In an environment of limited resources but great ambitions, the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program in Folklore are joining forces as a new, reconfigured department. We build upon intellectual common ground that focuses on the comparative study of cultures and literatures, with a strong interest in engaged research and the Wisconsin Idea.

Administratively, we will save the university money while also making better use of the energies and teamwork of faculty coming from two formerly distinct units. In terms of curriculum, we will begin with parallel tracks from undergraduate through graduate levels, but will work together over the coming years to find ways to let our students, faculty, and community partners benefit from the new intellectual possibilities that our merger creates.

We are planning a year-long speaker series and a collaborative faculty and student Polyseminar in the spring semester that will help both us and the broader university community think through the implications of what we regard as a thoroughly exciting and fruitful innovation.