MA English Literature

About the course

Pursue your own intellectual interests and develop advanced critical thinking and literary analysis skills.

Research-active experts in their fields deliver the taught elements - small seminar groups enabling significant individual support and guidance.

A thorough knowledge of 19th century and 20th century texts and contexts, and specific units in Reading Ulysses, Literary Pilgrimages, and Children’s and Young Adult Literature allow you to reflect on significant historical, intellectual and philosophical debates.

Research Methods develops further skills necessary at postgraduate level.

Building on your interests, a final dissertation project allows you to conduct independent research in a topic of your choosing.

Intermediate qualifications available:

• Postgraduate certificate – 60 credits at Masters level
• Postgraduate diploma – 120 credits at Masters level

Why choose this course?

• Study in a department with vibrant research culture with regular visiting speakers and literary events, on a course informed by the research expertise of a teaching team widely published in their respective fields and receiving consistently high results in the National Student Survey (NSS)
• Explore the wider cultural scope of your studies with specialist field trips to museums, galleries, libraries and archives, giving you the opportunity to study unique primary materials and meet professionals from these institutions
• Develop skills which are invaluable for careers within the media, culture and knowledge industries, giving you career opportunities in advertising and marketing; arts and heritage management; broadcasting; business; communication and public relations; education, either as a primary or a secondary school teacher; journalism; librarianship or publishing
• Gain access to the Hockliffe and the Cinderella Collections, amongst the most important archives of children’s literature in the UK
• Benefit from acquiring the essential skills to enable you to progress doctoral level studies with an MPhil or PhD research degree.

This course is distinctive for the interdisciplinary and innovative ways in which it allows you to pursue your own intellectual interests and to develop advanced skills of critical thinking and literary analysis.

How will I be assessed?

Formative assessment tasks include: - Research Proposal - Peer Review activities - Self-assessment forms Summative assessment tasks include: - Essays - Seminar presentations - A Portfolio of Research Skills - Industry focused Critical Commentary Dissertation Project The setting of assessed seminar papers within the taught units enables you and your peers to take control of an aspect of the topic under discussion, extended essays enable you to undertake more in-depth research, while the review of an article is designed to help you engage effectively with critical debates in the field.