Comparative Literature/Central & East European Studies

Comparative literature is the study of literature across cultural and national frontiers, time periods, languages, and genres, asking what happens when we read texts from different traditions alongside each other and what new understanding emerges from those comparisons. Central and East European studies brings a specific and rich regional focus, examining the histories, languages, literatures, and cultures of a region that has been at the centre of some of the most dramatic political, cultural, and social transformations of the modern era, from the revolutions of 1848 through the Soviet period to the changes of 1989 and after.

At Glasgow, you will study comparative literature with the breadth and critical depth the discipline demands, reading across languages and literary traditions and engaging with the theoretical questions that comparison raises: how does translation work, what constitutes a national literature, and how do literary forms travel across borders? Alongside this, you will develop knowledge of Central and East European cultures and their distinctive literary and intellectual contributions to world culture. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to encounter these literatures and cultures in a different context, and is studied part-time, making it accessible to those managing other commitments.

Graduates of comparative literature and Central and East European studies programmes pursue careers in translation and interpreting, academia, publishing, journalism, cultural diplomacy, education, and the civil service. The rare linguistic and cultural knowledge of a region that is often underrepresented in the graduate market makes this combination particularly valuable in European institutions, cultural organisations, and businesses with interests in the region. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in comparative literature, Slavonic studies, or area studies.