Institute for Comparative Literature and Society
The Institute for Comparative Literature and Society (ICLS), formerly the Center for Comparative Literature and Society (CCLS), is an Institute, which is a kind of faculty cluster one step above a Center but not quite a Department. It administers the undergraduate major in comparative literature, grants graduate concentrations and certificates in the discipline, and offers related classes.
Despite its awkward, non-departmental status, comparative literature is a highlight of Columbia's academic program, with such scholars as Gayatri Spivak (a founder of the institute) and Hamid Dabashi available to students.
