VISITORS


The Centre for Comparative Literature welcomes scholars from other institutions where such visits will further the visiting scholar’s research as well as contribute to the intellectual life of the department. If you are a scholar or faculty member from another institution who would like to visit the department, please connect with a Comparative Literature faculty member who is willing to serve as the host for your visit and who is prepared to recommend your proposal to the Chair. Once a faculty member has agreed to sponsor your visit, please provide the faculty member with the following (you will likely have already sent them your statement and CV):

(a) a brief (maximum 2500 words) statement describing your research and the reasons why the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto would be a fitting setting for you to conduct your research;
(b) a Curriculum Vitae, and
(c) if you are not a faculty member, contact details of two appropriate referees, one of whom should be your supervisor/advisor, whom we may contact.

The Chair of the Centre reviews requests for visits. The typical stay is between 4-12 months. The department is unable to provide any financial support, office space or assistance with housing. We will arrange for access to the libraries and wireless network. Visitors are expected to participate in the academic, intellectual and social life of the department and will normally be expected to deliver a colloquium during their stay.

Post-Doctoral Fellows

The department welcomes post-doctoral fellows to the department where the postdoctoral fellow’s project can be supported by one or more of our faculty members, and where the stay will contribute to the postdoctoral fellow’s research and the intellectual life of the department. If you wish to be a post-doctoral fellow with the department, you must connect with a faculty member within the department who is willing to supervise your project. You must also secure external funding of at least $35, 500 per year from an external granting agency or fellowship program. The department cannot host self-funded postdoctoral fellows. Please see the School of Graduate Studies procedures related to post-doctoral fellowships. Once your fellowship has been confirmed by your departmental supervisor and you have secured funding, the department will issue a Letter of Engagement and register you as a postdoctoral fellow with the School of Graduate Studies.

Visiting Graduate Students

Graduate students who wish to come to the Centre for Comparative Literature as visiting students must arrange to be supervised by a faculty member of the department and enrol with the School of Graduate Studies as an International Visiting Graduate Student. Visit the School of Graduate Studies’ website for more information about the International Visiting Graduate Student (IVGS) program.

Students who are interested in coming to U of T through the IVGS program should identify a faculty member who can support their research during their stay. The student should then approach the faculty member to ask if he/she would be willing to supervise them during their stay. Once you have identified a supervisor, the department will issue a letter of agreement. You should also fill out the IVGS form.

Please also read through this entire document to learn about the administrative, incidental and insurance fees for visiting graduate students. The department is, unfortunately, unable to provide support in finding housing or otherwise arranging your stay in Toronto, but we will arrange for access to the U of T library system.

Please note that we do not permit “informal” arrangements to be made with individual faculty members: they cannot give you permission to audit classes, provide access to university libraries, or act as your research supervisor unless you come to the University through the IVGS program.

Updated: November 1`1, 2021