Comparative Literature MLitt
Theories Of Reading COMPLIT4003
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Semester 1
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
The primary purpose of this course is to make students aware that how to read is often as important as what is read. The course introduces students to various ways of thinking about the reading process in comparative literature, exemplified by text-oriented, context-oriented, reader-oriented, and material-oriented theories.
Timetable
2x1hr seminar per week, Tuesday at 1pm and Friday at 11am over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Commentary (1000 words) - 30%
■ Essay (3000 words) - 70%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There is no alternative to the Commentary, but extensions to the deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions).
■ There is no alternative to the Essay, but extensions to the deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ introduce students to different theories and approaches to reading across time and space
■ illustrate and discuss various examples of critical approaches, with a particular focus on their application to the field of comparative literature
■ emphasize the materiality of reading and its consequences for the study of texts
■ explore different manifestations of the circulation and transformation of texts across time, space, and media forms
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of the course students will be able to:
■ clearly communicate the significance of material culture for the study of reading practices and the transmission of texts
■ synthesize different approaches to the study of reading practices and the transmission of texts, and integrate them into their existing practice in the context of Comparative Literature
■ critically assess and apply relevant approaches to case studies related to reading and the circulation of texts
■ develop a series of transferable skills: produce sustained arguments in writing, critical analysis of cultural products, the critical understanding of the diverse nature of media