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Comparative Literature and Culture
Comparative Literature and Culture Undergraduate Studies Comparative Literature and Culture
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Royal Holloway is widely recognised on the world stage as one of the UK’s leading teaching and research universities. One of the larger colleges of the University of London, we are strong across the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. We were ranked 12th in the UK (102nd in the world) by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014, which described us as ‘truly world class’. 2
Comparative Literature and Culture
As a cosmopolitan community, with students from 130 countries, we focus on the support and development of the individual. Our friendly and safe campus, west of central London, provides a unique environment for university study. We have been voted as one of the 16 most beautiful universities in the world (Daily Telegraph).
Comparative Literature and Culture Contents Comparative Literature and Culture (CLC) at Royal Holloway, University of London offers the rare opportunity to explore literature, film, philosophy and art from ancient Greece to the 21st century and from Latin America to Europe. This prestigious and innovative degree leads the way in opening up critical perspectives, breaking down geographic and conceptual barriers and honing analytical and communications skills. We are situated in the vibrant School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, but there is no requirement to have studied, or to study, a foreign language. We are a friendly, inclusive community, committed to providing students access to world-class research-based academic teaching.
Why study Comparative Literature and Culture?
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Why study Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway
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The School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
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Admissions and entry requirements
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Degree structure
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Your future career
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Other information
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Contact details
Programme Director Comparative Literature and Culture School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures Royal Holloway, University of London TW20 0EX clc@royalholloway.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1784 414310 F: +44 (0)1784 470180
more information
This brochure is designed to complement Royal Holloway’s Undergraduate Prospectus and information on the department’s website at royalholloway.ac.uk/clc It is also available as a PDF at royalholloway.ac.uk
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Why study Comparative Literature and Culture? Comparative Literature and Culture is a rich, interdisciplinary degree programme in which all material is available in English. It provides a rare opportunity to explore world literature as well as film and the visual arts, across national or linguistic borders, across different time periods, and across the boundaries between different genres and media. This broad cross-cultural perspective opens up a range of questions. What can comparing diverse forms of art, film and literature tell us about cultural understanding, diversity and difference? How does context affect different ways of representing understanding and experiencing the world? How may common themes and concerns produce contrasting responses from writers and film-makers of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds? Can we really talk of ‘romanticism’, or ‘tragedy’, or ‘literary theory’, as if these labels had clear and fixed meanings, when each has been practised so differently in different historical, national and cultural contexts? CLC combines innovation, flexibility and academic challenge to offer you the opportunity to gain a prestigious degree and acquire a sophisticated critical appreciation of literature, film and visual arts. Exploring literature and culture comparatively is a challenging and enriching experience, developing the kinds of critical, communication, and leadership skills which are particularly valuable in meeting the challenges of today’s workplaces.
Lake Konstanz (CPillmoor)
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Comparative Literature and Culture
What marks out Royal Holloway’s CLC degree programme is the exciting ways in which it explores and develops a critical appreciation of culture in its widest sense. Our lecturers are specialists in a range of media, works and movements, from philosophy to film, from painting to drama, from photography to modern critical thought. As well as world-class literary experts, we have particular strengths in visual culture (cinema, painting, photography, sculpture, opera, theatre, even fashion). You do not need to have any prior knowledge or experience of these different media or knowledge of a foreign language to enjoy CLC: just enthusiasm, a passion for culture and an open mind. You will gain a sophisticated, critical appreciation of cultural forms, drawing on a broad range of important international works and major critical perspectives. At the same time, you will enhance your own original analytical thinking, and hone oral and written communication skills in ways which are particularly valuable in today’s global marketplace. Royal Holloway offers an exceptionally high-quality, friendly university experience, and our degrees are internationally recognised for their academic excellence. You will enjoy a unique, green, safe, friendly campus with wonderful grounds, Gothic architecture and up-to-the-minute student facilities and accommodation. You will also be ideally placed to access the cultural wealth of London’s theatres, cinemas, museums, libraries and art collections, only 40 minutes away.
GRADUATE view
Natalie Ford, BA Comparative Literature and Culture “I’d recommend CLC to anyone who is interested in broadening their horizons and being open to all kinds of media and culture – in fact, I’d recommend it to anyone, full stop! The lecturers are truly passionate about their subjects and so knowledgeable – but they’re also approachable and engaging, and it’s a pleasure to be taught by them.”
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The School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures The Comparative Literature and Culture degree programme is situated within the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Royal Holloway, which gives you all the benefits of being supported by our vibrant community of world-class researchers, language specialists, undergraduate and postgraduate students. You can take CLC as a Single Honours degree, or combine it with French, German, Italian or Spanish. We offer advanced pathways in these languages to those with an A-level qualification or equivalent. Even if you have not studied a modern foreign language before, you can apply to study German, Italian or Spanish at beginners’ level. We also offer CLC with Minors in International Film, Visual Arts and Philosophy, and the opportunity to take CLC as a Joint degree with Classical Studies, English, Drama, Philosophy and Visual Cultures. All of our degrees are taught by top-flight academics, are modular, and develop the kind of critical, communication and leadership skills which employers find particularly valuable. By studying Comparative Literature and Culture, you can use your passion for cultures of the world to gain a real competitive edge. royalholloway.ac.uk/clc
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Comparative Literature and Culture
Cuba (Jonathan Sharman)
Admissions and entry requirements Applicants come from a diverse range of backgrounds and we accept a broad range of qualifications in addition to A-Levels. Special consideration will be given to mature applicants, and we are happy to consider applicants with QAA-approved Access to HE qualifications. You are not required to have studied, or to study, a foreign language, but should have studied at least one language or essaybased subject (e.g. English, History). Typically, candidates may already have enjoyed studying other subjects such as English, Critical Thinking, Philosophy, Psychology, Theatre Studies or Media Studies. Candidates studying a language at A-level may wish to continue studying it as a joint subject with CLC. Taking up a language as a beginner is also an option, even for those who have not had the opportunity to study a language before.
Berlin, Germany (Sarah Goodyear)
Mexico (Natalie Fowlin)
Typical offers • A levels at ABB or BBB or equivalent, including at least one language or essay-based subject (English, History etc) • 3 4 or 32 points in the International Baccalaureate including at least one language or essay-based subject (English, History, etc) • 75% in the European Baccalaureate Every applicant is considered on individual merit and you are encouraged to contact the Admissions Tutor with any queries you might have. All applicants who receive an offer from us are invited to the School to meet current staff and students and discuss the degree programmes and courses in more depth.
Seville Cathedral, Spain (Elena Attanasio)
Paris (Kelly Ah-Chin Kow)
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Degree structure Course structure CLC is an innovative, flexible, modular programme. In each year of your degree, core courses introduce you to major genres in literature, cinema and visual art, and develop analytical, critical and communications skills. You can also choose from a wide range of options. These allow you to develop your own interests and broaden your cultural horizons, and span fiction, drama, cinema, poetry, philosophy, painting and sculpture from different periods and areas. The first year is foundational and marks do not count towards your final degree. Second and final year marks do count, with more weighting placed on the final year to reward progress and achievement. In your final year you will research and write a dissertation that allows you to develop your own critical perspective on an aspect of one of the topics that you are
studying. Throughout, you will have your own Personal Advisor, an academic who helps you through your studies and guides you in tailoring your course. Teaching and assessment We offer an exceptional range of courses, delivered using diverse teaching methods, from lectures and small-group seminars to e-learning. You will be expected to prepare material for sessions and will also be able to try out new ideas by participating in lively discussions in a supportive environment, with plenty of personal contact between leading specialists and students. We use a range of assessment models to suit different learning styles, from online comprehension tests and individual and group presentations, to coursework and examinations.
Year 1 Core CLC half-units • International Film: Contexts and Practices • Comparative Textual Analysis • A Special Theme in European Culture: The City • Introduction to Literary Genre: Tragedy
plus any FOUR of the following options, taken from at least THREE BANDS, typically including:
Band A:
Band B:
Band C:
Band D:
Band E:
The Birth of Film
The Visual Image in French Culture and Society
German History and Culture: Past and Present
Text and Image in the Hispanic World
The Heritage of Dante and the Renaissance
Visual Arts 1: An Introduction to Visual Media
The Individual and Society: Key Works
Introduction to German Studies
Culture and Identity in Latin America
Building the Nation: from Pinocchio to The Leopard
Authors and Readers in Twentieth-Century Spanish-American Fiction
Fascist Italy
Comparative Hispanic Culture
Year 2 Core CLC half-units • Histories of Representation • Critical and Comparative Approaches
plus at least TWO BAND A Courses plus any FOUR of the following options, taken from at least THREE bands, typically including:
Band A:
Band B:
Band C:
Band D:
Band E:
International Film II: Readings and Representations
Writing Romance and Desire
Death, Desire, Decline: Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka
Constructing Identity in Contemporary Spanish Film
Post-war Italian Cinema
Gender and Clothing in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture
Cinema in France: from Modernism to the Postmodern
Love and Marriage in Major Novels by Theodor Fontane
Love in the Contemporary Spanish-American Novel
Dante’s Divine Comedy: Themes and Ideas
Visual Arts 2: Genres and Movements
Representations of Childhood and Youth in Modern German Culture
Italian Crime Fiction Boccaccio – Decameron Art and Literature in Renaissance Florence
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Year 3 Core CLC courses: at least ONE and a maximum of TWO of these courses to be selected as full-unit courses comprising a half-unit taught element and a half-unit 5000-word dissertation* • From Aestheticism to the Avant-Garde • The Gothic Mode in Spanish and English Fiction • Trends in Contemporary Theory • Transnational Cinema • Postcolonial Literatures
plus enough courses out of the following to make a total of EIGHT half-units (no more than two courses from any one band, except Band A), typically including:
Band A:
Band B:
Band C:
Band D:
From Aestheticism to the Avant-Garde*
Arthurian Romance: Chrétien de Troyes
Doubles, Devils and Deadly Spiders: 19th Century German Gothic Literature
Shooting History: Dictatorship, Terror and Crime in Italian Film
The Gothic Mode in Spanish and English Fiction*
Image, Identity and Consumer Culture in Post-War Fiction and Film
Narrative and Identity: The German Novel
Italian Fashion and Design
Trends in Contemporary Theory*
Text and Image in France: from Cubism to the Present
Dream Factories: Recent German Film
The Postmodern: Pioneers and Practitioners in Italian Literature
Postcolonial Literatures *
Ethics and Violence: Murder, Suicide and Genocide in Literature and Film
Transnational Cinema*
Blindness and Vision in French Culture
Research-based 5000-word dissertation of your choice
Wanton Women: Artists and Writers of the French Avant-Garde
Of Women, Knights, Weapons and Love: The Italian Chivalric Tradition
* t ypically three of these will be available each year
BA Joint Honours CLC Joint Honours CLC students take all core courses as specified and choose further options up to four half-units from the bands specified above, plus four half units from their other Joint subject. BA CLC (Major) Major CLC students take all core courses as specified and choose further options up to six half-units from the bands specified above, plus two half units form their minor subject. Comparative Literature and Culture degree programmes BA Comparative Literature and Culture Single Honours Comparative Literature and Culture (Q200) BA Honours Major Comparative Literature and Culture Comparative Literature and Culture with International Film (Q2P3) Comparative Literature and Culture with Philosophy (Q2V5) Comparative Literature and Culture with Visual Arts (Q2W6) BA Joint Honours Comparative Literature and Culture Comparative Literature and Culture and Drama (Q2W4) Comparative Literature and Culture and English (QQ23) Comparative Literature and Culture and French (QR21) Comparative Literature and Culture and German (QR22) Comparative Literature and Culture and Italian (QR23) Comparative Literature and Culture and Spanish (QR24) Comparative Literature and Culture and Philosophy (QV25) Comparative Literature and Culture and Visual Cultures (4C11) Classical Studies and Comparative Literature and Culture (Q8Q2)
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Your future career A Comparative Literature and Culture degree will give you • h igh levels of competence in the management, analysis, and communication of information • h ighly developed cross-cultural awareness and intellectual flexibility • e xperience in the arts of debate and persuasion through the critical evaluation of a wide variety of cultural forms • a n impressive range of other key leadership, critical and communications skills, much sought after by employers for professional success in the 21st century • t he ability to think broadly and critically beyond conventional conceptual boundaries in ways which are particularly relevant in today’s globalized world • a real passion for and the ability to engage with culture in its broadest sense. CLC is ideal if you are interested in a career in the arts, media, and the commercial and public sectors and for those who choose to enhance their skills with further study. Royal Holloway graduates are extremely well-placed to take full advantage of a globalized jobs market in which an understanding of other cultures, along with top-flight critical and communication skills represent vital components of the portfolio of skills sought by today’s employers. The College has a dedicated Careers Centre to work with you to enhance your employability and prepare you for the choices ahead. They offer a comprehensive information service, and run seminars and workshops on the preparation of CVs and interview technique, as well as organising career fairs and recruitment visits by employers. royalholloway.ac.uk/careers And when you move into the world of work, we like to keep in touch with you around the world wherever possible and are always delighted to hear how your chosen career is progressing. royalholloway.ac.uk/alumni
GRADUATE view
Hope Dinsey, BA Comparative Literature and Culture “CLC offers the most interesting combination of subjects; I like being able to study philosophy and history alongside literature, and the freedom to narrow my choices in subsequent years if I find one particular topic particularly interesting. CLC has helped me develop several key skills, including my analytical skills and my ability to work in a team. I’ve also developed as a person, becoming more sociable and more confident with myself.”
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Other information Student life at Royal Holloway Student life at Royal Holloway centres very much on our beautiful 135-acre campus. Many first-year students and finalists live in College residences on or near the campus. There is a very active Students’ Union, which provides an exciting range of entertainments such as frequent gigs and club nights, as well as supporting a variety of societies ranging from jazz through filmmaking to rugby (for both men and women).
Literary Supplement, film magazine Profile, on BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time, or interviewed for BBC or overseas television. We also act as specialist consultants.
And if all the activity on campus is still not enough for you, then, of course, the multiple and international attractions of central London are close at hand whilst our proximity to Heathrow and St Pancras makes trips to Europe and beyond extremely convenient.
Our staff receive frequent invitations to speak at the world’s most prestigious universities and conferences and belong to widereaching research networks with other top global scholars. Every month you will find academics from the School giving papers and plenary lectures all over the world, and organizing conferences and colloquia on diverse themes. We also run research seminars catering to specialist thematic and language area interests both here at Royal Holloway and in central London, as well as major events and seminar series.
Open days and taster sessions
Postgraduate study
If you are interested in CLC and/or a joint honours degree combining CLC and one of the languages on offer at the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (SMLLC), please come along to our sessions at the next College Open Day. We also run a Taster Day annually, usually in June. Please see website for details, or contact the Admissions Tutor. For more information, visit royalholloway.ac.uk/opendays or royalholloway.ac.uk/clc Research and postgraduate opportunities We are extremely proud of our strong international research reputation which informs and underpins our excellent teaching and our vibrant intellectual culture. Boasting many internationally established academics, we are also committed to hiring the research stars of the future.
Our Masters by Research in Comparative Literature and Culture offers graduates a rare opportunity to conduct a substantial piece of academic research at Masters level. We also welcome applications for PhD study in comparative topics which might include comparisons between the literature, film or culture of different language areas including texts in translation or other comparative topics such as adaptation, reception, interpretation, performance, place and displacement or creative transfer amongst others. The Core of the MRes is a 30,000–35,000-word dissertation providing the scope to explore, with specialist one-to-one tuition, an area of interest or of potential doctoral study in real depth, developing sophisticated critical, analytical, research and writing skills.
We publish frequently, internationally and prestigiously. We sit on the editorial boards of some of the most important journals and imprints in our specialist areas, and are often found as front page news in non-academic media, whether in Der Spiegel, the Times
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Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX T: +44 (0)1784 434455 royalholloway.ac.uk
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Comparative Literature and Culture