Comparative Literature and Culture (CLC)
In an increasingly globalised world, it is becoming an ever more valuable skill to be aware of, and sensitive to, both the similarities and the differences between cultures. Accordingly, the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures offers an exciting new degree programme in Comparative Literature and Culture (CLC). This programme is made up of core comparative literature and thought courses taught by specialists from across the School. Alongside these compulsory courses, students choose their remaining units from a selection of cultural options courses offered by specialist lecturers in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Film Studies and taught through the medium of English.
It is possible to study Comparative Literature and Culture entirely in English, but the programme combinations that we offer with French, German, Italian and Spanish mean that you can, if you wish, combine your comparative studies with a focus on a single language or country.
The principal aims of all Honours Degree programmes in Comparative Literature and Culture are:
- to provide students with a knowledge of the literatures and cultures of various language areas (including, but not limited to, French, German, Italian and Spanish), through materials ranging from the literary to the filmic, visual, theoretical and philosophical, without requiring specialist knowledge of any language other than English;
- to equip students with a solid grasp of the analytical tools and methods required to understand and interpret texts from a range of cultures, genres, media and periods;
- to engage students imaginatively in the process of reading and analysing literary texts and other cultural products, while enabling them to develop independent critical thinking and judgement;
- to develop students’ understanding of the issues involved in comparative and interdisciplinary analysis;
- to develop and consolidate key transferable skills of critical analysis, written and oral expression, and the ability to understand, critically engage with and compare a range of materials from different cultures, periods, media and genres.
These aims are reflected in the structure and teaching of the CLC programme, which allows students to develop ever-wider knowledge and understanding, and appropriate skills. The programmes contain a combination of compulsory core courses and optional courses. The core courses introduce students to the principal literary genres, the core techniques and methodologies of comparatism, and contemporary critical and theoretical approaches, through a range of media and modes of cultural production taken from a variety of historical and geographical contexts. The optional courses, taken from those on offer in the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (SMLLC), complement the core teaching by providing a more detailed knowledge of specific literary and cultural figures, themes and movements. The structure encourages students, in the second and final years, to develop their own interests through informed choice among specialist options on offer in the SMLLC.
The table below gives an idea of the range of courses that will be on offer throughout your programme, with compulsory courses in bold type:
First year |
Second year |
Final year |
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All BA ‘and’ or ‘with’ programmes not involving a language (see list below) are three-year programmes; BA [language and] CLC programmes are four-year programmes where the third year is normally spent abroad in one of the appropriate language areas. Students take a total of four units per year. Students taking BA [language and] CLC programmes take a total of two units per year in the appropriate language department (practical language & other content courses) and two units of CLC content courses.
Degree programmes offered:
- Single Honours CLC
- Joint Honours CLC and French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, English or Philosophy
- Major CLC with Minor Film Studies, Philosophy