This course is a companion course to the mandatory literary theories course, 'Introduction to Comparative Literature'. It examines comparative scholarship from the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will read short literary examples (or extracts from longer ones) alongside studies and interpretations of these works. These studies may be strictly culturally comparative in a traditional sense or they may be interdisciplinary, intermedial or otherwise exemplary of modern Comparative Literature scholarship. On occasion, students will study a text from various interpretative methods. 

11 x 2hr seminars as scheduled on MyCampus

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Commentary (1,000 words) 20%
Essay (4,000 words) 80%.

The course aims to:

■ Introduce students to a range of texts (drawn from different cultures, periods, genres and media) and critical readings; 

■ Enable students to distinguish and assess different literary and/or cultural movements from a variety of viewpoints; 

■ Equip students to identify, appraise and apply a range of theoretical and interpretative methodologies. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify major trends in Comparative Literary studies (mostly 20th-21st century) 

■ Critically evaluate the effectiveness of different theoretical approaches to a text  

■ Assess the significance of selected theories in terms of their contribution to the development of modern critical discourse and the field of comparative literature 

■ Critically apply a range of methodologies to a text 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.