Graduate Program

Graduate Program

Why study Comparative Literatures and Arts?

Freedom… Comparative literature is the discipline in the Humanities that prepares students to pursue their intellectual and creative interests beyond traditional categories. Areas of specialization should be developed by students in consultation with their faculty advisor going beyond pre-established categories of research. This is a demanding discipline that allows one to examine ideas wherever they may take us and to contribute to the understanding of the world of the creative imagination. This is what Northrop Frye considered the development of the educated imagination. This freedom of inquiry carries with it the responsibility of mastering the chosen area of specialization.

                                                       ~~ Dr. Mario J. Valdés, SCLA Colloquium 2011 ~~

Director: Dr. Cristina Santos
Associate Professor of Iberian and Latin American Studies
Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Office: MC A210; Ext. 4498
e-mail: csantos@brocku.ca

The M.A. in Studies in Comparative Literatures and Arts is an interdisciplinary and interfaculty program that not only focuses on the study of literature from different nations, but also examines the ways in which literature enters into dialogue with the fine and performing arts. Throughout the program, students examine contemporary approaches to texts of various types, as well as the possibilities and problems that arise in comparative studies, including issues related to the translation and adaptation of works. Through coursework, students are encouraged to develop a cross-disciplinary understanding of how works of art or cultural production evolve, are received, and are interpreted.