Monash University: University handbooks: Postgraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Comparative literature and cultural studies

Director: Dr Kate Rigby

Comparative literature investigates literature in ways which go beyond particular national or linguistic boundaries. Comparative literary studies are of two main kinds: substantive studies of the literature of two or more languages or literary cultures; and generalising studies of the literary process itself, for example literary history or the sociology of literature. Particular research strengths include: European, Asian and Latin American literature; romanticism, modernism and postmodernism; literature and philosophy; and comparative literary theory. Postgraduate students are expected to read literary texts in the original language. Applications are encouraged from students with good linguistic abilities.

Cultural studies is the study of cultural texts, spaces and practices in relation to their various social, historical and ideological contexts. It is a field that has been at the cutting edge of research and debate in the humanities over the past 20 years. There are two main variants of cultural studies at Monash: the study of popular cultural text normally excluded from the canons of high art and literature (for example popular fiction, popular cinema and television); and the study of canonical art and literature in relation to its social, historical and ideological context. Particular research strengths include postcolonial culture, genre studies, graphic novels, New Hollywood, Japanese popular culture, science fiction and cyberculture. Cultural studies at Monash is both comparative and theoretical in approach. It seeks to identify and examine the binary oppositions between high and low culture and to make use of a broad range of theoretical perspectives.

Critical theory is a term which has come to signify a number of contemporary approaches to textual and cultural criticism. These include: hermeneutics and reception theory; Marxism, feminism and psychoanalysis; semiotics, structuralism and poststructuralism; postcolonial, postmodern and post-humanist theory. Such theories have been central to recent work in literary and cultural studies, but also to such related fields as anthropology, performance studies, philosophy and sociology. Critical theory at Monash has particularly strong research interests in ecophilosophy and ecofeminism, cultural materialism, deconstruction, feminist critical theory, hermeneutics and psychoanalysis.

The Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies runs a regular research seminar program, which has hosted a wide range of scholars from Australia and overseas. Postgraduate candidates are expected to participate in this seminar program.

Visit the centre's website at www.arts.monash.edu.au/cclcs/postgraduate/.

Research strengths and supervision

Supervision is available in the centre’s three main areas of work: comparative literature, comparative cultural studies and critical theory. Particular research strengths include comparative European, East Asian and Latin American literary studies; modernism, postmodernism and the avant-garde; utopia, dystopia and science fiction; contemporary cultural theory; popular fiction and popular culture; feminist theory, especially feminism and psychoanalysis; ecocriticism and ecofeminism; poststructuralist literary theory and semiotics; contemporary French and German philosophy; literature, philosophy and aesthetics, especially Adorno, Benjamin, Blanchot, Deleuze, Derrida, Gadamer, Kristeva, Levinas and Lyotard; literature, politics and society, especially Baudrillard, Bourdieu, Foucault, Jameson and Williams.

Research degrees

Candidates working in comparative literature, cultural studies or critical theory may take the degrees of PhD and Master of Arts by research only. The degrees of PhD and Master of Arts may also be taken by a combination of research and coursework in the discipline of critical theory. For further information, refer to the research masters degrees and Doctor of Philosophy entries in the Arts research section and arts.monash.edu.au/prospective/course/postgraduate/study_areas/.

The PhD by research only, MA by 100% research, MA by 66% research and coursework and masters qualifying with research component can be commenced mid-year.

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