UPD Department of English and Comparative Literature

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is honored to present Asst. Prof. Francis Eduard Ang's tenure lecture, "Imposed Upon a Low Wall: Class and Emotions in the Short Stories of Estrella D. Alfon”.

Join us via Facebook Live on June 22, 2026, at 10:00AM. This event is free and open to the public.

📢 EARLY ACCESS: PHILIPPINE HUMANITIES REVIEW Volume 26, Issue 1

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is pleased to share the early access release of the Philippines Humanities Review Volume 26 Issue 1, which is now free to read here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PYsRSI5aIGPi0lrWtzjjUJzYYf3SR8nz/view?usp=sharing

This issue provides both a broad view and samples of comparative literary practice, highlighting some of the cultural peculiarities and specific pedagogical practices produced by, and at times against, disciplinal and pragmatic limitations of practicing CL within Asian networks.

It features academic articles presented by DECL faculty at the 2025 International Congress of the International Comparative Literature Association (AILC-ICLA), as well as scholarly contributions from researchers and graduate students from the DECL.

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 hints at the two trajectories of CL practice in the Philippines: decolonization and decanonization. It highlights the resistance to overly organized or hierarchical arrangements, instead tracing the ways in which comparative studies push against exclusivity while still exploring cross-cultural networks and possible connectivities. As a collection, it traces a joint effort to form connections and explore networks among and beyond those of us who are, in various capacities, practicing within literary studies.

Table of Contents:

"Editor’s Preface: Rerouting Indiscipline" by Ana Micaela Chua Manansala

"Towards the Higaonon Skyworld: T.S. Sungkit, Mindanawon Writing, and Hierarchies of Knowledge in Philippine Literature" by Lakan Ma. Mg. D. Umali

"Writing Against the Machine in Filipino American YA Novels" by Marikit Tara Alto Uychoco

"Lost Futures, Screens, and Stars: Exploring Fantasy-production in Southeast Asian Short Stories" by Ysabelle C. Bartolome

"Reading Law as Literature: The Judicial Poetics of People v. Agao" by Christine V. Lao

"Rewriting Hemingway: Translation to Filipino as a Site for Interrogating Sexual Politics in Two Short Stories" by Francis Eduard Llamas Ang

"Bridging the Linguistic Divide: Multimodal Approach and Dual Translation Method to Translate the Soul of Tanka" by Valeriia Iankovskaia

"Immersion, Translation, and Ideology: Competing Renderings of Baptism in Meiji Japan" by Brenna Tanner

"Nuclear Narratives: Ecofeminism and Nuclear Crises in Select Works by Hayashi Kyōko and Kawakami Hiromi" by Catherine Regina Borlaza

"Codes, Protocols, and the Tragedy of Knowledge in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and Copenhagen" by Cai Yuanyuan

"‘Those Abject Creatures’: Motherhood, Healing, and Utopian Desires in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad" by Ann Jillian Cabanban

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is accepting applications for teaching assistants and teaching fellows. Please see the poster for more details.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature warmly congratulates DECL faculty members Dr. Jose Wendell Capili and Prof. Sydney Paige Guerrero, who were appointed to the UP Arts Productivity System (APS) for Cycle Year 2024–2026.

​The APS recognizes outstanding contributions and productivity in the creative arts and arts scholarship. Appointees receive the title of "UP Artist" alongside annual monetary awards for three years: ₱150,000 for Artist I, ₱200,000 for Artist II, and ₱250,000 for Artist III.

ATTN UPD STUDENTS 📣📣📣

Kanazawa University is offering up to 20 partial JASSO scholarships worth JPY80,000/USD550 each for a 16-day short course on Japanese language, literature, and culture scheduled on July 5-20, 2026.

Interested students may avail of the scholarship in one of 2 ways: (1) FOR CREDIT by enrolling in CL 145 (Japanese Literature) offered by the Department of English and Comparative Literature in the Midyear 2026 that will include the Kanazawa program as part of the course; or 2) NON-CREDIT by participating only in the Kanazawa program (all majors are welcome).

General requirements:
- UP Diliman student (BA/MA/PhD)
- Willing to stay in Japan from July 5 to 20th
- roundtrip ticket with flight details
- a medical clearance issued/validated by the University of the Philippines Health Service (UPHS) certifying that students are fit to join the international field activity
- certification of scholastic standing
- appropriate insurance for the duration of the program
- Japanese visa (assistance via Japanese Embassy)

You may access the tentative schedule of activities through this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1anoGTFWvqiiHkEpBqZsi4ErS70o1d6Jo/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103952442206930044394&rtpof=true&sd=true

There will be an orientation on the application process and requirements on Friday, June 5 at 2 PM via Zoom. Please sign-up to access the meeting link (UP email) through this form:

https://forms.gle/F7MBN8r1sBSDmY358

ATTN GRADUATING DECL MAJORS

We will hold our 2nd Town Hall on the CAL Recognition Rites on June 3 (Wed), at 2PM via Zoom. Please check your email or the UPD DECL Discord server for the Zoom details.

ATTN: SHIFTEES AND TRANSFEREES

If you are planning to shift or transfer to the DECL, kindly read the details of the application process below.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is honored to present Prof. Augusto Xavier Ledesma tenure lecture, "The tape runs on in silence: Listening to Failure through Sound Technologies in Samuel Beckett’s 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭 and 𝘒𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱’𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘛𝘢𝘱𝘦".

Join us via Facebook Live on May 25, 2026, at 2:00PM.

This event is free and open to the public.

📢 JUST RELEASED: The Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature (JESCL) Vol. 23

The DECL is pleased to announce the release of the Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature (JESCL) Vol. 23, which is now free to read on the Longhand website.

This special issue , entitled "Seeping Through, Shaping Truth: Contesting the Politics of Language, Identity, and Representation", explores the interplay between language, identity-making, and world-building, highlighting how language is never a neutral tool but an active force in shaping our perceptions of truth and reality.

The Table of Contents is as follows:

Introduction - Nicko Enrique Manalastas

Constructing the Urban Place: The Linguistic Landscape of Cubao Bus Terminals - Joshua B. Roberto, Christine Angeline C. Reig, & Andreana A. Valderama

English Hegemony within the Language Ecology of Western Visayas (WV)... - John Mark C. Montefalcon

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected UP Diliman Freedom Wall Posts on the UP Burgis Identity - Daniel Joash S. Cerrado, Antonio A. Maceda IV, & Marcus Enrico Pechangco

“When You Won’t Miss the Country na Nagluwal Sayo”: Translanguaging as Literary and Linguistic Emancipation... - Joan Mary Flordeliz L. Rayos

Language in the Fast Lane: Perspectives from Trainers and Managers on BPO Curriculum Design - Khent Marl Ballon

Access the full issue here: https://longhandjournal.com/jescl-volume-23-1-2026/

𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗟 𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥𝗦: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆

Please answer this form and indicate the DECL courses that you need and that you plan to enroll in for the 1st Semester of AY 2026-2027. This will help us have an idea of what courses are needed and how many sections to open based on demand. This form will be open until 𝟱𝗽𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Please participate in the survey, so you will be counted. If you don't, you might end up not getting a slot in the courses that you need.

Thank you.

Graduate Course Preference Survey Form: https://forms.gle/FcmyNkmZUvQ4tUvM8

Undergraduate Course Preference Survey Form: https://forms.gle/f7R2R7tRfn69nJx3A