Comparative Literature at the School of Modern Languages

Comparative Literature brings together academic staff from all five Departments in the School of Modern Languages – French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish – as well as members of the School of English (with contributions from colleagues in other Schools) in an exciting collaborative intercultural venture of a kind rarely found in the UK. Comparative Literature is available as a Joint Honours programme coupled with over twenty different subjects, or a Triple Honours programme. When studied alongside a language from within the School (e.g. Comparative Literature and Russian) you have the option of spending a year abroad.

All our degree programmes are designed to suit both students with no knowledge of foreign languages and those with one or more languages. As well as exploring the significance of translation and the various theories and methodologies of comparative studies at every stage of your course, you will be taught by subject experts working in teams to ensure a truly comparatist approach. Years 1 and 2 raise awareness of different genres and themes as they appear in a range of literatures (French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, UK, USA, Latin American) and address the issue of how to study literature comparatively.  Years 3 and 4 include compulsory modules - Canon Formation; Literature and History; Found in Translation and Literature and the Bible - to which you add optional modules, each based on at least three disciplines. These range from Nobel Prize Winning Authors to Great European Myths: Don Juan; from Slavery and Atlantic Literature to Performing Early-Modern Sexualities, to name a few.

The School’s Institute for Contemporary and Comparative Literature, hosting seminars, workshops, visiting speakers and writers in residence provides a crucial research-led underpinning for all our programmes. All events are open to undergraduate students.

For more information please contact Professor Margaret-Anne Hutton on mh80@st-andrews.ac.uk