Postgraduate - Area of Study Critical theory

Critical theory is a term that has come to signify a number of contemporary approaches to textual and cultural criticism. Research interests include eco-philosophy and eco-feminism, cultural materialism, deconstruction, feminist critical theory, hermeneutics, and psychoanalysis.

Refer also to the postgraduate area of study entry for 'comparative literature and cultural studies' at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2012handbooks/aos/comparative-literature-and-cultural-studies/pg-arts-comparative-literature-and-cultural-studies.html.

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)

Students complete two core units (24 points) and two elective units (24 points) from the following list.

Core unit

• APG4722 Critical theory research project part 1 (12 points)
• APG4723 Critical theory research project part 2 (12 points)

Elective units

• APG4265 Poetics
• APG4266 Deleuze and Foucault
• APG4267 Hermeneutics
• APG4418 Semiotic and poststructural theory of literature and culture

Coursework units and the thesis topic are chosen in consultation with the comparative literature and cultural studies postgraduate coordinator.

Course coordinator

Professor Andrew Milner

Master of Arts by Research and Coursework

Offered by the Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, School of English, Communications and Performance Studies

Critical theory is a term used to describe a whole series of contemporary approaches to textual criticism: hermeneutics and reception theory, semiotics and structuralism, post-structuralism and deconstruction, post-Marxian theories of ideology and post-Freudian theories of psychoanalysis. These have all been central to recent works in literary and cultural studies. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to this complex body of work and an opportunity to apply it to a substantive research thesis, which may focus on literary studies, cultural studies or critical theory itself.

Candidates intending to carry out research in comparative literature are normally expected to read literary texts in the original language.

Units

Students complete 24 points at fifth year level from:

• APG5265 Poetics
• APG5267 Hermeneutics
• APG5266 Deleuze and Foucault
• APG5418 Semiotic and poststructural theory of literature and culture

Course coordinator

Professor Andrew Milner

Further courses

For a list of units studied or course outlines, refer to the relevant courses.

• 3937 Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)
• 2846 Master of Arts by research and coursework
• 2695 Master of Arts*
• 0020 Doctor of Philosophy*

* By research.