Comparative Literature and Culture BA (Hons)

What does it mean to study comparatively? Our BA Comparative Literature and Culture gives you the opportunity to explore connections across national boundaries and different periods from the Renaissance to postmodernity, and to consciously reflect on your critical approach. You will be able to study the literature, thought, history, film and visual culture of the French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Latin American worlds through a number of comparative modules focusing on specific themes across time and place, as well as through more in-depth modules focusing on a single culture.You will explore transnational phenomena and you can also pursue an interest in other forms of comparison, for example, between text and image - we offer modules focusing on literary adaptation across media and many other types of encounter between literature and visual culture.There is no language learning requirement for this programme, and all texts will be taught in English translation, but you can develop your language skills to a higher level as part of the degree programme if you wish. You have the option of studying up to three language modules, including starting at beginner level.**Highlights**- Our Department of Cultures and Languages prides itself on research-led teaching in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, making it an outstanding multidisciplinary department.- Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, Birkbeck Research in Aesthetics of Kinship and Community (BRAKC), the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS) and the Birkbeck Eighteenth-Century Research Group, provide a vibrant and dynamic platform for this exchange.- Entrance requirements are flexible, and you can develop an interest in language learning from beginner level if you choose, and opt for a year abroad if you apply for Comparative Literature and Culture with International Experience, depending on your language level.- You have a broad range of options to choose from, and you are able to take up to 60 credits of modules outside the Department to pursue interests in English literature, film and media, and history of art, for example.- Our teaching is in our Central London location in Bloomsbury, a stone’s throw from research libraries and all the cultural richness that London has to offer by way of theatre, museums and galleries.- You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group - now home to our School of Arts. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space. The School of Arts also hosts the Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI) and is an official partner of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. Opportunities for students have included a year’s free membership of the ICA, private views, discounts on all talks and events, free members' screenings and £3 cinema tickets on Tuesdays, up to 25% off ICA Artists' Editions and a monthly e-newsletter.