Message from the Chair

Our department draws from the rich literary traditions of the Arab world, Africa and the global South. The department offers a BA and MA in English and comparative literature, a minor and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Literary Studies. It has a distinguished faculty, comparatists and specialists in a broad range of areas who have drawn upon our cross-cultural environment, contributed to new directions in the field and rethought the study of comparative literature in the Arab world. Our courses include the classics, modern European and American literature, literary theory, Indigenous studies and world literature.

Our department has invited eminent international writers and scholars over the years, both as speakers and visiting faculty. It is home to a comparative literature journal, Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, that has earned the department an international reputation in the field and produced cutting-edge scholarship in Arabic, English and French. The department hosts events for the broader Cairo community through our annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture, the Creative Writer series and guest lectures. Activities and awards for students include an award in creative writing in Arabic and English, an award for the best MA thesis and an international graduate student conference. The department offers students an intellectually vibrant community and opportunities for national and international collaboration through conferences and workshops at home and abroad.

Students gain a solid background in comparative literature, a knowledge of current methodologies and the analytical and writing skills needed to flourish in any field. Our department has proudly been home to writers, scholars, poets, editors and filmmakers.

I invite you to join our department.

Steven Salaita
Professor and Chair
English and Comparative Literature