The American Comparative Literature Association has a larger share of graduate student members than most scholarly organizations, and an active graduate student membership. Graduate students participate in every aspect of the association, both directly and through their elected representatives.
Past Student representatives have included:
- Haider Shahbaz, University of California, Los Angeles, 2025-2026
- Ipek Sahinler, University of Texas at Austin, 2024-2026
- Lilika Kukiela, University of Toronto, 2024-2025
- Xena Amro, Northwestern University, 2023-2025
- Zeena Yasmine Fuleihan, Duke University, 2023-2024
- Liz Kinnamon, University of Arizona, 2022-2024
- Cornesha Tweede, Arizona State University, 2022-2023
- Smaran Dayal, New York University, 2021-2022
- Omar Qaqish, McGill University, 2020-2022
- Kanyin Ajayi, Harvard University, 2020-2021
- Ashna Ali, CUNY, 2019-2020
- Akua Banful, Columbia University, 2018-2020
- Emily Sibley, New York University, 2017-2019
- Adhira Mangalagiri, University of Chicago, 2016-2018
- Maximillian Alvarez, University of Michigan, 2015-2017
- Jessica Hurley, University of Pennsylvania, 2013-2015
- Michael Swacha, Duke University, 2012-2014
- Fatma Tarlaci, University of Texas, Austin, 2012-2013
- Marina Antic, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011-2012
- Chandani Patel, University of Chicago, 2009-2011
- Atia Sattar, Pennsylvania State University, 2009-2011
- Joshua Beall, Rutgers University, 2007-2009
- Giovanna Montenegro, San Francisco State University, 2007-2009
- Sara Armengot, Pennsylvania State University, 2005-2007
- William Martin, University of Chicago, 2005-2007
- Sabine Thuerwaechter, University of California - Riverside, 2003-2005
- Matthew Russell, University of Texas at Austin, 2003-2005
- Elizabeth Pallitto, Queens College, CUNY, 2001-2003
- Adam Miyashiro, Pennsylvania State University, 2001-2003
Interested in serving as one of ACLA's graduate student representatives? Board elections are held every year. Self-nominations are welcome. Keep up to date with calls for nominations and other ACLA news by signing up for our newsletter.
Graduate Student Travel Funds
ACLA is committed to supporting graduate students through our travel grant program. These grants are intended to alleviate some of the financial burdens associated with academic travel—they can help cover expenses such as airfare, accommodations, and registration fees. The travel grant program opens each year before the Annual Meeting. Award amounts and the number of awards available vary year to year. For more information, visit the Travel Grant application.
Annual Meeting
The ACLA's Annual Meeting is an especially hospitable forum in which graduate students may share their work, often in close contact with established scholars in the discipline. Conferences include networking events for graduate students, including a graduate student social, a book exhibit with opportunities to meet with publishers, and more, as well as workshops of interest to graduate students. Past workshops include: Publishing Your First Article, Organizing and Forming a Union, Careers in Publishing for Literature PhDs, and Writing Practices for Your Dissertation.
Prize Awards
ACLA awards four prizes each year of special interest to graduate students.
The A. Owen Aldridge Prize, sponsored by Comparative Literature Studies and ACLA with support from the Department of Comparative Literature at Penn State, honors one excellent prize-paper each year written by a graduate student. The paper is published in Comparative Literature Studies.
The Charles Bernheimer Prize is awarded annually to the best dissertation nominated by a department or program.
The Horst Frenz Prize is awarded to the best paper presented by a graduate student at the annual meeting of the ACLA.
The President's Award for Best Master's Thesis goes to the best thesis, report, or substantial essay nominated by a department or program.
Calls for Papers
ACLA keeps a listing of calls for papers, chapters, seminars, etc. that may be of interest to graduate students. The CFP board is available in the "Resources" section on our website.
Residencies, Fellowships, & Grants
ACLA maintains a list of residencies, fellowships, grants, and postdoc positions in our "Resources" section.