MLitt in Comparative Literature

Director: Dr Henriette Partzsch (hamp2@st-andrews.ac.uk)

Entrance Requirements: A good degree with Honours in a relevant discipline of the Arts and Humanities from a UK university or its equivalent; one language taught at the School of Modern Languages to SCQF Level 7 or equivalent.

Programme Duration: One year

Download e-flyer for MLitt in Comparative Literature (PDF, 2,270 KB) 

Aim of Programme: This degree explores the transnational understanding of literature and culture. It includes the critical evaluation of theoretical approaches combined with the intensive study of European texts and their relations to other literatures, training in traditional and new research techniques and the opportunity for students to broaden their language portfolio.

Programme Content: The programme consists of four core modules. In Semester 1, students will attend ‘Apples and Oranges: Issues in Comparative Literature’, which focuses on different types of relations between texts, ranging from clashes and re-writings to interdisciplinary relations, and ‘Theory and Practice of Literary Research’, a hands-on introduction to different approaches to reading and analysis. In Semester 2, students explore the complexities of cultural production in the 21st century with ‘The Contemporary Canon’, while ‘Designing a Research Project’ provides training in individual as well as collaborative research skills. The core is complemented by optional modules from the different language areas offered in the School (Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish) or modules from other disciplines in the Faculty of Arts. There is also the opportunity to learn or improve a third language. The MLitt normally concludes with the writing of a dissertation of 15,000 words on an agreed topic covering at least two different inter- or intracultural areas.