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Program Description:
The BA Comparative Literature and History at the University of Kent offers students an interdisciplinary and in-depth exploration of the literature, cultures, and historical contexts that have shaped the world. This innovative programme combines the study of literary texts from diverse periods and regions with a comprehensive analysis of historical developments, enabling students to develop a nuanced understanding of the interconnectedness between culture and history. Throughout the course, students will engage with a wide range of literary works, from classical to modern, alongside critical historical scholarship that contextualizes these texts within their socio-political environments.
The programme is designed to foster critical thinking, analytical skills, and cross-cultural awareness, preparing graduates for careers in academia, journalism, publishing, diplomacy, and other fields requiring cultural literacy and historical knowledge. Students have the opportunity to study themes such as empire and migration, identity and nationalism, or trauma and memory, integrating literary and historical perspectives to examine how societies and individuals have responded to major historical events and transformations.
Through a combination of lectures, seminars, independent research, and creative projects, students will develop their ability to analyze texts and historical sources, formulate well-supported arguments, and communicate their ideas effectively. The programme also encourages students to engage with contemporary global issues by understanding their historical roots and cultural expressions.
With access to the university's extensive library resources and support from dedicated academic staff, students will be equipped with research skills and a broad intellectual toolkit. Optional modules allow for specialization in areas such as Postcolonial Literature, European History, or Digital Humanities, enabling students to tailor their studies to their interests. The programme culminates in a dissertation, providing an opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of personal significance within the fields of literature and history. Graduates of the BA Comparative Literature and History will be well-prepared for further study or careers that require a deep understanding of cultural and historical dynamics.
Detailed Course Facts
Application deadline January 15 Tuition fee- GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
- GBP 12450 Year (Non-EEA)
Start date September 2015 Credits (ECTS) 180 ECTS
Duration full-time 36 months Languages Take an IELTS test
- English
Course Content
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules, you may also have the option to take wild modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Stage 1
Possible modules may include:
CP311 - The Tale
HI426 - Making History: Theory and Practice
HI430 - Modern British History (Part Two)
HI431 - The English Renaissance: Society, Politics and Culture 1400-1600
HI432 - Early Modern History: The Age of Reformation c. 1450-1600
HI433 - Early Modern History: The Age of Enlightenment c. 1600-1750
HI434 - Introduction to the History of Science
HI435 - A Global History of Empires: 1500-1850
HI436 - A Global History of Empires: 1850-1960
HI437 - War and Diplomacy in Europe c1850-2000
HI353 - Britain and the Second World War: The Home Front
HI359 - Empire and Africa
HI366 - Britain in the Age of Industrialisation 1700-1830
HI385 - Introduction to the History of Medicine
HI390 - The Emergence of America:From European Settlement to 1880
HI391 - The Rise of the United States Since 1880
HI397 - Cinema and Society, 1930 - 1960
HI410 - Early Medieval Europe
HI411 - Later Medieval Europe
HI416 - Victorian Britain: Politics, Society and Culture
HI419 - England in the Age of Chivalry: c1200-1400
HI425 - Revolutionary Europe 1700-1850
You have the opportunity to select wild modules in this stage
Stage 2
Possible modules may include:
HI5013 - Popular Religion and Heresy, 1100-1300
HI5023 - The American Civil War Era 1848-1877
HI5031 - African History since 1800
HI5035 - History of Modern Medicine and Medical Ethics,1800-2000
HI5041 - Gothic Art: Image and Imagination in Europe, c.1140-1500
HI5055 - Russia: 1855-1945 Reform, Revolution and War
HI5065 - British History c. 1480-1620
HI5075 - Marvels, Monsters and Freaks 1780-1920
HI5092 - Armies at War 1914-1918
HI5094 - Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: The British and French Experienc
HI566 - History Dissertation
HI6002 - The British Army and Empire c1750-1920
HI6009 - Europe and the Islamic World, c 1450-1750
HI763 - How the West was Won (or lost): The American West in the Nineteenth Cen
HI613 - Conflict in Seventeenth Century Britain
HI632 - The Tools of Empire 1760-1920
HI707 - Britain and The Falklands War
HI742 - The Cold War, 1941-1991
HI783 - Anglo-Saxon England
HI789 - The Art of Death
HI795 - Inviting Doomsday: US Environmental
HI6018 - Victorian Science
HI6025 - Everyday Life in Early Modern Europe
HI6036 - Science Satirised
HI6042 - The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset
HI6032 - Persecution, Repression and Resistance
HI6034 - Anglo-French Relations 1904 - 1945
HI6047 - Communist Eastern Europe, 1945-89
CP656 - Shakespeare's Afterlives
CP658 - Nordic Literature and Film
CP510 - The Text: Approaches to Comparative Literature
CP527 - Medieval Literature and Culture
CP530 - Marriage, Adultery and Divorce in 19th Century Fiction
CP609 - Modernism and the European Avant-Garde
CP611 - Postmodernism
CP624 - The Shoah in Literature, Film and Culture
CP627 - Science Fiction: History and Innovation
CP629 - Second Thoughts: Women Novelists from Bronte to Jelinek
CP636 - European Realism
CP642 - The Epic: From Homer to Walcott
CP644 - Creatures of the Night: Vampires in Literature and Film
CP646 - Prize Winners
CP650 - Decadence in Fin-de-Siecle Europe
CP652 - Postcolonial Images of Africa and South Asia
You have the opportunity to select wild modules in this stage
Stage 3
Possible modules may include:
HI6049 - The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the Atlantic World, c. 1500 - 1900
HI605 - Independent Documentary Study in History
HI6035 - Anglo-French Relations 1904 - 1945
HI6044 - British Politics 1625-1642
HI6045 - Origins of the Second World War
HI6046 - Wolves, Walruses and the Wild
HI6037 - Science Satirised
HI6039 - The Rights Revolution: The 20th Century US Supreme Court & Society
HI6040 - The Discovery of the World c.1450 - 1800
HI6041 - The Crusades in the Thirteenth Century
HI6029 - The Great War: British Memory, History and Culture
HI6030 - Empires of Religion
HI6021 - Famine in Pre-Industrial Societies
HI6024 - Napoleon and Europe, 1799 - 1815
HI796 - Inviting Doomsday: US Environmental
HI747 - The Cold War, 1941 - 1991
HI770 - From Blitzkrieg to Baghdad: Armoured Warfare in Theory, Practise and Im
HI6012 - From Crisis to Revolution: France 1774-1799
HI6014 - Riders on the Storm
HI6016 - The English Reformation and the Invention of the Middle Ages
HI5095 - Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: The British and French Experienc
HI5099 - The Wars of the Roses
HI5093 - Armies at War 1914-1918
HI5068 - War and Modern Medicine 1850-1950
HI5072 - The American Revolution
HI5024 - The American Civil War Era 1848-1877
CP652 - Postcolonial Images of Africa and South Asia
CP653 - Comparative Literature and English & Linguistics in the Classroom
CP650 - Decadence in Fin-de-Siecle Europe
CP647 - Prize Winners
CP644 - Creatures of the Night: Vampires in Literature and Film
CP642 - The Epic: From Homer to Walcott
CP636 - European Realism
CP641 - SWIPE Undergraduate Conference
CP629 - Second Thoughts: Women Novelists from Bronte to Jelinek
CP627 - Science Fiction: History and Innovation
CP624 - The Shoah in Literature, Film and Culture
CP611 - Postmodernism
CP609 - Modernism and the European Avant-Garde
CP530 - Marriage, Adultery and Divorce in 19th Century Fiction
CP527 - Medieval Literature and Culture
CP518 - The Book and the Film: Adaptation and Interpretation
CP658 - Nordic Literature and Film
CP656 - Shakespeare's Afterlives
You have the opportunity to select wild modules in this stage
English Language Requirements
IELTS band : 6.5
To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to
take an IELTS test.Requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
- A level:ABB including History grade B excluding general studies and critical thinking
- Access to HE Diploma:The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma):The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.
- International Baccalaureate:34 points overall or 16 points at HL including History 5 at HL or 6 at SL
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements.Work Experience
No work experience is required.
Related Scholarships*
- Academic Excellence Scholarship
"The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."
- Access Bursary
Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.
- Alumni Bursary
Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students
* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Kent.
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Our 2015 financial support package includes a £6,000 cash bursary spread over the duration of your course. For Ts&Cs and to find out more, visit our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence, which will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our funding pages. Please note that details of the scholarship for 2015 entry have not yet been finalised and are subject to change.
Comparative Literature and History at the University of Kent offers a distinctive interdisciplinary approach, allowing students to explore the interconnectedness of literary texts and historical contexts across different periods and cultures. This program is designed for students who are interested in understanding how literature reflects, influences, and is shaped by historical events and societal changes. The course combines the study of literary works from various nations and eras with in-depth analysis of historical developments, providing a comprehensive view of how cultural narratives evolve over time. Students will engage with texts from a diverse range of traditions, including European, Asian, African, and American literatures, alongside a solid grounding in historical methodologies. The program emphasizes critical thinking, analytical skills, and comparative analyses, encouraging students to draw connections and contrasts across different literary and historical traditions. Through lectures, seminars, and independent research projects, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the ways in which literature serves as a mirror and agent of societal change. The university’s strong resources, including specialized libraries and digital archives, support research and independent study. Graduates of this program acquire skills that are highly valued in careers such as education, cultural management, journalism, public policy, and academia. The program encourages international perspectives and often includes opportunities for study abroad, enhancing students’ global awareness and intercultural competence. Overall, the Comparative Literature and History degree at Kent provides a thorough and stimulating academic experience, preparing students for careers that require critical analysis, cultural understanding, and historical insight.
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