Non-native speakers of English may choose English (but not their native language) as one of their foreign languages. All students are of course required to demonstrate full command of written and spoken English, the language of instruction in most Comparative Literature courses.

Whenever possible, language exams for CLT students will be given by core or affiliated faculty in CLT. Each exam will be read by two faculty members.

The options for fulfilling the language requirement are as follows:

Option A: The student offers two principal foreign languages. A principal language is defined by the student's demonstrating a high degree of competence in the language, i.e., the ability to understand lectures given in the language and to read it with facility.

Students may demonstrate this degree of competence by taking for credit, and by earning a grade of B or better in, at least one graduate or advanced undergraduate literature course conducted in the language. Final papers may be written in English. In special cases, students may substitute an advanced language examination of three hours in lieu of course work.

The examination consists of three sections: a) oral comprehension, defined as the ability to understand and summarize in English the contents of two graduate level lectures conducted in the foreign language; b) written comprehension, defined as the ability to understand and answer questions on a moderately long (approximately ten pages) theoretical, critical, or scholarly article; c) translation skills, shown through translating into English an advanced-level literary passage. The student is permitted to use a dictionary for part c but not for part b. If the principal foreign language being examined is a Classical language (e.g., Classical Chinese, Sanskrit, Greek), the three-hour test will consist of translations at an appropriately advanced level.

Option B: The student offers one principal language and two secondary languages. Demonstration and competence in the principal language will be the same as outlined for Option A.

Competence in the secondary languages can be demonstrated in either of the following ways:

1. By earning a grade of B or better in a graduate translation course taught by one of the foreign language departments at Stony Brook. Credits for a graduate translation course do not count toward the total credits required for the Master's or the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Literature;

2. By passing a departmental examination consisting of two parts, each one hour long, to be taken with a dictionary: a) a short theoretical, critical, or scholarly article that the student is required to summarize and discuss in English; b) a translation of a short literary prose passage of medium difficulty.