Description of Doctoral Programme

The aim of the scientific discipline known as “Comparative Studies” is to identify relationships between authors, texts, works of art, movements and phenomena of different cultures so as to highlight their characteristic aspects in terms of both continuity and specificity.

In the contemporary era of multiculturalism and globalization, as the  dissemination of ideas becomes increasingly more rapid and widespread, an openness to alterity acquires fundamental significance and impacts linguistic, literary and artistic experiences, thereby modifying consolidated models and creating new ones.

On the basis of these considerations, and also with reference to recent interchanges within the European Union regarding cultural policies, the comparativist approach permits an important and original expansion of the themes and perspectives of recent research in linguistics, literature and art history.

Thus, the main objectives of the doctoral programme focus on preparing scholars with excellent critical, analytical skills in the fields of literature, languages and art history. 

The tools and methodologies acquired by the doctoral candidates in their chosen fields of study will be enhanced and strengthened thanks to the typically comparativist contributions inherent in the comparison of different cultures, languages, literatures, artistic pieces and their contexts. Within the basic uniformity of the doctoral programme, four curricula are offered: Foreign Languages and Literatures; Italian Studies; Art History; Literary Theory and Italian Linguistics.