Critical analysis demanded by the study of literary texts offers powerful tools for investigating cultural and social forms. The Literature and Critical Theory program trains you to think about how problems of the present are tied to those of the past, and to consider critically how we both represent this history and imagine possible futures. You will be engaged in the practice of close, contextualized analyses of literary texts and other discursive forms including artifacts, institutions and social practices, originating in different languages, geographical locations, and historical periods.
Program Contacts
Professor Shaun Ross
Program Coordinator
shaun.ross@utoronto.ca
Wanda Thorne
Academic Programs Liaison Officer (Acting)
vic.academics@utoronto.ca
Chris de Barros
Academic Programs Liaison Officer (On Leave)
vic.academics@utoronto.ca
Program Details and Requirements
Literature and Critical Theory teaches students to analyze literature, film, artworks, music, and other types of texts. Students in this program learn to compare works originating in various languages, geographical locations, and historical moments. Students are also taught to reflect critically on language usage, interpretative practices, theoretical constructs, and on what it means to compare works of different kinds.
LCT Specialist and Major programs allow you to pursue either Cultural Theory or Comparative Literature as an area of focused interest. The Minor in LCT forms a coherent adjunct to Major or Specialist programs in English, Classics, Philosophy, Cinema Studies, Women's Studies, Caribbean Studies, Renaissance Studies, or any discipline in which the study of language, culture, or interpretation is central.
Program Requirements | Specialist, Major, and Minor
The Literature and Critical Theory Specialist, Major, and Minor programs explore existing and generate new links between literature and historical, cultural, political, social, and psychological forces.
LCT Program Requirements