Comparative Literature with Film Studies

Comparative literature with film studies is a degree that takes seriously the full breadth of literary and cinematic expression across languages, cultures, and historical periods. Comparative literature asks what we can learn by reading texts from different traditions alongside each other, examining how literary themes, forms, and innovations travel across linguistic and national boundaries and how the contexts of production shape what a text can mean. Film studies brings a parallel concern for moving image culture, asking how films create meaning and how cinema as a medium has developed distinct artistic possibilities.

At King's College London, this three-year full-time degree offers comparative literature modules that embrace ten languages and five continents, spanning more than 2,500 years of literary production. The focus extends from the modern and ancient literatures of Europe to the Americas, the Middle East, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, making this one of the most genuinely global literary programmes available in the UK. Each year includes film studies modules providing detailed knowledge of film theory, the creative potential of film and media, and the relationship between cinema, media, and society.

King's location in the heart of London provides unrivalled access to libraries, archives, and cultural institutions. A typical entry tariff of 152 points applies.

Graduates from comparative literature with film studies develop exceptional analytical and communicative skills alongside genuine multilingual and cross-cultural breadth. Careers in publishing, journalism, translation, film criticism, broadcasting, cultural policy, education, arts administration, and the creative industries are all natural destinations. Postgraduate study in comparative literature, film studies, cultural studies, or translation is a natural continuation for those wishing to develop specialist scholarly or professional expertise.