. History
   • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes, options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

• Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
• Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet GE Areas 1A/A2, 1B/A3, 1C/A1, and 2/B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (1B/A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the 1B/A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.