Comparative Literature

Course Structure

1. Themes and major figures in European literature
2. Interactions between European national literatures, as reflected in important genres such as autobiography and the fantastic
3. Comparative literature in theory and practice, with an emphasis on the history of the discipline and ways of reading literature comparatively.
4. European Modernism: Sexual and Textual Deviance
5. Writing the Self: Autobiography in the Modern Period
6. Comparative Literature in Theory and Practice
7. Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment in the Long Eighteenth Century
8. Literature and Medicine
9. Comparative Literature Dissertation
10. provide you with the knowledge and skills to prepare you for the academic study of comparative literature at MPhil/PhD level
11. attract outstanding students, irrespective of race, background, gender, or physical disability from within the UK
12. further the University\x92s International Strategy by attracting graduate students from abroad as well as from the UK
13. enable you to begin to specialise in your areas of interest
14. enable you to hone your ability to read literature and literary theory critically and comparatively
15. provide you, consistent with point one above, with a transition from undergraduate study to independent research
16. provide you with a training that will culminate, if followed through to PhD level, in the ability to submit articles to refereed journals in comparative literature.
17. several key periods in modern European literature, based on a critical study of the relevant literature and literary theory
18. the applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry in comparative literature, in particular through an engagement with questions of genre, the concept of literary movements, literary theory, and literature\x92s relation to other discourses (including psychoanalysis and philosophy)
19. the ability to conceptualise, design and implement the final project (dissertation).
20. listening attentively to complex presentations, using your powers of analysis and imagination
21. reading carefully a variety of technical and non-technical material
22. using libraries effectively
23. reflecting clearly and critically on oral and written sources
24. marshalling a complex body of texts
25. remembering relevant material and bringing it to mind when needed
26. constructing cogent arguments in the evaluation of this material.
27. the ability to understand and analyse complex literary and theoretical material
28. the ability to read literature in a comparative context
29. the ability to differentiate between the formal implications of differing genres (ie poetry, prose, drama, photography, painting, and film) and to respond to the differing problems of these genres and media
30. the ability to situate literary and theoretical texts in their socio-historical context.
31. working with others: participating in seminar discussions, responding to the views of others and to criticisms of your own views without giving or taking offence, engaging in independent group work, including the running of the graduate seminar
32. language skills: discussing complex material in English and (where possible) in the language(s) of original composition
33. communication: producing focused and cogent written work, giving oral presentations, using visual aids where appropriate
34. problem-solving: identifying problems, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different solutions, defending your own solutions with cogent arguments
35. improving your learning: identifying your strengths and weaknesses, assessing the quality of your own work, managing your time and meeting deadlines, learning to work independently
36. using information technology: using online information sources, word-processing essays, using email for receiving and responding to communications.