MA English

The highlights

• You will cover a varied range of theoretical approaches to literature: from the cutting-edge to the historically significant
• The modules are grouped by theme rather than historical periods, so you will see connections between texts from different times and places, from early-modern Europe to contemporary Africa
• We encourage original thinking and intellectual self-reflection and apply this to contemporary debates around issues like sustainability and decolonisation
• We’ll make sure you have an exceptional student experience, with more contact hours than most universities and staff that go the extra mile. 

Understand how narratives shape our world 

We can learn a lot from studying English literature. By rigorously assessing literary history, we can better understand cultural history and the narratives that continue to shape our contemporary world: from ‘fake news’ to gender or racial identity, human impact on the environment and freedom of expression.

On this MA English, we encourage you to think and write critically about some of these major concerns through the study of diverse and exciting literary texts, informed by intellectual, theoretical and historical context. We’ll provide a solid grounding in literary and cultural theory, which will complement the extensive research you will undertake yourself. 

These are the key themes you will explore:

• Theory, culture and criticism
• The representation of landscape and changing attitudes to the natural world
• The role of humour, satire and the carnivalesque
• Global literature and travel writing
• Blasphemy, obscenity and censorship.

You will read literature from a variety of nations and gain an insight into the relationship between different cultures and perspectives. You will critically reflect on how your own and other people’s cultural values have been shaped in our increasingly globalised world.

A strong research core

You will develop advanced research skills during this programme, building on the ones you acquired during your first degree, and preparing you for further research at doctorate level if that’s something you want to do. In fact, you will have the opportunity to attend workshops on preparing for PhD and funding applications.

We’ve created a structure and set of assessments that help you develop increasing independence as you progress, so by the final trimester, you will be able to approach your Independent Study (dissertation) with confidence. For instance, you will study the ‘Theory, Culture and Criticism’ module, which blends research methodology with complex theoretical perspectives on literary study, arguing that they are inseparable.

In the final stage of the programme, you will use these theories and research methodologies to undertake your Independent Study, which needs to be a substantial piece of original research in an area of your choice. You will be allocated a supervisor to guide you, who has considerable research expertise.

A powerful set of skills

This MA develops a wide set of skills, including:

• intellectual curiosity
• advanced analytical thinking
• advanced written and verbal communication skills
• the ability to:
  • appraise concepts and ideas
  • create well-researched, well-structured arguments
  • operate as an independent learner or researcher
  • critically reflect on advanced personal learning and respond productively to constructive feedback.

These will not only help to make you a much better literary critic but also make you highly valuable to society, and highly employable.