Course information

Course highlights

• The truly international programme offers students the ability to study three languages at three different institutions.
• Erasmus Mundus students who choose St Andrews as their home university have the option of conducting work placements.
• Students plan their own mobility track, or course of study, across two years.

Teaching format

The Erasmus Mundus MLitt in Crossways in Cultural Narratives is a two-year taught postgraduate programme open to both European and non-European students. It is run by an international consortium of the following universities:

• Bergamo, Italy
• Lisboa, Portugal
• Poznan, Poland
• Perpignan, France
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain
• St Andrews, Scotland
• Sheffield, England
• Guelph, Canada
• Entre Ríos, Argentina
• Mexico City, Mexico.

The programme centres on the theme of crossways and cultural hybridisation. Its major discipline is literature with a comparative approach, but it includes modules in aesthetics, history of ideas, semiotics, linguistics and communication. Study at St Andrews focuses on the areas of cultural identities and comparative literature.

The course is divided into four semesters. Students spend Semesters 2 and 3 at the same university, and Semesters 1 and 4 at two different universities. Please note that students may not choose a mobility track comprising both St Andrews and Sheffield, and they may not spend the same academic year in both Canada and the UK.

Students may choose their modules (subject to final approval by the Crossways Academic Council), or they may choose a preselected pathway of modules.

The Mundus programme counts credit values in ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which are worth twice as much as St Andrews credits (for example, 20 ECTS credits are equal to 40 St Andrews credits). Students must take 30 ECTS (60 St Andrews credits) minimum per semester.

During the programme, students participate in courses delivered through lectures and seminars which are graded by either continuous assessment, the preparation of a researched dossier or examinations at the end of the semester. At the end of the course, students work autonomously on a final dissertation (worth 20 ECTS) under supervision by members of the consortium's teaching staff.

Modules

Below are the modules which are compulsory for study at the University of St Andrews. For all modules offered by the Erasmus Mundus programme, see the overall programme modules table.

For more details of modules offered at St Andrews, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue.

Semester 1

• Literary and Cultural Theory 1: provides research training by exploring a range of literary and cultural theories through which texts may be conceptualised, criticised and analysed.
• undergraduate language module chosen from French, Italian or Spanish
  
• one optional module

Semesters 2 and 3

• four optional modules
• Dissertation Report (an extended scholarly essay of approximately 10,000 words) or Short Dissertation Report (an extended scholarly essay of 6,000 words) and Work-Related Project (a placement or project designed to explore the application of academic and intellectual skills with the world of employment).
• Dissertation Progress: a series of one-to-one meetings with the supervisor in which specific areas and issues of the topic of your dissertation are explored.
  

Semester 4

• one optional module
• Mundus Dissertation: 20,000-word dissertation on an approved topic.
  

Optional modules

This is a sample of the optional modules available for Crossways in Cultural Narratives. Optional modules are subject to change each year, and attendance may be limited (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

• Literary and Cultural Theory 1
• Literary and Cultural Theory 2
• Middle Eastern Literary Cultural Contexts
• Specialised Research in Middle Eastern Literatures and Cultures, French Studies, German Studies, Italian Studies, Russian Studies or Spanish and Latin American Studies
• Apples and Oranges: Issues in Comparative Literature
• The Contemporary Canon: Why Books Sell
• French Literary Revolutions
• German Literary and Cultural Contexts
• Italian Literary and Cultural Contexts
• Research and Professional Skills
• Problems of Culture and Identity 1
• Problems of Culture and Identity 2
• Europe and America: Dialogues and Identity Formation in Text, Film and Theory
• Generations in Russian Literature and Culture
• Patterns in Hispanic Literature and Film

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2015-2016 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2016 entry.

Take a look at the most up to date modules in the module catalogue.

Dissertation

During Semesters 2 and 3, students will begin preparing and researching to write the final component of the Erasmus Mundus MLitt, a 20,000-word dissertation, during Semester 4.

You will write the dissertation in one of the principal languages of your study, but it does not necessarily need to be in the language of the country of study during Semester 4.

Dissertation are supervised by a principal and support supervisor from two universities of the consortium. These supervisors will provide topic guidance and support throughout the research and writing process.

Work placement

Students who study at St Andrews for Semester 2 and 3 have the option of going on a work placement during their second semester or between their second and third semesters. Those on a work placement will write a short 6,000-word dissertation report as well as a 4,000-word academic essay reflecting on their placement.

Students are encouraged to arrange their own work placements at an organisation of their choice. All work placements are conditional upon the approval of the local coordinator.

Conferences and events

There is a mailing list for Crossways in Cultural Narratives which distributes calls for papers and announcements that may be relevant to the research activities of the consortium. To subscribe to the mailing list, email munduscrossways-subscribe@unibg.it.

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Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).