Comparative Literature and Critical Translation (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

The MSt in Comparative Literature and Critical Translation is a nine-month, interdisciplinary course designed to give you critical, theoretical and research expertise in the fields of comparative and world literature and translation studies.

The course is attached to Oxford’s research centre in Comparative Criticism and Translation (OCCT) and builds on the recent growth in scholarly awareness of the importance of translation to comparative and world literary study. This is what is meant by ‘critical translation’: not translator training, but rather an interest in the role played by translation and re-writing in literary history, and an alertness to the uses of translation in critical practice.

To take this course, you must be able to work with two relevant languages and their literature, details of which can be found under Entry Requirements.

You will be able to participate in the rich research culture of OCCT. This includes the lively postgraduate-led discussion group, regular research seminars and workshops, the public events of Oxford Translation Day, and lectures by the Weidenfeld Visiting Professor in Comparative European Literature (recent incumbents have included Ali Smith, Elif Shafak, Durs Grünbein, Véronique Tadjo, Jhumpa Lahiri).

The academic mentor and the graduate teaching assistant who are attached to the course will help you to orient yourself in the research culture of OCCT and the wider university.

You will also be able to attend seminars and other events from across the faculties of Medieval and Modern Languages, English Language and Literature, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, thereby encountering a wide range of leading writers, critics, and theorists from within and beyond the University.

If you wish, you may also choose to study another language at the Oxford University Language Centre. This opportunity is free of charge for students taking the MSt in Comparative Literature and Critical Translation, though it is not an assessed part of your MSt course.

Course structure
The MSt is comprised of a core course, two option courses and a dissertation.

The core course is taught by a weekly lecture and seminar, for the first six weeks in Michaelmas (autumn) and Hilary (spring) terms. You will give presentations in the seminars (usually twice each term), and write a short practice essay at the end of Michaelmas term: these formative assignments will not affect your degree result.

You will take one option course in Michaelmas term and one option course in Hilary term. These options are chosen from a wide range available in the faculties of Medieval and Modern Languages, English Language and Literature, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Teaching for an option consists of regular one-to-one or small-group meetings, with feedback being given as appropriate. Your options must focus on literature in different languages (eg Arabic in one term, English in the other; or French in one term, Russian in the other). Some options may not have a language requirement, or may span more than one language: in such cases, the course convener will advise you so that your choices cover an appropriate range.

For the dissertation, you will work closely with a supervisor, starting at the end of Michaelmas term and continuing through Hilary term, though the bulk of the work will be concentrated in Trinity (summer) term. You will present your dissertation work-in-progress at a seminar day organised jointly with the OCCT discussion group in Trinity term.