PhD Comparative Literature

Queen Mary has an active and flourishing research culture with staff working across disciplines to shape the dynamic field of comparative literature. Established in 2012, the PhD Programme in Comparative Literature has since grown to include supervision capacity in European Literatures, the literatures of China and the Indian subcontinent, as well as in world literature, postcolonialism, cosmopolitanism, and transnationalism.

The Department is one of the leading centres for research and study in Comparative Literature in London and benefits from its close collaborative links with the institutions of the University of London, such as University College London (UCL), King's College London, Goldsmiths, SOAS, etc. The Department also has a thriving MA in Comparative Literature, and hosts the highly prestigious annual George Steiner Lecture in Comparative Literature, most recently delivered by David Damrosch (Harvard), Susan Bassnett (Warwick), Haun Saussy (UChicago), and Emily Apter (NYU).

The PhD community in the Department of Comparative Literature is truly international, with its research supported by competitive fellowships and awards of academic institutions in the UK and abroad. Members of the Department have organized major international conferences and symposia; they are also actively involved in the British Comparative Literature Association (BCLA), the International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA), and the American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA). Department members also serve in advisory roles on editorial boards of journals and publications series in Comparative Literature worldwide.

The normal minimum entry requirement for admission to the programme is an upper second class honours degree in a relevant subject and a postgraduate degree (MA, MRes) from a UK university, or overseas qualifications of an equivalent standard. At its discretion, Queen Mary may accept candidates with alternative qualifications or an appropriate level of research experience gained in the workplace or similar environment.