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International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies
Reading the world through languages and cultures
In a highly globalised and mobile world, cross-cultural knowledge is essential to becoming active participants in the global community.
Literature both reflects and shapes cultural and intellectual life. Our rich, vibrant and interdisciplinary program offers a personally rewarding experience that prepares our students for global career paths in journalism, cultural industries, and international government and non-government organisations.
Our academics specialise in a variety of languages and cultures, as well as in literature, film studies, theatre studies, cultural studies and the social sciences. Our intellectual diversity enables new ways of understanding cultural difference and negotiation, an important skill for the 21st century.
Our study offerings
What is the relationship between literature, language and culture? What can we learn about different societies from the stories they produce? International and Comparative Literary Studies is a vibrant, interdisciplinary subject taught by academics with vast expertise in the languages and cultures of the world.
Undergraduate
- International and Comparative Literary Studies*
- International and Comparative Literary Studies (Honours)
*Available in the shared pool of majors and minors
Research
Our research
Our strengths in research cover the following areas, and we provide supervision and mentoring to Honours, Doctoral and Postdoctoral students in these areas:
- Modern literature and literary modernism in and across the countries and cultures named above (including North America and Australia)
- Transcultural and translation studies
- Literary theories and genres across cultures
- Literature and performance
- Comparative poetics
- Literature and cinema, including film adaptations
- Cross-cultural sociology and politics of literature
- Literature, history, and memory
- Literature and nationalism
- Cultural and religious identities in literature
- Popular literature and popular culture
- Postcoloniality, migration and diaspora
- Literature, gender and feminist thought
- Gay, lesbian and queer literature and cinema
Our people
- Associate Professor Giorgia Alù
- Dr Benoît Berthelier
- Honorary Associate Dr Yasuko Claremont
- Associate Professor Anthony Dracopoulos
- Dr Kylie Giblett
- Professor Vrasidas Karalis
- Dr Mats Karlsson
- Dr Vek Lewis
- Dr Tamaki Mihic
- Dr Benjamin Nickl
- Dr Fernanda Peñaloza
- Dr Josh Stenberg
- Dr Brangwen Stone
- Associate Professor Rebecca Suter
- Dr Sonia Wilson
- Dr Léa Vuong
- Associate Professor Dwi Noverini Djenar
- Undergraduate, postgraduate research and exchange enquiries: sonia.wilson@sydney.edu.au
- Honours enquiries: chiewhui.ho@sydney.edu.au
- Dr Darius Sepheri
Events
See our school's calendar for a full listing of upcoming events.
The third international congress of the World Literature Association on 'World Literatures and the Global South' was proudly hosted by the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Sydney from 23–25 August 2019.
Co-convened with the Peking University Australian Studies Centre and the World Literature Association, this international conference engaged with literary production on and from the Global South in their own languages as well as in translation.