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This MA introduces you to recent debates on gender in the disciplines of sociology and media and communications studies, and to the interdisciplinary domains of feminist social and cultural theory.
Drawing on the internationally recognised and pioneering expertise of staff in the Department of Sociology and Department of Media and Communications, as well as the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR), the programme offers you the opportunity to develop cutting-edge critical skills in relation to cultural approaches to gender formation and gender theory.
As well as these theoretical and analytical points of orientation, the MA in Gender, Media and Culture aims to help you grasp the importance of epistemology and methodology for the evaluation of empirical investigations of gender formations.
The programme therefore introduces you to, and offers training in, the key socio-cultural methods for the study of gender in the contemporary world, including methods for the study of visual culture; the body and affect; and memory.
These two elements of the programme are brought together in a dissertation study, which involves tailored supervision in the application of research methods to a specific topic.
This programme relates to the following disciplines:
Core components of the programme will familiarise you with the wide range of debates integral to the fields of gender studies, feminist theory, and cultural studies. These include:
You complete one core module and one option module each term, as well as a dissertation module in the spring term. The first core module introduces key debates and developments in feminist theory, cultural theory and, in particular, feminist cultural theory. It introduces both early debates which defined these fields and contemporary developments and departures. More specifically, you will be introduced to social constructivist and post-structuralist perspectives, to ‘new materialism’, to debates on feminism and the critique of universalism; to key questions in relation to feminism and biology; to debates on psycho-analysis and the emergence of queer theory and its intersection with feminist theory.
The second core module examines the place of gender, affect and the body in feminist theory and feminist practice. The course offers you different angles on what has become known as “the affective turn,” placing a strong emphasis on the history of feminist contributions to the study of affect and emotion as well as the body. We ask how bodies are constructed, experienced and lived from a variety of feminist perspectives, attending to questions of corporeal difference, as well as the intimacy of bodies, spaces, objects and technologies. We also reflect on the significance of affect and the body for feminist and queer cultural practices, as well feminist and queer activisms. This module therefore offers instruction in some of the most cutting edge issues in contemporary feminist theory. A team of leading feminist scholars based in the departments of Sociology and Media Communications at Goldsmiths teach this module on the basis of their research specialisms.
There will be a series of dissertation workshops to help you plan and develop your dissertation, especially in regard to issues of methodology and method. Each student will be assigned a supervisor who will work with you to develop your proposal and undertake independent research.
Core modules
Option modules
You have 60 credits at your disposal, you can choose any 30 credit modules related to gender from postgraduate modules across the University. You can choose either a regular option (30 credits) or two ‘mini-options’ (2 x 15 credits).
For your other options, you can choose modules from either the Department of Sociology or the Department of Media and Communications as they co-convene the programme. You can also choose from the following departments across Goldsmiths:
Please note that not all modules are suitable for students from all academic backgrounds; you will discuss your choices with the Programme Convenor at the start of your degree.
Assessment
Assessment consists of coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.
Graduates from this programme gain conceptual and methodological knowledge of the key concepts and debates in the study of gender and culture; the skills of critical analysis; the ability to distinguish and appraise a range of socio-cultural research methodologies; the skills to design and develop a research project; and the ability to recognise and account for sensitive ethical issues relating to research and representation.
The two core courses provide you with the necessary skills to understand the relationships between early debates in the fields of gender studies, feminist theory and feminist cultural theory, and the ability to critically engage with new developments in these fields. Furthermore, you will gain a critical appreciation of the role and place of the body and affect in the development of feminist cultural theory and gender theory, and the challenges that contemporary socio-cultural changes bring to the theorisation of the body.
Previous graduates have embarked on professional careers in social research, think tanks, the arts and cultural sectors, government and public administration, development, human rights, NGOs, and in media and communications globally. They have also progressed to PhD study.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, digital media, cultural theory and practice.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
Research degrees in this department have two elements:
Supervisors and their students form loose research teams, sometimes on a joint basis with another group. When you apply, please indicate your intended research area and any preference for a particular supervisor.
You'll be assessed by a thesis and viva voce.
Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Find out more about research in the Department of Media and Communications.
We aim to develop students who are able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work. You'll develop research skills, presentation skills, an understanding of the workings of the media and their broad cultural and social impacts and an understanding of the pleasures of media consumption.
The Master of Research (MRes) degree prepares you for study at MPhil/PhD level.
We welcome proposals for research in any area connected with media, communications, and cultural theory and practice.
The programme combines taught modules in research methodology with a 20,000-word dissertation, and offers advanced-level training to appropriately qualified students.
We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of our staff.
You will be assessed through your research dissertation, and a portfolio of two essays.
Having celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013, Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications is one of the oldest and largest media departments in the UK. It is also unique in its diversity of approaches to, and articulations of, the disciplinary conjunctures around media and culture.
The Department has equal research strengths in media and communications and in cultural studies research, in humanities and in social sciences approaches, and in theory- and practice-driven work. Its work spans a wide range of topics and modes of enquiry – from philosophical studies of technology and human life to sociological investigations of media production and use; from issues of identity, embodiment and becoming to post-feminism, queer theory and critical race studies; from global screen studies and transnational investigations of media and culture to news’ role in contemporary democracy.
The Department’s research falls into five main strands which make up our research groupings:
(1) Media and Democracy: building on the work of the Leverhulme programme on the media’s contribution to democracy, including the changing nature of journalism and political communication; studying globalisation in relation to issues of diaspora and nationhood
(2) Economy, Culture and Communication: investigating communication and discourse in finance and financial media; everyday representations and understandings of the economy and economic life; creative labour, neoliberalism and organisational practices in the arts and cultural industries; the impact of the promotional professions (branding, PR, marketing) on the economy, culture and society
(3) Media Futures: bringing together humanities and social sciences approaches to understanding the changing role of media technologies and global media flows in society, economy and science
(4) Gender, Feminism and Contemporary Cultures: connecting the long tradition of work within the Department on culture, representation, embodiment and affect to its specific strengths in gender, race, sexuality and labour in national and international contexts
(5) Screen Cultures and Media Arts: consolidating the long-standing focus on screen cultures within the Department, as concentrated within the Leverhulme programme, combined with an exploration of media arts such as photography, video, digital imagining, sound and performance.
Many of the projects undertaken within the Department are collaborative in nature - such as the work conducted under the umbrella of Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre, funded with a 2006 Leverhulme grant to study the design and significance of various contemporary media spaces. Members of the Department have also received funding from AHRC, British Academy, British Council, Carnegie Trust UK, Council for British Research in the Levant, ESRC, EPSRC, Guggenheim Foundation, Higher Education Academy, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, JISC, London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, Media Trust and Open Society Foundation.
As well as working on collaborative projects, members of the Department have published many books with high-impact international presses, on a diverse range of topics: affect and emotion, artificial intelligence, bioethics, the body and experience, branding, broadcasting, democracy, film history, the future of journalism, media geographies, the mediation of power, post-feminism, postcolonial politics, sound and video cultures.
Members of the Department edit leading academic journals, including Body and Society, Culture Machine and its sister project, Photomediations Machine), Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Subjectivity and photographies.
Recent Research Projects
The Department of Media and Communications aims to develop students who should be able to express themselves creatively and self-critically in theoretical and/or practice work.
You'll also develop:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The MA Social Research draws upon a wide variety of contemporary theoretical traditions including postcolonial theory, poststructuralism, discourse analysis, critical or subtle realism, and feminism.
The MA Social Research is located in a high ranking Sociology Department and draws upon a wide variety of contemporary theoretical traditions including postcolonial theory, poststructuralism to discourse analysis, critical or subtle realism, and feminism. The aim of the MA is to explore how these may present implications for methodological design and analytical strategies.
The MA teaching is made up of lectures and workshops covering both qualitative and quantitative methods during which students are encouraged to try out, evaluate and sometimes combine different approaches. The range of methods covered include interviewing and observation, archival research, visual methods, ethnographic work as well as statistical analysis of large-scale quantitative data sets.
The dissertation research project assesses your proficiency in managing different types of data and your ability to design and carry out an original piece of research. Dissertation workshops will guide you as you prepare to undertake a substantive piece of research on a topic of your choice. The dissertation research will be supervised by an experienced member of staff.
Assessment consists of coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.
The programme will enable you to develop:
The MA is ideal research preparation for an MPhil/PhD and a future academic career in Sociology. A number of successful doctoral students have completed the MA Social Research before applying for ESRC funding and/or going on to successfully complete their doctorate. These include current members of staff. Also, the MASR has provided an excellent preparation for those entering the public, health and third/NGO sector with such organizations as the Resolution Foundation and the Parkinson’s Charity. Others have successfully competed for entry into the Civil Service ‘fast track’ scheme for government social research. Similar examples of success can be seen under student profiles.
This course is ideal if you wish to pursue media, communications and cultural inquiry in order to develop a media-based career.
On this course you will cover all aspects of media, communications and cultural studies, from exploring cultural theories and concepts such as Marxism, post-Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, post-colonialism and globalisation, to the developments and debates around media and cultural industries such as TV, film, print media and the internet. You will analyse the politics of identity in the context of media and cultural representations, especially in the changing media and web landscape.
You’ll be taught by staff who have strong research profiles with publications in the area of cultural studies theory, culture and politics, tabloid culture, reality television, psychoanalysis, television history and industry, the globalisation of media and culture, contemporary trends in the television industry, as well as travel writing.
You will become a member of the Centre for Research in Film and Audiovisual Cultures (CRFAC), giving you access to a diverse programme of research seminars, symposia and special events organised in collaboration with institutions such as the British Film Institute. Your studies are complemented by visiting lectures given by media and cultural industry professionals such as film makers and scholars from other institutions.
Roehampton's location in London is ideal for media and culture students as you can take advantage of your location by immersing yourself in the wealth of creative cultural institutions and media companies that the capital has to offer, unrivalled by any other city in the UK.
On the course, you will gain an in depth understanding of the role of the media in everyday life, and of its relation to culture and formations of identity and subjectivity.
You will be introduced to, and evaluate, a number of influential and important communication theories and concepts associated with the public sphere, globalisation, promotional culture, media organisations and new media, as well as discourse analysis.
You will engage with the politics of identity in the context of media and cultural representations and explore debates around social difference through a consideration of various defining conditions including gender, class, ethnicity, history, nationality, sexuality, taste and consumer choices.
You will also explore the representation of social reality and the social self in both mass and new media. By focusing on a range of non-fiction formats including reality television, ‘unscripted’ video, user-generated content and the development of the social web, you will address established and newer scholarly debates concerning ‘truth telling’, confession, surveillance and the production of knowledge about the self and its place in the world.
You’ll end the year by undertaking a dissertation or research project which will give you the opportunity to deepen your research skills and knowledge about a topic of particular interest to you.
Modules
Some of the modules we currently offer include:
The MA helps students prepare for successful careers in communications and the cultural industries including film, journalism and publishing. Students may opt to do media research or further academic study.
This unique interdisciplinary degree will allow you to study race and strategies of resistance from a variety of historical and theoretical approaches.
A broad transnational framework allows you to combine African, U.S., Caribbean, British and Southeast Asian history under the guidance of leading researchers in English, History, Gender Studies, Spanish, and Latin American studies. You’ll be trained in historical research methods and use varied materials such as novels, films, speeches, newspapers and organisational records to explore issues of race and resistance across very different periods and cultures.
Supported by the Institute for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, you could study the slave trade, Mexican-American identity, race and feminism in the US, political violence in India or apartheid, among many others. It’s a fascinating and vital opportunity to gain an understanding of the roles that race and resistance have played in shaping the modern world – and how this complex relationship is evolving.
More Information
We have a wide range of resources to help you explore the topics that interest you. Among our library resources are microfilm collections of American, Indian and South African newspapers as well as journals relating to US civil rights. British and US government papers are also on microfilm, and an extensive set of British documents on end of empire and foreign affairs.
The Church Missionary Society Archives, the Black Power Movement archive and the Curzon papers are all available, and we have access to extensive online resources to access original material for your independent research.
With the chance to participate in our active research groups – such as Identity, Power and Protest; Women, Gender and Sexuality; and Health, Medicine and Society – and benefit from an impressive range of expertise among our tutors, you’ll find that the University of Leeds is a fantastic place to gain the knowledge and skills you need.
This degree is also available to study part-time over 24 months.
The first semester will lay the foundations of your studies, introducing you to historical research methods and approaches to the study of race and resistance. You’ll explore issues such as diasporas and migration, the legacy of non-violence and sexuality and race.
In Semester Two, you’ll build on this knowledge with your choice from a wide range of optional modules across different subject areas, on issues such as the Black Atlantic, postcolonial literature, British settler colonies in Africa and more.
Throughout the programme, you’ll develop your knowledge across a variety of areas as well as key skills in research and critical analysis. You’ll showcase these when you complete your dissertation, which will be independently researched on a topic of your choice and submitted by the end of the programme in September.
You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ optional module
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Independent study is an important part of this degree, allowing you to develop your own ideas and improve your skills in research and analysis. You’ll then come together with tutors and other students for weekly seminars where you’ll discuss issues and themes in each of your modules.
All of the modules on this programme are assessed by coursework. This can take a range of forms, including essays, discursive writing, bibliographies, reviews and presentations among others. Optional modules are usually assessed by two 3,000-word essays.
This MA will give you a deeper understanding of how conceptions of race have shaped and been shaped by the world we live in, as well as the ways in which individuals and communities have employed different strategies of resistance. Crucially, it will equip you with sound intercultural awareness and allow you to look at situations from different points of view, as well as advanced skills in research, analysis, interpretation and written and oral communication.
Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers where they have been able to use their knowledge. These have included teaching and education, research and policy work for NGOs, think tanks and the charity sector. Many others have pursued PhD level study in related fields.
We offer different forms of support to help you reach your career goals. You’ll have the chance to attend our career groups, meeting students with similar plans, or you could become a paid academic mentor to an undergraduate completing their final-year dissertation. You could also apply for one of the internships we offer each year.
What is power? And where does it lie? What is the relationship between politics and economics and how should we understand the relationship between states and markets? How will global capitalism, and the nexus of regulatory institutions within which it is embedded, transform social, political and economic relations in the 21st century? What is the future of the state, the market and civil society in this changing world?
International political economy (IPE) is a field of enquiry concerned with the distribution of power, wealth and agency in a rapidly changing and contested global context. With such a diverse range of interest, IPE encourages a plural and often eclectic approach to study. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to the principal theoretical currents in IPE – like realism, liberalism and constructivism– as well as more critical approaches – such as Marxism, feminism and postcolonialism. You will be equipped to use these theories
to engage with a range of important issue areas in IPE, including finance, production, consumerism, and the environment.
Our MA in IPE is a truly global programme and often attracts students from all over the world. You’ll benefit from an engaging intellectual environment and ability to choose from a selection of cutting-edge options in trade, finance, development, and global governance. What’s more, our department boasts leading figures in the IPE discipline and we host regular high profile events run through our Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR).
With such a diverse range of interest, IPE encourages a plural and often eclectic approach to study. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to the principal theoretical currents in IPE – like Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism – as well as more critical approaches – such as Marxism, Feminism and Post-Colonialism. You will be equipped to use these theories to engage with a range of important issue areas in IPE, including finance, production, consumerism, and the environment.
Gender, Society and Representation is an inter-faculty programme drawing on the unusual breadth of disciplines for which UCL is renowned, including development studies, law, anthropology, literary scholarship, geography and queer studies. UCL offers students an opportunity to develop their own interests within this broad intellectual landscape.
Students gain the advanced skills, methods, concepts and theories required for the study of gender in an interdisciplinary context at graduate level. Optional modules offer students a genuine opportunity to develop their own interests in a wide range of disciplines, and the dissertation provides opportunities for independent research.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme offers two pathways: Taught and Research. The taught pathway consists of three core modules (60 credits), optional modules (60 credits), and a dissertation (60 credits). The research pathway consists of three core modules (60 credits), optional modules (30 credits) and a dissertation (90 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma, three core modules (60 credts), two to four optional modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years, is offered.
Core modules
All three of these modules are compulsory.
Optional modules
Options may include the following (not all will be available in a given year, and some have prerequisites such as existing studies in the field):
Other UCL Master's modules may be chosen, subject to the convenor's approval, if their relevance to the programme of study is demonstrated.
Dissertation/report
Students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 12,000 words (taught pathway) or 18,000 words (research pathway).
Teaching and learning
Teaching sessions are interactive, with a limited amount of lecturing and an emphasis on student participation and critical discussion. Assessment is through a variety of methods, including essays, coursework, written papers, oral examination and the dissertation.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Gender, Society and Representation MA
Engaging with gender and sexuality concerns is now an integral aspect of research and planning activities in a wide range of fields. The need to address different forms of discrimination has created a demand in both public and private sectors for highly qualified graduates with a broad theoretical background in gender and sexuality studies, a familiarity with the intersectional nature of inequality, and a commitment to social change. Our graduates have gone on to careers as researchers, administrators and communications officers for charities, cultural institutions, NGOs and the private sector, and in academic research in related disciplines.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Students graduating from this Master's programme will possess a broad understanding of gender issues in social practice and discourse. They will have demonstrated intellectual flexibility in engaging successfully with a diverse and challenging range of subject areas and disciplinary approaches to gender. They will be able to develop and sustain a convincing argument on a variety of complex subjects, supporting their conclusions with appropriate evidence, clearly expressed. They will have experience in researching a topic from scratch, learning to identify and choose between different routes into exploring that topic and producing a coherent account of their research and findings.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
Gender and sexuality studies have expanded rapidly in recent decades, to emerge as dynamic interdisciplinary field of study.
As a multi-faculty institution located in the heart of cosmopolitan London and covering an exceptionally wide range of disciplines, UCL offers an ideal environment for gender studies, enabling students to tailor their degrees according to their specific interests and providing a wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary work.
Staff contributing to MA level and research work in gender studies are drawn from different faculties including Arts & Humanities, Social & Historical Sciences, Laws, and Life Sciences.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
This distinctive programme allows you to think about the critical and creative relationships between film, photography and the media, while developing your skills to produce projects of your own.
A major independent project sits at the heart of the course, supported by modules that put your practice into the context of contemporary debates. You’ll explore the different critical approaches to the making and consumption of photography and film, allowing them to inform the short film and photography projects you’ll work on.
It’s a flexible programme which allows you to choose from a range of optional modules to focus on topics that suit your own creative and critical interests. You could study cultural policy, international film industries, film and TV writing, feminism in the media and more.
You’ll be taught by leading researchers and practitioners in the field, and our cutting edge research will inform all your teaching.
Our School has a range of fantastic facilities to support your studies. The 58-seat Phil Taylor Cinema is equipped with Dolby Digital sound and high-definition projection facilities, as well as projectors for 16mm and 35mm film.
You can also work on your own projects in our 44 editing suites, equipped with Avid Media Composer editing software and Adobe Creative Cloud. The fully equipped TV studio also has a large green screen area, lighting and photo-flash facilities. We also have a track and dolly, sliders, Glidecam and various cranes, and you’ll have access to a new photographic dark room.
We also run a loans service where you can borrow a range of HD digital camcorders and various Canon stills cameras to help with your project work.
The whole programme is based around a major independent project. You can choose to complete a dissertation and take classes developing your knowledge of research methods to support your work. Alternatively, you can complete a short film or photography project that you’ll exhibit at the end of the programme.
The modules you study throughout the year give you the theoretical and contextual knowledge you need to inform your project, as well as developing your skills in filmmaking and photography.
You’ll study two core modules. One will explore the links between photographic creativity, optical science and the nature of cinema and allow you to work on a short film project. The other will look at the historical development of photographic practice, contemporary issues and debates.
Alongside these modules you’ll choose from a range of options to focus on topics that interest you, from film industries around the world to new media, cultural policy, communication and development, television narrative and more.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll complete the MA over two years, instead of one, taking fewer modules each year.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
We use learning methods that reflect the diversity of the programme, including workshops, lectures, seminars, group learning, tutorials and film screenings. Independent study is also a vital element of the programme, since it allows you to develop your skills and explore your creativity in practical work.
We also use different methods of assessment, some of which will depend on the modules you choose. These are likely to include portfolios of practical work, group and individual projects and reports, essays, literature reviews, case studies, presentations, scripts and commentaries.
This programme will give you a broad base of knowledge and skills across two important forms of communication. It will also equip you with cultural awareness and advanced skills in research, analysis, interpretation and oral and written communication.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Newman’s MA in Contemporary Christian Theology will enable you to develop your interest in theology through an engagement with with some of the issues brought to light by our contemporary culture. You will have the choice of focusing your MA on Christian Theology, Christian Theology and Education, or Christian Theology and Ministry. The part-time programme is ideally suited to professionals working within the field of Theology, Religious Education or Christian Ministry and for those who want to deepen their understanding of the issues facing contemporary theology. Participation in this programme can help advance a career in leading Church schools, teaching Religious Education, or development in pastoral ministry and adult education.
The programme aims to open up new insights building from historical schools of thought to contemporary Christian theologies through an exploration of current issues, such as those surrounding the new bio-technologies, the relationship between science and theology, and eco-feminism. The programme is delivered through a blend of on-line learning and taught sessions. There are four weekend schools a year and ongoing on-line support.
• Constructing Theologies: Past and Future
• Theology and Contemporary Ethics
• Metaphysics and Postmodernity: Belief and the Future
• Method and Hermeneutics in Theology
• Theology and Education.
All students take the same modules and attend core lectures but where appropriate, seminars and tutorials allow you to focus your studies on one of the following areas:
Students pursuing their studies in Christian Theology have the opportunity to engage in considerable depth with contemporary movements in philosophical and systematic theology. The course will allow for detailed study of key texts and ideas, while addressing questions about the possibility and nature of theology.
The taught modules aim to open up new insights into the study of theology through an exploration of the issues that impact on Religious Studies and the leadership of Church schools. These include theologies underpinning education, ethical issues such as designer babies and environmental ethics, and philosophies of education.
Choosing to focus on ministry enables you to explore and extend your understanding of how current research in theology can enrich the work of Christian ministry and mission. This focus will encourage a development of the cognitive, imaginative and critical skills required to interpret texts and doctrines and will enhance the competence of clerical and lay Christians to apply the resources of faith to everyday life and ministry.
In addition to the core modules, you may choose one professionally related module from the MA in Professional Enquiry programme or choose to reflect theologically on a specific area of personal interest. An optional negotiated module provides the opportunity to address a research area of personal interest with tutor support. The writing of a dissertation, allows a further opportunity to develop personal research and completes the final stage of the MA. Students may complete two modules of study to gain a Postgraduate Certificate (typically one year of part-time study), or four modules to gain a Postgraduate Diploma.
The group size is small enough to allow good interaction between class members and easy access to the tutors. The course is delivered through a combination of on-line materials, and face-to-face taught sessions at Newman. University College-based sessions take place over an average of 6 days per year, timed to suit the needs of part-time students. In addition, students will make use of distance learning materials and will be encouraged to interact with each other and with tutors in on-line forums.
Theological research is fundamental to the mission of Newman University. The subject area welcomes applications from suitably qualified students who wish to pursue postgraduate research degrees (MPhil and PhD awarded by the University of Leicester) in the areas of Philosophy of Religion, Religious Education and Biblical Studies.
Royal Holloway is a thriving centre for postgraduate research in Hispanic Studies with particular expertise in cultural studies, critical theory, feminism and gender theory, psychoanalysis, film studies, literature and the visual arts, both in Spain and Latin America.
The cultural wealth of the Spanish-speaking world, with all its vibrancy and diversity, continues to make a unique contribution to our civilisation, while Spain itself is now a major player on the European stage and we have excellent links in Spain and Latin America. All of this provides a rich backdrop for what is a fascinating and varied field of study.
This degree enables you to independently explore your area of interest in real depth, it can also provide you with the chance to test or try out an area of study in preparation for doctoral study. Whilst you will be working independently, you won’t be alone, you will receive specialist one-to-one tuition throughout your degree. You will work closely with your specialist supervisor, or supervisors, to develop a clearly defined research topic and complete a 30,000-40,000 word dissertation.
You will be part of our research-led environment in which academic staff are working at the frontiers of their subjects. The breadth of our teaching and research expertise means that we are able to provide the latest thinking, expert support and intellectual challenges.
In addition to your dissertation you will undertake a taught course designed to equip you with an array of theoretical and historical approaches to the study of literature, art and culture. This will enable you to articulate, refine and persistently test your own approach to your chosen topic within this broader theoretical and methodological framework. You will also have access to skills training and enjoy the additional support of a dedicated Research Advisor.
Theories of Literature and Visual Culture is assessed by an essay and presentation.
The dissertation is examined by a Visiting Examiner and includes a viva voce.
On graduating you will have a proven ability to undertake focused research, improved your written and oral presentation skills, and honed skills in critical analysis. In addition, you will have an understanding and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in literature, film, cultural studies or the visual arts. All of the these skills will be appealing to employers and enable you to pursue your chosen career. Alternatively, you will also be in a strong position to continue onto doctoral study, having demonstrated that you have the self direction, originality and initiative required.
In recent years a number of our Modern Languages, Literature and Culture postgraduates have gone on to successful academic careers both in Britain and internationally in the fields of modern languages, critical theory and film.
Postgraduates have also embarked upon many interesting and successful careers outside academia – in the UK, continental Europe and the United States – including journalism at The Independent, work for NGOs, trade sales, publishing, professional translating, teaching, opera direction, museum curatorship, creative arts, and librarianship.
This programme will allow you to take a broad approach to African, Indian, American, British and European history from the early modern period to the 21st century.
A core module will allow you to sharpen your research skills, and you’ll choose from a wide range of optional modules spanning nations, continents, periods and themes to explore topics that interest you. You could study black internationalism alongside early modern Europe, the Spanish state, Stalinism, political violence in India or apartheid.
You’ll be taught by leading researchers as part of a large and diverse School of History and Leeds Humanities Research Institute, supported by active research groups and extensive library resources. Our research interests range from social history and identity to political history, nationalism and internationalism, meaning this flexible programme offers plenty of opportunities to gain important skills while focusing on issues that suit your interests.
You’ll study in a supportive environment with a wide range of resources. The world-class Brotherton Library has one of the best history collections in the UK, ranging from monographs and journals to conference papers, theses and over 100 digital databases of primary sources and other materials for fundamental research. The Brotherton also has its own special collections including the Leeds Russian Archive and the Feminist Archive North.
The Alf Mattinson Collection is full of printed works and papers related to the history of the Labour Party, and the Romany collection and Liddle Collection offer insights into Romany culture and the First World War respectively.
This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months.
You’ll study one core module in your first semester, introducing you to different research methodologies in history and allowing you to develop your skills. You’ll also select from a wide range of optional modules throughout the year, allowing you to pursue topics that interest you such as the history of Yorkshire, the European Enlightenment or issues surrounding global security.
You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ module.
This programme will equip you with in-depth subject knowledge, as well as high-level skills in research, interpretation and analysis. You’ll be able to demonstrate these when you complete your dissertation on a modern history topic of your choice, which you’ll submit by the end of the programme.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
For more information on typical modules, read Modern History MA Full Time in the course catalogue
For more information on typical modules, read Modern History MA Part Time in the course catalogue
We use a range of teaching and learning methods. The majority of your modules will be taught through weekly seminars, where you’ll discuss issues and themes in your chosen modules with a small group of students and your tutors. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, giving you the space to shape your own studies and develop your skills.
We use different types of assessment to help you develop a wide range of skills, including presentations, research proposals, case studies and essays, depending on the subjects you choose.
This programme will heighten your cultural and social awareness as well as allowing you to build your historical knowledge. You’ll also gain high-level research, analysis and communication skills that will prove valuable in a wide range of careers.
Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers in education, research and the private sector. Many others have continued with their studies at PhD level.
We offer different forms of support to help you reach your career goals. You’ll have the chance to attend our career groups, meeting students with similar plans, or you could become a paid academic mentor to an undergraduate completing their final-year dissertation. You could also apply for one of the internships we offer each year.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
