Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature - BA (Hons)

UCAS code QV29

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2014

It is often said that the world is changing more rapidly than at any other time in history, and the study of cultural transformation is key to achieving the ‘joined-up thinking’ society needs in the 21st century. Cultural Studies at Kent is a lively, innovative subject with distinctive perspectives on all forms of present day culture. We explore significant connections between popular culture, the arts and everyday life by crossing traditional social sciences/humanities boundaries.

Overview

Comparative Literature covers literature from the classics to the modern age. You investigate literary movements such as romanticism, realism, modernism and postmodernism, and also how and why literary forms have evolved in different cultures and linguistic traditions.

Independent rankings

Cultural Studies programmes offer the best opportunity to combine modules right across the social science and humanities faculties.

Comparative Literature at Kent was ranked 2nd in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2012.

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules, you may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.

Teaching and assessment

Cultural Studies

Most modules are taught by a combination lectures and seminars and lecturers are always happy to offer individual advice outside of formal teaching. Additionally, a wide range of study skills sessions are available to all students throughout each year of study.

Coursework is continuously assessed at Stage 1, and this is combined with the results of exams, in most modules. At Stage 2/3, modules are assessed by a combination of essays (50%) and exams (50%). All single honours students and some joint honours students also have the opportunity to do a final-year dissertation on a chosen subject, which counts as one module (and does not involve an exam).

Comparative Literature

For most modules, you are taught in seminars. The Final-Year Dissertation is based entirely on your private research but is supervised by a tutor and includes workshops and the chance to participate in an undergraduate conference.

Assessment varies from 100% coursework to a combination of examination and coursework, usually in the ratio 50:50 or 40:60.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • develop in students the knowledge to undertake critical analysis of culture, especially literatures of the world
  • provide teaching informed by current research and scholarship in the field of cultural studies and comparative literature
  • offer a flexible and progressive curriculum which includes options from a wide range of disciplinary areas particularly in the study of culture, especially national and world literatures
  • promote an understanding of cultural identities, differences and transitions and the historical, political and economic contexts of their emergence and change
  • provide a broad knowledge of relevant concepts, debates and theoretical approaches in the study of culture and literature
  • facilitate the personal development of students as independent, life-long learners capable of collating and analysing information and producing new knowledge
  • provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication, research and other key skills appropriate to graduate employment in a range of cultural, media, education and arts-related spheres, and for further research in the fields of cultural and literary studies
  • produce graduates with an informed, critical and analytical approach to understanding culture society and the arts
  • enhance students’ awareness of sensitivity to the context of the production and reception of the cultural forms over a range of historical periods
  • develop a critical and analytical approach to interpreting art and contexts of artistic production and consumption
  • provide students with an informed knowledge of the literary traditions from Ancient Greece to modern times.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • the role the media and cultural institutions play in society
  • cultural forms as sources of popular knowledge and ideas
  • how people engage with cultural texts and practices
  • the relation between cultural texts, such as artistic, literary, media, social, political and scientific, and the historical contexts of their production and reception
  • the modes of modern global, international, national and local cultural experience
  • how cultural texts and products shape contemporary life
  • the nature of the cultural impact of new technologies
  • literary forms and genres from a range of historical periods and national origins and the way they can be interpreted and evaluated
  • the works of a range of significant authors from Ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present day
  • critical theories and concepts deployed in analyses of culture and literature.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual abilities:

  • analyse a wide range of cultural forms
  • critical evaluation of scholarship and ideas, classical and contemporary
  • represent in language the views and ideas of others
  • application of cultural theory and literary theory to familiar and unfamiliar cultural material, phenomena and contexts
  • express your own ideas in oral and written communication
  • identify, evaluate and construct arguments.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following:

  • conception and application of cross-disciplinary strategies of investigation of cultural issues, themes and topics
  • the ability to identify and analyse ethical and political subject matters represented in all kinds of media culture
  • account for and criticise the interrelation of aesthetic cultural practices and forms, and the social and political contexts of their emergence and affect
  • evaluate theoretical models and paradigms of cultural production, consumption and reception
  • integrate diverse sources of cultural information and produce new knowledge
  • analysis and interpretation of literature of all kinds, especially in translation
  • effective deployment of terms and concepts and techniques specific to the study of literature from the comparativist perspective.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

  • gather and collate, retrieve and synthese information from a variety of sources, such as library, IT, press, textual, visual, popular and academic, in traditional formats as well as electronic
  • work independently on the design and execution of research projects
  • the ability to reflect on and understand the accumulation of knowledge about cultural practices diversely understood
  • the ability to be adaptable, creative and self-reflexive in producing output for a variety of audiences
  • self-directed project planning, development and execution of work to  deadlines
  • effective communication: express yourself in written and oral forms, represent the ideas of others as well as your own, and argue for, and justify, your own views.

Careers

Combining the subject areas of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature will greatly enhance your skills. You will learn to think critically, developing the ability to read, analyse and effectively communicate. Your appreciation of cultural influences and environments will hone your ability to reflect and critically evaluate information and situations. You will gain confidence and experience in expressing your ideas in an articulate and scholarly manner.

Recently graduates have gone into a variety of careers including the Civil Service, marketing, advertising, journalism and film.

For more information on the services Kent provides you to improve your career prospects visit www.kent.ac.uk/employability.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

ABB including English Literature or English Language and Literature grade B where taken

Access to HE Diploma

The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 16 points at HL

International students

The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.

Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
 
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

As a guide only, the 2014/15 annual tuition fees for this programme are:

UK/EU Overseas
Full-time
Part-time

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

Exceptions may apply. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk

Funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to support eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Our 2014 financial support package includes a £6,500 cash bursary. Find out more about the support package, eligibility and terms and conditions on our fees and funding pages.

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created a new scholarship, The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence, which will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our funding pages.

Full-time

Part-time

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.