Comparative Literature MLitt
Postcolonial Literature, Theory and Visual Culture COMPLIT5035
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course will explore in depth the work of several key postcolonial and decolonial theorists (Said, Spivak, Bhabha, Fanon, Mignolo, Mbembe, bell hooks, among others), and study in English translation several postcolonial literary texts, as well as cinematic and photographic works, from a range of cultures and societies across the world. .
Timetable
2 hours x 11 weeks at times to be arranged.
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ Oral presentation of 10 minutes (20%)
■ Essay of 4000 words (80%)
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ Recorded presentation (audio or video) / Powerpoint with substantial presentation notes.
■ 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 offer the participants the opportunity to:
■ Critically examine a range of key works in in postcolonial theory as a contextual framing of the study of related literature, film, and other visual media
■ Critically engage with the literary and cultural movements as well as theoretical trends within the historical and cultural areas covered
■ Develop advanced skills for analysing complex text with a postcolonial perspective.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ Identify and critically evaluate major developments in postcolonial theory, literature and culture, across a range of different geographical and linguistic contexts.
■ Through oral presentation critically compare and contrast how various colonial-era and postcolonial artists and writers exemplify the ideas presented in the work of the theorists studied.
■ Critically assess the significance of selected postcolonial theories in terms of their contribution to the development of modern critical discourse as well as the field of comparative literature more broadly
■ Analyse in writing and orally one or more literary or cultural texts, films, or visual media, engaging critically with a range of relevant methodologies and theories.