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Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Code: 100255 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Humanities OT 3
Humanities OT 4
Spanish Language and Literature OT 3
Spanish Language and Literature OT 4
English Studies OT 3
English Studies OT 4
Science, Technology and Humanities OT 4

Contact

Name:
Antonio Penedo Picos
Email:
antonio.penedo@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

By obtaining the minimum of credits in basic training subjects, students have demonstrated to have acquired the basic competences and they will be able to express themselves orally and in writing. For this reason, any spelling and expression errors that may be committed will lead to a score decrease in the final grade.

Activities, practical sessions and papers submitted in the course must be original and under no circumstances will the total or partial plagiarism of third-party materials published on any medium be admitted. Any submission of non-original material without properly indicating its origin will automatically result in a failure rating (0) and the taking of disciplinary sanctions (such as written information to the competent bodies of the university and which will also suppose the absolute impossibility of any option to re-evaluation).

It is also expected that students know the general rules of submission of an academic work. However, students could apply the specific rules that the teacher of the subject may indicate to them, if they deem it necessary.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The subject is aimed at all those who wish to acquire training in new methods for the study of literature within the general field of culture. The new disciplines that study the literary phenomenon but also the artistic one in general will be exposed in order to arrive at a rethinking of the New Humanities in the 21st century. Therefore, the approaches will also involve areas of knowledge such as sociology, politics, philosophy, sciences and new technologies. Cultural Studies tries to explain any activity (in our case, aesthetic practices) as generators of identity, knowledge and social influence. Therefore we are facing the most advanced and recent perspective -in the international framework- that is being experienced to analyze and understand cinema, art, literature, music and, in general, the artistic fields that manifest themselves in cyberculture, digital culture and audiovisual media.

Cultural Studies deals explicitly with the construction and deconstruction of identities in their different meanings: national, sexual, ideological, spiritual. These are issues that the model requires as a necessary fulfillment, since culture is not just a reception of data but the incorporation into our personality of all those discourses. Therefore, they will be treated openly, freely and plurally, always from a creative and critical analysis where freedom of expression -in mutual respect- and learning in listening to different positions will be assured. This must be the meaning of the University.

The course aims to integrate in a coherent and understandable way this new way of thinking by the Studies of Arts and Humanities in the globalized world and to ensure that what is learned allows a transfer of knowledge between university and the working world. Empowering students in this diversity of approaches is expected to facilitate their employability in all possible scenarios. In short, it is about Arts and Humanities Studies occupying the rightful central position in the refounding of the civil and participative society.

 


Competences

    Humanities
  • Critically analysing today's culture and its historical conditions.
  • Designing, producing, disseminating and commercializing a cultural product.
  • Interpreting social and cultural diversity.
  • Properly using the resources and methodologies of the study of contemporary culture.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    Spanish Language and Literature
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Use the methodology and concepts of literary analysis taking into account sources and contexts.
    English Studies
  • Apply the methodology of analysis and critical concepts to analysing the literature, culture and history of English-speaking countries.
  • Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages (except English).
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    Science, Technology and Humanities
  • Describe the interactions between art, literature and science as drivers of complex creative processes and in the dissemination of knowledge.
  • Display a capacity for organisation and planning and, at the same time, for adapting to new problems or situations.
  • Produce written papers and give effective oral presentations, adopting the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse literary texts using the different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
  2. Analysing literary texts using different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
  3. Argue on various literary themes and problems in relation to different works and evaluate the results.
  4. Arguing about several issues and literary problems for the purpose of different works and the assessment of the results.
  5. Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
  6. Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and the relationship between literature and the human, artistic and social areas.
  7. Critically interpret literary works taking into account the relationships between the different fields of literature and their relationship with human, artistic and social areas.
  8. Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  9. Describing the characteristics of a literary text and the characteristic methods of analysis of the discipline.
  10. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  11. Explain the basic characteristics of the compared literary texts.
  12. Explaining the basic characteristics of comparative literary texts.
  13. Explaining the basic characteristics of literary texts.
  14. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
  15. Identify and explain the basic characteristics of literary texts and the interpretation process.
  16. Identify and explain the basic characteristics of literary texts and the process of interpretation.
  17. Identify and explain the basic structures of literary works.
  18. Identify different literary elements and their insertion in different texts and styles of discourse.
  19. Identifying and explaining the basic structures of literary works.
  20. Identifying various literary elements and inserting them into different texts and discursive styles.
  21. Interpreting the regulatory information that is located in the web pages of regulatory institutions.
  22. Make a plan for producing a paper on the subject area.
  23. Match literary texts to their corresponding formal and cultural contexts.
  24. Perform tasks on authors, methods, and currents in Comparative Literature, linking them to content from other human disciplines.
  25. Preparing a summary from a given text.
  26. Solve problems related to methods of study of different literatures.
  27. Solve problems related to the historical placement of literary texts.
  28. Solve problems related to the theoretical foundations and the main concepts in the study of literary criticism.
  29. Solving problems about authors and currents of comparative literature, connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
  30. Solving problems about writers, methods and currents of comparative literature, and connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
  31. Solving problems autonomously.
  32. Solving problems related to the study of different literatures.
  33. Solving tasks about authors, methods and currents of the comparative literature.
  34. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  35. Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
  36. Use the skills acquired with autonomy.
  37. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
  38. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

 I. ISSUES AND CONCEPTS

1. Cultural Studies:  Its application to Comparative Literature.

2. Culture as Representation: Reality (s) and signs.

3. Humanism, science and consciousness in the digital age.

4. Cyberculture.

 

II. METHODOLOGY

1. Transdisciplinarity: how to simultaneously apply different methods to the same phenomenon (artistic and cultural).

2. Mythocriticism and archetypal psychology of Carl Gustav Jung.

3. 'Third Culture': the (false) debate between science and humanities.

4. Neuroscience: application of neurobiology to the understanding of the aesthetic experience; cognition and emotional intelligence in works of art.

5. Cosmology and quantum physics: universe, multiverse and alternative realities; the interaction between consciousness and matter. Implications for the concept of fiction and science fiction.

 

III. COMPARATIVE LITERATURE ESSAYS AND CULTURAL STUDIES

1. Metropolis,  Fritz Lang

2. Blade Runner,  Ridley Scott

3. Dune,  David Lynch

4. Matrix Trilogy,  The Wachowskis.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theoretical-practical classes 60 2.4
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials and assessment 15 0.6
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of classes, tests and papers 75 3

The methodology will be very simple: the classes will consist of the teaching presentation of the programmed contents and their reflection thanks to the students' participation. In order to give the information it will be necessary be supported by a dossier of translated articles that will be explained during the classroom work. On the basis of the oral enunciation and the written material, a set of arguments and perspectives will be obtained, whose coherence and effectiveness will be achieved at the end of the course. 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Final work 50% 0 0 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 9, 25, 23, 22, 13, 12, 11, 14, 10, 37, 20, 18, 15, 16, 17, 19, 8, 6, 7, 21, 34, 38, 31, 28, 32, 26, 27, 33, 29, 30, 24, 35, 36
Test 1. 25% 0 0 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 9, 25, 23, 22, 13, 12, 11, 14, 10, 37, 20, 18, 15, 16, 17, 19, 6, 8, 7, 21, 34, 38, 31, 28, 26, 32, 27, 33, 30, 29, 24, 35, 36
Test 2. 25% 0 0 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 9, 25, 23, 22, 13, 12, 11, 14, 10, 37, 20, 18, 15, 16, 17, 19, 6, 8, 7, 21, 34, 38, 31, 28, 26, 32, 27, 33, 30, 29, 24, 35, 36

 

1. The test delivery date will be announced at the beginning of the course.

2. All tests wil be submitted by email.

3. All tests may be re-evaluated on the date indicated in the faculty calendar.

 

COMMON CRITERIA FOR CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT AND SINGLE ASSESSMENT

4. The use of any material distribuited in previus courses that is not included en the current course's virtual campus is prohibited. It will not be evaluated and, depending on its use, will result in a progressive reduction in the grade.

5. Those who have not submitted more than 30% of the assessment tests are considered 'non-evaluable'.

6. To pass the subject, a final average grade of at least 5 must be obtained.

7. Those who have completed at least two-thirds of the assessment tests are entitled to re-evaluation.

8. Those with an average grade lower than 3.5 will not be able to take the re-evaluation.

 

EVALUATION TESTS:

1. The first test will consist of preparing a research project on a artistic subject: a full-page table of contents and outline, a five-pages thesis and hypothesis, and a bibliography on the final page. It will account for 25% of the grade.

2. The second test will consist of a five-page critical analysis of a current article related to the course. It will account for 25% of the grade.

3. 50% of the grade will be contributed by the 3 test of the subject, whose elaboration rules are broken down in the following sections.

 

RULES FORTHE ASSESSMENT OF THE 3 TEST: 

1st The work will be evaluable only when it reaches a minimum extension of 15 pages. Otherwise it will be considered a 'non-assessable' test.

2nd Chapters, paragraphs, sections (regardless of the division chosen) can't coincide with the title and author of the dossiers: It is not about making a summary, separately, dossier by dossier.

3rd Thedossiers that must be treated can't be selected: all must be explicitly used.

4th There must be, for each dossier, explicit bibliographical citations (locating text and page).

5th The entire teaching discourse taught in class by the subject's teacher is considered to be matter for evaluation. The progressive lack thereof will proportionally reduce the grade obtained.

6th The work will consist in the definition, use and detailed reflection of eachand every one of the concepts,questions and scopes of analysis developed during the course. It will not consist of a synthesis or short selection of them.

7th The course syllabus and the disciplinary approaches - supported by the articles explained in class - will serve as an orientation and guide for the development of the previous section.

9th There is total freedom in the way of reordering and distributing the material, as well as in the decision about the main thesis on which the process of argumentation of the work is to be built.

10th Personal opinions are not evaluable, only respectable.

11th The evaluation will consist of the reasoned and documented ability to argue freely, critically about the approaches that students wish to develop from the subject matter.

12th Commenting on films in a separate section is prohibited. The work will be suspended.

 

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject. It is recommended to specify that those assessment acts in which there have been irregularities (copying, unauthorized use of AI, etc.) are not recoverable. It is strictly prohibited to present as work of human authorship any evaluation test generated by 'artificial intelligence' programs.

By means of an oral tutorial, the original authorship of the tests signed by the student can be verified.

 

SINGLE ASSESSMENT:

1st test: Preparation of a research project on any issue on the agenda: index, outline,thesis and bibliography (in no case the development of these points, but the hypothetical proposal of the project, in an extension of 1+5+1 pages). 25% of the grade. 

2nd test: Critical analysis in 5 pages of a current article, related to the concepts of the subject. 25% of the grade.

3rd test: Preparation of a 15-page final paper, where the concepts, perspectives and arguments developed during the course are exposed and reflected upon. The work must necessarily contain bibliographical citations of the articles studied in class, ACCORDING TO THE RULES FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE FINAL YEAR PROJECT. 50% of the grade. 

The three tests must be submitted in the same submission date of the test 3 of the continuous assessment.

The re-evaluation will follow the same procedure as the evaluation, according to the faculty calendar.

 


Bibliography

 

 

ALONSO, Andoni e Iñaki ARZOZ

2002 La nueva Ciudad de Dios. Un juego cibercultural sobre el tecno-hermetismo, Madrid, Siruela.

BAUMAN, Zygmunt

2001 La sociedad individualizada, Madrid, Cátedra, 2001.

2001 Comunidad. En busca de seguridad en un mundo hostil, Madrid, Siglo XXI, 2003.

BASSHAM Gregory

2010 The Ultimated Harry Potter and Philosophy, New Yersey, Blackwell Publishing. BREITHAUPT, Fritz 2011 Culturas de la empatía, Buenos Aires, Katz Editores. BORRÁS, Laura (ed.)

2005 Textualidades electrónicas. Nuevos escenarios para la literatura, Barcelona, UOC. BRIER, Søren 2008 Cybersemiotics. Why Information Is Not Enough, TorontoUniversity Press.

CAPRA, Fritjof

1996 La trama de la vida. Una nueva perspectiva de los sistemas vivos, Barcelona, Anagrama, 1998

2002 Las conexiones ocultas. Implicaciones sociales, medioambientales, económicas y biológicas de una nueva visión del mundo, Barcelona, Anagrama, 2003.

CASTELLS, Manuel

1996-2003 La sociedad de la información (3 vols.), Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 2000-3.

CLAEYS, Gregory (ed.)

2010 The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature.

CHAN KIM, W y Renée MAUBORGNE

2008 La estrategia del océano azul. Cómo crear en el mercado espacios no disputados en los que la competencia sea irrelevante, Barcelona, Edigrabel, 2008.

FELBER, Christian

2012 La economía del bien común, Barcelona, Ediciones Deusto, 2012.

FIGUEROA,Fernando

2014 Elgraffiti de firma, Madrid, Minobilia.

FLORIDA, Richard

2008 La clase creativa, Barcelona, Paidós,2010.

FRIEDMAN, Harris y Glenn HARTELIUS (eds.)

2013 Transpersonal Psychology, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell.

FUSTER, Joaquín 2013 The Neuroscience of Freedom and Creativity, CambridgeUniversity Press.

GREEN, Brian

1999 El universo elegante, Barcelona, Crítica, 2001. 2004 El tejido del cosmos. Espacio, tiempo y la textura de la realidad, Barcelona, Crítica, 2006

HARRISON, Peter (ed.)

2008 The Cambridge Companion to Science and Religion, Cambridge University Press.

JAMES, Edward y Farah MENDLESOHN (eds.)

2003 The Cambridge Companion to Science-Fiction.

2009 The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature.

JOHNSON, Steven

2001 Sistemas emergentes. O qué tienen en común hormigas, neuronas, ciudades y sofware, Madrid, Turner, 2003.

JUNG, Carl Gustav

La dinámica de lo inconsciente, Obra Completa 8, Madrid, Trotta, 2004.

Los arquetipos y lo inconsciente colectivo, Obra Completa 9/1, Madrid, Trotta, 2002.

JUUL, Jesper

2005 Half-real. Videogames between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds, Massachusetts, MIT.

KYMLICKA, W

1995 Ciudadanía multicultural, Barcelona, Paidós, 1996.

LÉRY, Pierre

2006 Cibercultura. La cultura en la era digital, Madrid, Anthropos, 2007.

MOLINUEVO, José Luis

2004 Humanismo y nuevas tecnologías, Madrid, Alianza

NICOLESCU, Basarad (ed.)

2008 Transdisciplinarity, Cresskill, Hampton Press.

PEAT, F. David Peat

1987 Sincronicidad, Puente entre mente y materia, Barcelona,Kairós, 1989.

RODRIK, Dani

2011 La paradoja de la globalización. Democracia y el futuro de la economíamundial, Barcelona, Antoni Bosch editor, 2011.

RUBIA, Francisco José

2003 La conexióndivina. La experiencia mística y la neurobiología, Barcelona, Crítica.

SÁNCHEZ-MESA, Domingo (ed.)

2004 Literatura y cibercultura, Madrid, Arco-Libros.

SCREIBMAN, Susan (ed.)

2004 A Companion to Digital Humanities, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.

SLOTERDIJK, Peter

1998 Extrañamiento del mundo, Valencia, Pre-Textos, 2001.

VILARIÑO, María Teresa y Anxo ABUÍN

2006 Teoría del hipertexto.La literatura en la era electrónica, Madrid, Arco/Libros

WALLACE, Allan

2008 La ciencia de la mente. Cuando la ciencia y la espiritualidad se encuentran, Barcelona, Kairós, 2009.

WASHBURN, Michael Washburn

1999 Psicología Transpersonal. En una perspectiva psicoanalítica, Barcelona, La Liebre de Marzo, 1994.

WATZLAWICK, Paul y otros

1981 La realidad inventada. ¿Cómo sabemos lo que creemos saber?, Barcelona, Gedisa, 2005.


Software

No specifications added.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish first semester morning-mixed