Why this programme?

Gain a deeper understanding of inequality, crisis and power relations

On this programme, you will examine societal issues by studying literature in relation to various forms of inequality (in terms of class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, among others) as well as crisis (economic, environmental, and so on). Individual courses explore the formative role of power relations in culture, focusing on the way in which historical and ideological processes, such as colonialism, (de)industrialisation and neoliberalism, have shaped the development of literature in the English-speaking world. The programme also offers extensive training in the epistemology and methodology of cultural studies and critical theory and emphasises certain areas of research within English-language literary and cultural studies, such as working-class literature, ecocriticism, and postcolonial studies, among others, in order to ask questions such as the following:

  • How do ideological and power relations affect the construction of cultural, and especially literary, texts?
  • How are forms of social inequality and domination expressed and represented in English-language literature?
  • Which historical processes have created the most significant interactions between literature, culture, and society in the English-speaking world?

This programme will provide you with the tools to examine your own position in society and to develop a critical attitude towards multiple forms of injustice.