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Comparative Literature broadens the study of literature to transcend national boundaries to consider works from other countries and cultures. Taking Comparative Literature alongside Hispanic Studies, you are able to make use of your language skills and insights into Hispanic culture to study European literature in close detail.
Overview
In Comparative Literature, you have the opportunity to study texts ranging from Classical Antiquity to the present day in English translation, including works by such famous authors as Homer, Ovid, Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, Dostoevsky, Balzac, Flaubert, Dickens, Proust and Kafka, as well as Hispanic classics such as Borges and Cortazar.
Outside Spain, Spanish is the official language of all countries in South and Central America except Brazil, and is widely spoken in many parts of North America. The programme gives you the opportunity to explore the languages and cultures of Spain and Spanish America while developing your language skills.
You have the opportunity to spend a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country and we offer advanced language modules focusing on translation and interpreting – valuable skills when looking for employment. Portuguese is also optional for joint honours students. Our facilities include multimedia laboratories, which offer a variety of interactive language learning programmes and dictionaries, and access to audio, video and computer-assisted language learning facilities.
Studying on this joint honours, you gain expertise in a specific national tradition, making you able to compare the works of Spanish-language authors to other European ones, and so benefitting from a international perspective on literary history, movements and genres. You also gain the language skills to prepare you for the global job market.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, Comparative Literature at Kent was ranked 4th in the UK for student satisfaction and 96% of our students were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
In the National Student Survey 2015, 92% of Hispanic Studies students were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.
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
Comparative Literature
For most modules, you have one two-hour seminar per week. 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.
Comparative Literature students can also choose to take a module that is linked to our SWIPE (Student Work in Progress Exposition) conference. SWIPE is an annual one-day conference organised by Comparative Literature students: it is a platform for our third-year students who give 15-minute presentations on their final-year dissertation projects. SWIPE is a fantastic experience for students, as they learn everything about planning, organising and running a conference, as well as about the art of preparing and giving professional conference presentations. For more information on SWIPE, please consult our website: www.kent.ac.uk/secl/complit/swipe.html
We also offer a module designed specifically for students who are planning to embark on a career in teaching: Comparative Literature and English & Linguistics in the Classroom.
Hispanic Studies
All Spanish language modules involve three hours teaching each week, with the exception of the beginners’ language modules at Stages 1 and 2 which involve four hours. They include small group seminars, conversation classes run by a native speaker, short lectures in Hispanic StudiesSpanish, work in a language laboratory and work on computer-assisted language learning materials. The culture and literature modules normally involve a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar each week.
Assessment at all stages varies from 100% coursework to a combination of examination and coursework.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- offer an opportunity to study literature within a strongly multidisciplinary and modular context
- widen participation in higher education by offering a variety of study routes
- produce graduates with a good knowledge of a comprehensive range of literary works from across Europe and beyond, from the Classics to the present day
- teach the comparatist approach to literary studies
- give students the ability to approach any text in a critical and analytical manner
- produce intellectually independent and self-motivating graduates
- give students the skills and abilities generic to study in the humanities
- offer students the opportunity to develop more general skills and competences so they can respond positively to the challenges of the workplace or postgraduate education.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- a wide range of authors and texts from different periods and cultures, from Ancient Greece to the present day
- the cultural and historical contexts in which literature is written, transmitted and read
- concepts such as genre, theme or literary movement
- the problems inherent in interpreting 'the translated text'
- traditions in literary criticism
- critical theory and its applications, understood within its historical contexts
- the study of literature in its relation to other disciplines.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- listen to and absorb the oral transmission of complicated data
- careful reading of literary works and theoretical material
- reflect clearly and critically on oral and written sources, using power of analysis and imagination
- to marshal a complex body of information
- remember relevant material and recall it when needed
- construct cogent arguments
- formulate independent ideas and defend them in a plausible manner
- present arguments in written form in a time-limited context, such as examinations.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
- the close critical analysis of literary texts
- informed understanding of the variety of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of literature
- the ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of texts, concepts and theories relating to literary studies
- sensitivity to generic conventions in the study of literature and the problems of translation and cultural differences
- well-developed language use and awareness, including a grasp of standard critical terminology
- the ability to articulate responsiveness to literary language
- scholarly practice in the presentation of formal written work, in particular bibliographic and annotational
- understanding of how cultural norms, assumptions and practices influence questions of judgement
- appreciation of the value of collaborative intellectual work in developing critical judgement.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- communication: produce focused, cogent written presentations, summarise information and assess arguments, give presentations with visual aids where appropriate
- problem-solving: identifying problems, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different solutions, defending the preferred solutions with cogent arguments
- improve your learning, identify your strengths and weaknesses, assess the quality of your own work; manage your time and meet deadlines, and learn to work independently
- work with others, participating in seminar discussions, responding to the views of others and to criticisms of your own views without giving or taking offence
- use information technology effectively, such as word-processing essays, using online information sources and responding to communications by email.
Careers
Studying Comparative Literature you learn to think critically, develop the skills of close reading and effective communication, and gain confidence and experience in expressing your ideas. These key transferable skills are essential for graduates as they move into the job market.
Our graduates have found jobs in diverse areas including journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching, as well as in banking, marketing analysis and project management. A significant percentage of our students pursue further study for postgraduate qualifications.
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 |
| GCSE | B in a modern European language other than English |
| 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 including IB 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a modern European language other than English
|
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
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
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 the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.