Francine Masiello, Professor Emerita, Spanish and Portuguese & Comparative Literature, is being interviewed by Robert Kaufman, Associate Professor, Comparative Literature; Faculty Co-Coordinator, "El Grupo"; Affiliate and former Co-Director of the interdisciplinary graduate Program in Critical Theory. The interview was conducted in April 2025.
Ava Ratcliff (2027) | Greek and Latin, Comparative Literature
For her SURF project, Ava studied Catullus 64, a short Latin epic poem often discussed for its influence on later works like Virgil’s Aeneid. Rather than focusing mainly on how the poem connects to other classical texts, her research explored how Catullus 64 works on its own through its structure, language, and imagery. In particular, she became interested in the poem’s surprising representations of trees and the natural world, opening up new ways of thinking about environment, art, and human emotion in Latin poetry....
The mentorship program allows an emerging translator to establish and develop a close working relationship with an experienced translator on a literary translation project chosen by the emerging translator. Applications are accepted annually from mid-September through late November.
The program consists of several language-specific and non-language-specific mentorships that change annually. All mentors and mentees meet in a video conference at the beginning of the mentorship and continue their work one-on-one in person, over video, or by phone for the nine-month duration. Each year’...
Daphne Rose (she/her) is a 2025 SURF L&S researcher majoring in Comparative Literature. For her SURF project this summer, Daphne will be researching the topic, “”A Necessary Excavation”: Female Trauma from Tragedy to Autofiction”.
How did your research question or process change over the course of the summer? I realized early on that I had chosen much too broad of a research topic. This is very common, particularly among undergraduates, who likely have never had the opportunity to do original, independent research before, and it comes from a scarcity mindset...
After 8 weeks in Buenos Aires last year through the Berkeley Global Internships Program, recent Comparative Literature Graduate Lexi DeHart knew she wanted to return to Argentina for a longer period of time. She applied for a Fulbright grant while still completing her internship. As a Fulbright ETA (English Teaching Assistant) in Argentina, Lexi will spend 10 months living and working in the city of Bahia Blanca, which is in the province of Buenos Aires, about 800km South of the City of BSAS. Lexi will be an assistant English teacher at El Universidad Nacional del Sur, teaching...
Lucille Lorenz, Arts & Humanities writer-in-residence
Eric Naiman is a Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. He is the author of the books Sex in Public (Princeton University Press, 1997) and Nabokov, Perversely (Cornell University Press, 2010). His teaching mainly focuses on 19th and 20th-century Russian literature, as well as early Soviet culture. Dr. Naiman received his JD from Yale Law School, and his PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of California, Berkeley.
Firstly, can you introduce yourself and speak about...
Lucille Lorenz, Arts & Humanities writer-in-residence
Roni Masel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature, and holds the Norma and Sam Dabby Professor of Jewish Studies. Professor Masel’s main research interests include Hebrew literature, Yiddish literature, Jewish history, queer theory, and postcolonial theory. Masel is currently completing a book for which the working title is, Bad Readers: Misreading, Mistranslation, and Other Textual Malpractices in Hebrew and Yiddish.Dr. Masel received a PhD from New York University, and a B.A. from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
We are proud to share that Aileen Zerrudo, a distinguished alumna of UC Berkeley’s Comparative Literature program, has been named the campus’s next Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications & Public Affairs and Chief Communications Officer.
Aileen returns to Berkeley with more than 20 years of experience leading communications for major global companies. At Clorox, where she spent 18 years, she helped reposition the company as a leader in sustainability and transparency. As Vice President for Communications, Sustainability Integration, and Crisis Management, she navigated...
Frank Cahill, a doctoral student in comparative literature at UC Berkeley, is the national word list coordinator for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Marcus Gabbert/For the S.F. Chronicle
Hundreds of logolept tanquams will compete against hindermates this week in the famous Scripps...
