Guide in PDF format

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The course guide is provisional.

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Methodology

Code: 42317
Credits: 10

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Comparative Literature: Literary and Cultural Studies	OB	1

Contact lecturer

Name :: Pere Ballart Fernandez
Email :: pere.ballart@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

—The students need to have acquired the competences of the area of study of their respective degrees and master them.

—The students need to be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to an academic audience either acquainted with the field or not.

—The students need to know how to apply the knowledge required for their profession and be able to produce arguments relevant to their area of study.

—The students need to collect and analyze relevant data to produce arguments and reflections on particular subjects with a social, scientific or ethical angle.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to give an overview of the diversity of methods of literary investigation, so that the students get acquainted with the essential premises of academic research and the different strategies of approaching the literary and cultural phenomena. This will help them in their future research. For this reason, the course offers, firstly, an initial reflection on the epistemological problems that literary research entails; and secondly, it also offers the opportunity to apply the acquired systems by inviting students to start drafting their own projects which may become their master’s dissertation.

Learning outcomes

Reason critically based on analysis and synthesis.
Present research findings to experts and non-experts.
Organise, plan and manage projects.
Work in an interdisciplinary team in different contexts.
Apply the principles and methods of recent theoretical currents related to new historicism, polysystems theory, the sociology of literature, the Chicago school, neo-rhetorics, etc.
Apply the principles and methods of current comparativist approaches to the international, intertextual and intercultural variety of literary, artistic and cultural representation.
Analyse and apply the principles and methods of current theoretical, critical and comparativist approaches to different aspects of the processes of literary, artistic and cultural representation.
Compare specific literary modes or genres, comparing their development and peculiarities in the modern and post-modern periods.
Apply different theories in search of a thematic interpretation that takes formal and pragmatic strategies into account.
Critically analyse the different theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality studies.
Apply these theories to the analysis of cultural texts.
Use the theoretical, critical and comparative approach to the study of cultural texts and products such as narrations and films.
Analyse and apply the principles and methods of cultural analysis, by establishing links with theoretical and critical approaches, to a variety of literary and cultural texts.

FIRST UNIT (Theory)

Literary research. Literature as an object of study.

Notes on epistemology. How to plan your research.

The academic genre of the thesis.

Generic conventions. Pragmatics of literary discourse.

Theory versus history: case study.

SECOND UNIT (Practice)

Oral presentations on a personal research project.

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Bibliographical research and study of canonical/critical texts.	60	2.4	1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
One-to-one meeting	25	1	1, 2, 3, 11, 13
Reviews on the content of the course	50	2	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Supervision of the elaboration of a research project	40	1.6	1, 2, 3, 11, 13
Seminars	60	2.4	1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

The course is structured in seminars and debates on the texts being discussed. The students will have to show and identify the basic theoretical concepts of contemporary critical methods in a number of examples and case studies. In parallel to the seminars, the students will structure their hypotheses in one-to-one meetings with their tutor addressing the written assignments of the course. It is very important for the assessment the realization of an oral presentation on the first draft of the students’ future research. Their object of study, methodology, research plan and the general interest of their work will be open to discussion with the rest of the class. Afterwards, the students will hand in a written report of the outcome and success of their presentation, considering their peers’ observations and how to address them appropriately in the future project.

15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the timetable established by the centre/title, for the complementation by the students of the assessment surveys of the teaching staff's performance and the assessment of the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Attendance and active participation in the seminars and class debates.	10%	2	0.08	1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Written appraisal of the basic concepts of the module	30 %	3	0.12	1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Written report of the outcomes of oral presentation	20 %	3	0.12	1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 13
Review of a critical work relevant to the students area of study	20 %	6	0.24	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Oral presentation of a personal research project	20 %	1	0.04	1, 2, 3, 4, 13

The students will successfully pass the module by

1) attending and participating in the seminars (10%)

2) a written exam on the main theoretical concepts of the first unit (30%)

3) a review of a critical work (20%)

4) Oral presentation on a personal research project (20%)

5) Written report on the outcomes of it (20%)

Students who do not attend the written exam and the oral presentation, will be considered as \"not evaluable\".

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the same way, those assessment acts in which there have been irregularities (copying, unauthorized use of AI, etc.) are not recoverable.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle or e-mail) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Unique assessment

The subject foresees a single assessment system (on a date announced at the beginning of the academic period) and consists of three pieces of evidence: a theoretical questionnaire (worth 30% of the overall mark), the comment of a critical text (30%) and a reasoned proposal for a research project (40%). The same assessment system will apply eventually as with the continuous assessment.

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

Bibliography

Ballart, Pere y Julià, Jordi (2010) Sobre islas y penínsulas. Ensayo de teoría de la literatura y literatura comparada, Madrid, Devenir.

Barry, Peter (1995), Beginning theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory, Manchester, Manchester UP, 2002.

Barthes, Roland (1954) Mitologías, Madrid, Siglo XXI, 2022.

Belsey, Catherine (1980), Critical Practice, Londres, Methuen, 2002.

Booth, W. C., G. Colomb & J. M. Williams (1995), The Craft of Research, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.

Cabo, Fernando y Rábade, María do Cebreiro (2006), Manual de Teoría de la Literatura, Madrid, Castalia.

Cevasco, Maria Elisa, Diez lecciones sobre estudios culturales, Santiago de Chile, Lom Ediciones, 2014.

Compagnon, Antoine (1998) El demonio de la teoría. Literatura y sentido común, Barcelona, El Acantilado, 2015.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé (2019) On Intersectionality. Essential Writings, New York, The New Press.

Culler, Jonathan (1997), Literary theory: A very short introduction, Oxford, Oxford UP. Trad. esp.: Breve introducción a la teoría literaria, tr. G. García, Barcelona, Crítica, 2000.

Di Girolamo, Costanzo (1978), Teoría crítica de la literatura, Barcelona, Crítica, 2001.

Eagleton, Terry (1983), Literary theory: An introduction, Oxford, Blackwell, 2009. Trad. esp.: Una introducción a la teoría de la literatura, México, FCE, 1993.

Ellis, John M. (1974), The theory of literary criticism: A logical analysis, Berkeley, University of California. Trad. esp.: Teoría de la crítica literaria, Madrid, Taurus, 1987.

Felski, Rita (ed.) (2014) Comparison. Theories, Approaches, Uses, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Guillén, Claudio (1985), Entre lo uno y lo diverso. Introducción a la literatura comparada, Barcelona, Crítica; Barcelona, Tusquets, 2005.

Haraway, Donna (1988) «Situated Knowledges», Feminist Studies, 14, 3, pp. 575-599.

Iser, Wolfgang, How To Do Theory, Oxford, Blackwell, 2006.

Johnson, Barbara (1980) The Critical Difference, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Llovet, Jordi et alii (2005), Teoría literaria y literatura comparada, Barcelona, Ariel.

Perpinyà, Núria (2008) Las criptas de la crítica, Madrid, Gredos, 2008.

Pratt, Mary Louise et alii (2004) Intercultural Dialogue, Londres, The British Council.

Selden, Raman; Widdowson, Peter; Brooker, Peter (1997), La teoría literaria contemporánea, tr. J. G. López Guix y B. Ribera, Barcelona, Ariel, 2004.

Sontag, Susan (1969) Contra la interpretación y otros ensayos, Barcelona, DeBolsillo, 2025.

Todorov, Tzvetan (2007), La littérature en péril, París, Flammarion. Trad. esp.

Villanueva, Darío (ed.) (1994), Curso de teoría de la literatura, Madrid, Taurus.

Waugh, Patricia (ed.) (2006), Literary theory and criticism, Oxford, Oxford UP.

Wellek, René y Warren, Austin (1949), Teoría literaria, tr. J. Mª Gimeno, Madrid, Gredos, 1966.

Zima, Peter (1999) The Philosophy of Modern Literary Theory, Londres, Athlone Press.

Software

The course will not have any specific computer requirements.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching	Group	Language	Semester	Shift
(TEm) Theory (master)	1	Spanish	first semester	afternoon