Roxana (Qinhong) Wang, a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley class of 2024, has been awarded a 2025-26 Schwarzman Scholarship. Wang, who studied Comparative Literature and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies in the College of Letters & Science, was selected as one of 150 scholars from a pool of nearly 5,000 candidates. She is Berkeley’s sixteenth recipient of the award since its inception in 2013.
“Many highly qualified Berkeley students apply for the Schwarzman Scholarship every year, so it is impossible to predict who will be offered a place in the program's...
Muskaan Shah, a senior majoring in Comparative Literature and Molecular and Cell Biology, was invited to present her paper, "The Impact of Cultural Identity in Irish and Indian Plays in the Post-Colonial Context" at the 43rd Annual Harvard Celtic Colloquium from 11th to 13th October 2024. She was one of only two undergraduates in attendance.
Niklaus Largier is Chair in the department of Comparative Literature, is a professor in the departments of German and Comparative Literature, and is affiliated with the Programs in Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and the Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory.
His scholarship covers an extensive range of interests, including the intersections of literature, philosophy, theology, and other fields of knowledge within medieval and early modern German literature. Professor Largier’s work delves into topics such as ascetic practices, eroticism, and the literary imagination, as well...
On October 1st, we had the immense pleasure of hosting renowned writer Maya Arad for an intimate conversation in the Comparative Literature 100 "Crossing Borders" class. The discussion centered her 2018 novel, The Hebrew Teacher, which was recently translated into English by the one and only Jessica Cohen. Our conversation explored matters of translation, hyphenated identities, and the role of literature in presenting history and politics as much more murky and complex than one might expect. It was a true pleasure.
Mario Telò is a Professor of Rhetoric, Ancient Greek & Roman Studies, and Comparative Literature; participating member in the Critical Theory DE. To start us out, how did you first come to study classics and comp lit? And are there any interests you enjoy outside of academia that you see informing your studies?
I took Greek and Latin in high school. In some European high schools—in England, in France, in Italy—Latin and Greek are not just offered, but are actually mandatory. You have to take four or even five hours of Greek and Latin every week. I learned Greek and Latin when...
UC Berkeley’s Division of Arts & Humanities is pleased to welcome professor Mohamed Wajdi Ben Hammed as of July 1, 2023. Ben Hammed is an assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and specializes in modern Arabic literature, with a particular focus on how pre-modern Islamic concepts of time negotiate postcolonial transformations within the region’s political economy.
Having attended University of Tunis with Arabic as his first language, Ben Hammed’s research explores literary and cinematic depictions of the rise of neoliberalism in...
UC Berkeley’s Division of Arts & Humanities welcomes Roni Masel as of Jan. 1, 2023. Masel, an assistant professor in the campus’s Department of Comparative Literature, concentrates on Hebrew and Yiddish literatures.
Masel studies Hebrew and Yiddish literatures, particularly in the context of modern Jewish history and culture in Eastern Europe; the history of reading and the book; and queer and postcolonial theory. She is currently working on Bad Readers: Misreading, Mistranslation, and Other Textual Malpractices in Hebrew and Yiddish, a book manuscript that...
This next interview is very exciting for us, because it’s our first interview with an undergraduate student! I personally met Fabiola Vazquez Espinoza through a literary magazine we’re both editors for: Vagabond Multilingual Journal. But Fabiola is an extremely active part of the arts and humanities community here on campus and is a part of several other incredible organizations that we will be speaking more about.
Fabiola, I would love to hear you introduce yourself! What are you majoring in, and do you have any goals, or things you hope to achieve,...
As with many things in my life, this column was partially inspired by aspects of my personal life, partially inspired by literature. And because this column is designated to highlighting the arts and humanities, I thought it would be fitting to begin by introducing the wonderful short story that partially inspired me in this process: “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges.
“The Library of Babel” is about a (possibly infinite) library, filled with 410-page books which make up every combination of letters in the universe. The...
We are delighted to announce ... this year's Outstanding GSIs in Comparative Literature: Matthew Gonzales, Max Kaisler, and Laila Riazi! Congratulations to Matt, Max, and Laila on your excellent teaching, and thank you for all you contribute to our community.
