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Expand your horizons by studying literatures and cultures from around the world.
Our BA in Comparative Literature allows you to delve into a range of literatures from different time periods, genres and languages. You’ll examine links between literature and other art forms, including music, film, popular culture and visual arts.
In the first year you’ll be given a solid grounding in the discipline of literary studies. Throughout the course, you can tailor your studies to concentrate on the areas of literature that interest you the most, with options from modern fairy tales to European literature to modernist literature in India and China. You can also study a host of themes ranging from madness to migration. There are some creative options, such as editing your own anthology.
You also have the option to extend your degree by studying abroad for a year.
You can complete your Comparative Literature degree in three or four years. If you choose to do a year abroad, this will take place in Year 3, and the Year 3 modules will instead be studied in Year 4.
Choose two from
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Apply for this degree with any of the following options. Take care to use the correct UCAS code - it may not be possible to change your selection later.
Go global and study abroad as part of your degree – apply for our Comparative Literature BA with a Year Abroad. Queen Mary has links with universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (partnerships vary for each degree programme).
Find out more about study abroad opportunities at Queen Mary and what the progression requirements are.
Studying Comparative Literature at Queen Mary has been amazing. The course is challenging, progressive and engages with real world issues through the study of literature, art, film and history on a global scale. The best thing about Comparative Literature is the ability to study texts from countries including Mexico, China and Nigeria that a more traditional literature degree would not include.
You’ll receive approximately eight hours of weekly contact time, in the form of lectures, seminar groups and workshops.
For every hour spent in class, you’ll complete a further two to three hours of independent study.
Assessment typically includes a combination of exams and coursework, or coursework only. The final year may include completion of a research project.
The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:
If you’re interested in learning another language, you can sign up for a course at Queen Mary’s Language Centre, where you can choose from Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Japanese or Spanish.
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.
Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
Comparative Literature graduates have skills such as analytical and critical thinking, and the ability to produce high-quality written work. They also approach the world with a broad cultural understanding. Coupled with multiple opportunities for extra-curricular activities and work experience, they are well prepared for the world of work.
Some apply their degree knowledge directly, entering careers such as education and the arts, whilst others have transferred their skills into areas such as public relations.
Recent graduates have been hired by:
The School of Languages Linguistics and Film offers support to students interested in working during their year abroad. Over the years, we have developed relationships with employers around the world and are able to share a number of interesting roles with our students.
Our careers team can also offer:
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
Comparative Literature - BA (Hons)
Comparative Literature with Year Abroad - BA (Hons)
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The School of Languages, Linguistics and Film explores global culture and communication through a vibrant interdisciplinary environment with five distinct but interconnected areas of academic excellence. Our multilingual community brings together brilliant minds from across the world to share a wealth of expertise – from practical film-making and contemporary literature to experimental neurolinguistics and 11 different modern languages – so that students can become truly global citizens.
Our School’s five Departments are united by the common threads of communication and culture, opening the doors to new worlds of opportunity. Both a single and richly varied entity, our School’s work enables creative thinking that goes beyond national, linguistic and cultural boundaries. We combine research excellence with an unrivalled commitment to social justice and social mobility, true to the Queen Mary spirit, achieving the previously unthinkable through our School’s unique mix of bright minds.
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