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General news

‘Secret sauce’ behind national spelling bee is mixed by a UC Berkeley student

May 25, 2025

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...

The world’s top spelling bee is coming up. This Berkeley Ph.D. student built the word list.

May 19, 2025

Comparative literature student Frank Cahill competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee as an eighth grader. This year, on May 28 and 29, he’ll be on the other side of the stage.

UC Berkeley Ph.D. student Frank Cahill worked with a team to build this year's Scripps National Spelling...

Angel Reyes Wins second FLAS Fellowship to Study in Almaty, Kazakhstan

February 24, 2025

Angel's passion for Comparative Literature continues to drive her exploration of literature, history, and philosophy across cultures. For the second year in a row, Angel has been awarded the prestigious Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. This summer, she will travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where she will continue her studies of Russian.

Congratulations to Angel on receiving her second FLAS Fellowship!

‘Antíkoni,’ a stunning new Native American interpretation of the ancient Greek play

November 24, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Theatergoers are in for a very special occasion—a revelation, it’s not too excessive to say—if they will expand their horizons a bit and embrace a Native American perspective on view now.

Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary season, Native Voices presents the world premiere of Beth Piatote’s Antíkoni at the historic Southwest Campus of the Autry Museum of the American West, formerly known as the Southwest Museum...

Most anticipated in 2025: Autotheories Volume co-edited by PhD Alum Alex Brostoff

February 18, 2025
Autotheories

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Autotheories, co-edited by Alex Brostoff and Vilashini Cooppan. Coming out with MIT Press / Penguin Random House next week, this collection explores the evolving field of autotheory—a genre-bending synthesis of autobiography and critical theory. Notably, Autotheories has already been recognized on two "Most Anticipated of 2025" lists: The Millions Most Anticipated - The Great Winter 2025 Preview and Choice360 - Forthcoming Titles in Art & Architecture, 2025....

Comp Lit Alum, Roxana Wang, Wins Prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship

January 29, 2025

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...

Senior Muskaan Shah Presents at Harvard

October 13, 2024

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.

Professor Mario Telò on bringing “antiquity” into steady dialogue with the "now"

October 27, 2023
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...

Exploring Mysticism, Aesthetics, and Experience: An Interview with Professor Niklaus Largier

November 7, 2024

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...

Comparative Literature 100 "Crossing Borders" class hosts Author Maya Arad

October 1, 2024

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.