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Our faculty examines connections between diverse narratives across various media and people's real-world experiences in different regions. These experiences encompass legal persecution, negative health factors, and involvement in intricate, conflicting claims across local, national, and international jurisdictions. Scholars investigate ideas of personal freedoms, national sovereignty and international biopolitical authority, alongside traditional legal systems, demonstrating how these interact with and influence cultural expression. Alongside our global perspective on law, rights, and literature, we provide research opportunities in medical humanities. These disciplines intersect through faculty work on global terrorism, torture studies, and trauma research. Studies on resilience that challenge traditional trauma theories allow graduate students to engage in discussions about post-traumatic stress and health impacts of systemic inequality. Graduate students also assist as teaching assistants or lead courses such as CMLIT 143, Literature and Human Rights. Collaborations with Penn State's Bioethics program, School of International Affairs, African Studies Program, and Women's Studies department broaden these discussions beyond Comparative Literature, offering students access to numerous lectures, conferences, and special events.