Masters Degrees (Gothic Literature)

Introduction

Contemporary culture is characterised by nothing if not a reawakened interest in the Gothic, be that in the form of the current vogue for horror film, in the heightened preoccupation with terror and monstrosity in the media, the extraordinary success of writers such as Stephen King and Stephenie Meyer, or in manifestations of an alternative Gothic impulse in fashion, music and lifestyle.
As the countless adaptations and retellings of texts such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818; 1831) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) in our own day attest, the Gothic, though once relegated to a dark corner of literary history, has assumed a position of considerable cultural prominence.
The MLitt in The Gothic Imagination at the University of Stirling provides students with the unique opportunity to steep themselves in the scholarly appreciation of this mode, providing a rigorous and intensive historical survey of its literary origins and developments, and charting its dispersal across a broad range of media and national contexts. In so doing, the course equips its graduates with the necessary theoretical vocabulary to address, and critically reflect upon, the Gothic as a complex and multi-faceted cultural phenomenon, while also preparing them for further postgraduate research in the rich and vibrant field of Gothic Studies. In addition to these subject-specific objectives, the MLitt in The Gothic Imagination also provides its graduates with several invaluable transferable skills, including critical thinking, theoretical conceptualisation, historical periodization and independent research.

Key information

- Degree type: MLitt, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate
- Study methods: Part-time, Full-time
- Duration: Full-time; MLitt-12 months, Part-time: MLitt-27 months,
- Start date: September
- Course Director: Dr Dale Townshend

Course objectives

- The MLitt in the Gothic Imagination consists of four core modules, two option modules, and a dissertation. Across these components, the course aims to provide students with a rigorous grounding in the work and thematic preoccupations of the most influential Gothic writers, both historical and contemporary. Supplemented by relevant historical and theoretical material throughout, the course aims to provide as rich and varied an exposure to the academic study of the Gothic as possible.

- The first two core modules seek to provide a searching historical overview of the genesis and development of the Gothic aesthetic, taking students systematically from the circulation of the term ‘Gothic’ in the political and aesthetic discourses of the late seventeeth and eighteenth centuries, through the late eighteenth-century writings of Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis and Charlotte Dacre, and into the nineteenth-century fictions of writers such as Charles Maturin, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, the Brontës, Sheridan Le Fanu, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde.

- The second and third core modules, on Gothic in modern, modernist and postmodern writing, include texts by authors such as Gaston Leroux, Algernon Blackwood, H.P. Lovecraft, Djuna Barnes; Mervyn Peake, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison and Patrick McGrath.

- Option modules vary from year to year, depending on student interest and demand. Recent option topics have included the Gothic on the Romantic Stage; Nineteenth-century American Gothic; Transmutations of the Vampire; The Gothic in Children’s Literature; Monstrosity; The Female Gothic; Queer Gothic; and Gothic in/and Modern Horror Cinema.

- At the dissertation stage, students are encouraged to undertake independent, supervised research on any particular interest within Gothic studies that they might wish to pursue. Subject to the agreement of the course director, a creative writing dissertation may be undertaken at this stage.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS: 6.0 with 5.5 minimum in each skill
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): Grade C
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): Grade C
- Pearson Test of English (Academic): 54 with 51 in each component
- IBT TOEFL: 80 with no subtest less than 17

For more information go to English language requirements https://www.stir.ac.uk/study-in-the-uk/entry-requirements/english/

If you don’t meet the required score you may be able to register for one of our pre-sessional English courses. To register you must hold a conditional offer for your course and have an IELTS score 0.5 or 1.0 below the required standard. View the range of pre-sessional courses http://www.intohigher.com/uk/en-gb/our-centres/into-university-of-stirling/studying/our-courses/course-list/pre-sessional-english.aspx .

Delivery and assessment

Two hours of seminars per module per week, plus individual consultations and supervisions with members of staff. Assessment is by means of a 4,000-word essay for each core module, and a variety of skills-based assessments (such as presentations; portfolios; blog-entries) for optional modules. All students complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice once optional and core modules have been completed.

Employability

With course-work assessed solely by means of independently devised, researched and executed essays, the MLitt in The Gothic Imagination equips students with a number of the skills and abilities that are prized and actively sought after by employers across the private and public sectors. These include the ability to process and reflect critically upon cultural forms; the ability to organise, present and express ideas clearly and logically; the ability to understand complex theoretical ideas; and the ability to undertake extended independent research.
Previous graduates of the course have gone on to pursue successful careers in such fields as teaching, publishing, research, academia, advertising, journalism and the film industry.
The 15,000-word dissertation that is submitted towards the end of the course allows students to devise, develop, support and defend their own academic ideas across an extended piece of written work; addition to the skills of independence, organisation and expression fostered by this exercise, the dissertation also provides an excellent point of entry into more advanced forms of postgraduate research, including the Doctoral degree.

Read less

Whether undertaken for the continued love of literature, or for personal or professional development, studying our MA English Literature will help you gain a more confident critical voice and advanced analytical and research skills.

This course is taught by internationally recognised scholars who are at the cutting-edge of their areas of research. You will work with us on the latest developments in literary criticism.

The Humanities department runs a number of exciting research groups, many of which are interdisciplinary in method and scope. The English division has particular strengths in the Early Modern period, the Long Eighteenth Century, Modernism, Gender, and Popular Culture.

This course has several available start dates and learning methods - for more information, please view the relevant web-page below:
2 years part time - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/english-literature-dtpegl6/

1 year distance learning - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/english-literature-dtdegl6/

2 years distance learning - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/english-literature-dtpegld6/

Learn From The Best

This MA reflects – and is informed by – staff interests across periods, locations, and theoretical approaches: from the Early Modern period to contemporary writing; British, American and transnational literature; sexuality; and cultural heritage.

Each MA module is reflective of areas of staff expertise, ranging from the gory delights of the Gothic to how associations between authors and locations lead to the development of literary heritage sites, such as Dove Cottage.

Northumbria’s Humanities department works with a range of cultural partners including New Writing North, the co-operative movement, Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums and Shandy Hall, providing students with direct industry exposure and live project opportunities.

Teaching And Assessment

During the English Literature MA you will be encouraged to become more aware of the production and determination of meaning by historical, social, political, stylistic, ethnic, gender, geographical and other contexts.

This heightened awareness is facilitated through examining literature produced within a wide range of contexts: different periods; geographical locations; as well as a variety of social backgrounds (institutional, gendered, private, public, domestic). This wide-ranging critical examination opens up new perspectives on literary texts and provides you with the strategies needed to discuss literature in expert and critically informed ways.

You will choose your non-core modules from a pool while the core modules Critical Contexts and Research Methods: Traditional and Digital will run in all years. You conceive your dissertation topic individually in conjunction with a supervisor of similar research interests.

Module Overview
EF0126 - E.S.A.P. in FADSS Level 7 (Optional, 0 Credits)
EL7016 - Dark Tourism: Urban Underworlds and Modern City Spaces (Core, 30 Credits)
EL7018 - Final Frontiers: future worlds, cyberspace and alternative realities (Optional, 30 Credits)
EL7019 - Research Methods: Traditional and Digital (Core, 30 Credits)
EL7021 - Critical Contexts (Core, 30 Credits)
EL7022 - MA English Literature Dissertation (Core, 60 Credits)
EL7027 - Writers in their Place: Literature and Heritage (Optional, 30 Credits)

Learning Environment

The delivery of the MA offers a degree of flexibility by allowing you to choose your learning environment. The MA in English Literature is offered in a traditional classroom setting with regular face-to-face supervision, or alternatively you can complete the course via distance learning through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The Humanities department is made up of a community of learners all the way through from first year undergraduate to final year PhD level. All Humanities staff are engaged in research and actively create the knowledge that is taught in the department.

English Literature MA students, as part of Northumbria’s Humanities department, will have access to the new Institute for Humanities which houses a range of specialist research resources.

Research-Rich Learning

The subject area of English and Creative Writing produces high quality research and has been successful in securing external funding for research projects from the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Leverhulme Trust.

Northumbria is rated in the UK top 15 for the quality of its English Literature, Language and Creative Writing publications. You can explore some of the key themes here.

Furthermore, as an MA student in English Literature you will engage with the activities of the Institute for Humanities, which is home to five international journals in English studies and which regularly hosts an exciting range of seminars, symposia and conferences on topics as varied as Memory, Heritage and Identity; Transnationalism and Societal Change; Digital Humanities; Medical Humanities; and American Studies.

Give Your Career An Edge

On completion of the MA, you will have improved your employability through enhancing your critical skills and attitudes, presentation skills, and reflective and evaluative abilities. You will be self-motivating, be capable of making decisions in complex situations, and possess a thirst for independent learning.

In addition to these personal skills, you will have demonstrated a critical awareness of the current research and scholarship within your discipline, facilitating your ability to interpret knowledge in a variety of professional fields.

The MA builds on undergraduate skills, distinguished by the level of intensity, complexity, and density of study. Advanced communication skills and media literacy must be demonstrated along with exceptional ability for time management, ethical and professional understanding, and highly developed research and inquiry skills.

From the start of the course you are encouraged to access the central university Careers and Employment Service, and to use this service regularly to seek advice on areas such as career guidance.

Your Future

There are considerable opportunities for you to advance your studies further, and advice in writing PhD and funding applications is available. The course offers a qualification that may enhance promotion prospects in some professions – most notably teaching, professional research, museums/archives, public policy, and project management.

Julie Orme came to Northumbria as a mature student and achieved a distinction in the English Literature MA. She says:

“Studying at Northumbria allowed me to develop good analytical and research skills and to attain the grades and display the work ethos necessary for becoming a good prospect for employers. It has also opened the door to further, vocational study.

The best thing about my MA was the way that one's critical skills were developed to the point of autonomous study whereby, one graduated from being a student to being a literary critic."

Read less

This is a truly interdisciplinary programme on which you will benefit from the expertise of historians, literary critics, art critics, film theorists and ethnographers.

Why has the ‘Gothic’ been so prevalent in the fields of literature, art, architecture, film and music in the past 250 years? What does this tell us about ourselves, and the society in which we live? How has the genre changed, and how is it possible for us to define our identities within, and in relation to, the Gothic?

These are some of the questions you will be invited to consider on this course, which gives you the opportunity to study the fascinating subject of Gothic culture, in all its many forms, where it all began: on the site of Horace Walpole’s Gothic mansion in Strawberry Hill, South West London.

You will also be trained at postgraduate level in the research methods of these disciplines, preparing you for advanced study in the humanities disciplines.

Why St Mary's?

Students on this course have on-site access to the historic Gothic castle at Strawberry Hill, the birthplace of Gothic fiction and architecture.

There is also the unique resource of the Strawberry Hill Library, with collections relating to Horace Walpole, and to Gothic culture in general.

Taught by experts in the fields of literature, film, cultural studies, art and architecture, the course will encourage you to read and reflect on the tradition that starts with Horace Walpole and ends - for the time being - with True Blood and the Twilight saga.

Course Content

The course covers Gothic culture from 1750 to the present day, and also provides a grounding in critical theory and research methods suitable for advanced study.

Module Information
Semester One:
› Academic Orientation
› Researching Modernities
› Gothic Origins 1750-1850

Semester Two:
› The Modern Gothic
› The Contemporary Gothic
› Research Methods and Dissertation

Please note: All information is correct at the time of publication. However, course content is regularly updated and this may result in some changes, which will be communicated to students before their programme begins.

Career Prospects

The course is designed for those who have recently graduated in English, history, film studies, cultural studies, or a related discipline, as a sound route towards starting on doctoral studies and a career in academia. It is equally suited to those coming back to formal education after a period of time, and full support is given in the acquisition of the kind of research, analytic and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.

The content of this course makes it of relevance to those wishing to pursue careers in heritage and arts management - and of course the kind of research, evaluation and advocacy you’ll be practicing are essential skills in today’s jobs market.

Read less

The School of English and Journalism offers advanced research opportunities within the subjects of English and Creative Writing.

As a research student, you can benefit from a dedicated doctoral training programme designed for English students, which gives you the opportunity to develop the practical and critical skills necessary for investigation and study at doctoral level. Expert and experienced direction will be available from your supervisory team and you can benefit from the School’s research expertise in areas including contemporary literature, 18-19th century literature, early modern literature, women’s writing, Gothic literature, utopianism and American fiction.

Regular research seminars, symposia and conferences provide a lively research environment, in which students are encouraged to participate. An interdisciplinary research culture facilitates collaboration with colleagues across topics and strong links exist with the Schools of Film and Media, History and Heritage, and Fine and Performing Arts.

Research Areas, Projects & Topics

Research areas covered within the School include:
-21st Century literature and drama
-19th Century literature
-Life writing/testimony/memory studies
-Women’s writing 18-21st Centuries
-American literature 19-21st Centuries
-Renaissance literature
-Utopian studies
-Ecocriticism
-Gothic literature
-Postcolonial literature
-Trauma studies

How You Study

Study at MPhil/PhD level takes the form of supervised individual research. You work on one topic of your choice for the duration of the study period. On a regular basis, you are expected to produce appropriate written work, submit it to your supervisors, then meet with your supervisors to receive feedback on your submission and agree the next stage of work.

Due to the nature of postgraduate research programmes, the vast majority of your time will be spent in independent study and research. You will have meetings with your academic supervisor, however the regularity of these will vary depending on your own individual requirements, subject area, staff availability and the stage of your programme.

How You Are Assessed

The assessment at this level of study takes the form of an 80,000 word thesis.

A PhD is awarded based on the quality of your thesis and your ability in an oral examination (viva voce) to present and successfully defend your chosen research topic to a group of academics. You are also expected to demonstrate how your research findings have contributed to knowledge or developed existing theory or understanding.

Career and Personal Development

A doctoral qualification may be regarded as the capstone of academic achievement and may mark the beginning of a career in academia or research.

Read less

Taught at our Parkgate Road Campus in Chester, the MA in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture explores the dynamic relationship between literary texts of the long 19th century (1789-1914) and the fascinating culture from which they emerged.

Why Study Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture with us?

The Department of English, housed in a Grade II-listed Vicarage designed by John Douglas, in a University founded in 1839 and officially opened by Gladstone in 1842, has longstanding teaching and research strengths in 19th-century literature.

Our course is taught by a dedicated and experienced team of tutors with expertise in a wide range of areas, including Romantic poetry; the Sensation novel; detective fiction; the Gothic; and 19th-century Irish, American and South African literature. Our research publications include work on Shelley, Coleridge, the Brontës, Dickens, Collins, Eliot, travel literature, women and material culture, the Victorian periodical press, literature of the Great Famine, colonialism, Neo-Victorian literature, and representations of the body.

What will I learn?

The course offers a wide-ranging exploration of the representation of ideas such as revolution, crime, the body, gender, performance, domestic life, religious belief, nationality, empire, science, technology, and medicine, in 19th-century literature and culture.

Authors studied may include Austen, Shelley, Dickens, Gaskell, Alcott, Conan Doyle, Zola, Wells, and Conrad. You will also have the opportunity to develop your own research interests and expertise through the Research Methods module and your Dissertation.

ow will I be taught?

Nineteenth-Century Literature, Nineteenth-Century Culture, Research Methods, and Special Author(s)/Topic(s) will be taught by seminars (typically nine seminars per 20-credit module, and 18 per 40-credit module). For the Dissertation, you will work one-to-one with a supervisor.

Total workload (including reading, preparation, seminars, tutorials, research, and writing) is approximately 37.5 hours per week.

How will I be assessed?

Modules are assessed by coursework, including essays, research portfolios, presentations, and a 16,000-word Dissertation. There are no formal exams.

Postgraduate Visit Opportunities

If you are interested in this courses we have a number of opportunities to visit us and our campuses. To find out more about these options and to book a visit, please go to: https://www1.chester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-visit-opportunities

Request a Prospectus

If you would like to know more about the University please request a prospectus at: http://prospectus.chester.ac.uk/form.php

Read less

This exciting taught postgraduate literature course allows you to study the writers and literatures of the Highlands and Islands, in the communities to which they belong. Trace the footsteps of these inspirational creatives, explore the literary heritage of the area and experience, first hand, the diverse culture of the region.

You will study three main themes throughout the course, namely:

landscape and identity
the literary and linguistic legacy for the modern period
the place of Highlands and Islands literature in the wider context

You will benefit from lectures and seminars by local writers, and the team at the Centre for Nordic Studies. Our small classes will give you a more personal study experience during this Masters course in Highlands and Islands Literature.

Special Features

• Loans for tuition fees are available from the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for eligible Scotland domiciled and EU students, and loans for living costs for eligible Scottish students.
• Lectures and seminars by local writers
• A creative writing module
• The chance to study and explore the Highland and Islands at the same time
• You can study individual modules for personal or professional development, or work towards the PgCert, PgDip or full Masters degree
• You can attend the course full time or part time or from a distance using our online and video conference technologies, which means you can fit your studies around your personal and professional commitments

Modules

PgCert

Core modules are: The Gaelic Legacy; Writers and Place;Literary Iconographies

PgDip

Core modules are:

Modern Scottish Gothic
A Tour of the Highlands

You will also choose one option module which may include:

Exploring creative writing
The North Atlantic World
The Highlands and Islands Story
Traditional Customs and Beliefs of the Highlands and Islands
Picts: revealing the painted past.

MLitt

To achieve the award of MLitt Highlands and Islands Literature you must complete a research dissertation.

Locations

This course is available online with support from Lews Castle College UHI, Stornoway or Orkney College UHI, Kirkwall

Study Options

You will study this course through a combination of video conferenced seminars and learning via the university's virtual learning environment (VLE), with support from your tutors and student advisor.
International students requiring a Tier 4 visa to study with us must be based at Orkney College UHI during their studies. International students undertaking the course from their home country can study online and by video conference, in real-time or recordings.
All other students can choose to study at Orkney College UHI or Lews Castle College UHI in Stornoway, or from their own location studying online and by video conference in real-time or recordings.
An online induction will be offered at the start of your course.

Access routes

Students can access the programme from a range of UHI undergraduate programmes including:
BA (Hons) Literature
BA (Hons) Scottish History and Literature
BA (Hons) Culture and Heritage
And externally from humanities degrees generally

Funding

From 2017, eligible Scotland domiciled students studying full time can access loans up to 10,000 from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).This comprises a tuition fee loan up to £5,500 and a non-income assessed living cost loan of £4,500. EU students studying full time can apply for a tuition fee loan up to £5500.

Part-time students undertaking any taught postgraduate course over two years up to Masters level who meet the residency eligibility can apply for a for a tuition fee loan up to £2,750 per year.

See Scholarships tab below for full details

Top reasons to study at UHI

Do something different: our reputation is built on our innovative approach to learning and our distinctive research and curriculum which often reflects the unique environment and culture of our region and closely links to vocational skills required by a range of sectors.
Choice of campuses – we have campuses across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Each campus is different from rich cultural life of the islands; the spectacular coasts and mountains; to the bright lights of our city locations.
Small class sizes mean that you have a more personal experience of university and receive all the support you need from our expert staff
The affordable option - if you already live in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland you don't have to leave home and incur huge debts to go to university; we're right here on your doorstep

How to apply

If you want to apply for this postgraduate programme click on the ‘visit website’ button below which will take you to the relevant course page on our website, from there select the Apply tab to complete our online application.
If you still have any questions please get in touch with our information line by email using the links beow or call on 0845 272 3600.

International Students

If you would like to study in a country of outstanding natural beauty, friendly communities, and cities buzzing with social life and activities, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland should be your first choice. We have campuses across the region each one with its own special characteristics from the rich cultural life of the islands to the bright city lights of Perth and Inverness. Some courses are available in one location only, for others you will have a choice; we also have courses that can be studied online from your own home country. .http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/international

English Language Requirements

Our programmes are taught and examined in English. To make the most of your studies, you must be able to communicate fluently and accurately in spoken and written English and provide certified proof of your competence before starting your course. Please note that English language tests need to have been taken no more than two years prior to the start date of the course. The standard English Language criteria to study at the University of the Highlands and Islands are detailed on our English language requirements page http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/international/how-to-apply-to-uhi/english-language-requirements

Read less

A Masters degree in English is a qualification that employers understand and respect. It is powerful testimony to your intellectual competence.

Course overview

English MA combines the study of literatures, linguistics, critical theory and creative writing. The course is incredibly flexible and you can pursue your personal goals for intellectual enquiry and literary exploration, with inspiration and encouragement from our widely-published lecturers.

There is a very clear link between teaching and research on the degree with all the modules above drawing on publications by the module leaders (all of whom were recognised as ‘Internationally Excellent’ or ‘Internationally Recognised’ in the recent REF).

You will first undertake an innovative introductory module called ‘Approaching Literature’ which allows you to study applied literary, critical and linguistic theory as a basis to your whole degree. There is then a wide choice of modules based on the research specialisms of the staff including: 'Gothic', 'Late Victorian Gothic', 'Writing the Borders', ‘Language and Ideology in Children’s Fictions’, 'Early Humans in Fiction', ‘Irish Literature 1790 to 1831’, ‘Critical Theory and Creative Writing’ and 'Language and Ideology in Children’s Fictions’.

You will negotiate the topic of your Masters dissertation to reflect your personal interests. We like to push boundaries and develop modules that combine our research expertise with an awareness of your future career prospects.

The market for places on postgraduate teaching qualifications is becoming increasingly competitive. Many of our students enrol on the MA to improve their subject specialism, thereby giving them a greater chance of success at securing a place on one of these courses. With this in mind, we are attentive to developments in the GSCE and A Level curriculums, in order that our students have relevant, research led subject knowledge to bring to bear on applications.

Through the channels of Spectral Visions Press students are invited to submit their work for publication. If selected original work will be published in one of our professionally assembled annual anthologies the last two of which are currently available on Amazon. Furthermore, many of our students have written articles, reviews and interviews for organisations such as the International Gothic Association; An International Community of Gothic Scholars; and other scholarly networks such as the Open Graves; Open Minds project, Sibeal, and Feminist Studies. These networking opportunities give our students valuable access to the wider academic community, and aid in employment and progression opportunities.

Your training in research skills, together with Masters-level critical thinking, will be transferable to many different types of employment.

We also offer a part-time English MA of this course, which may suit you if you want to combine studying for a Masters degree with other commitments. For more information, please view this web-page: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/courses/educationandsociety/postgraduate/english-part-time/

Course content

The course mixes taught elements with independent research and supportive supervision. At MA level, responsibility for learning lies as much with you as with your tutor. Modules on this course include:
Core modules
-Approaching Literature (30 Credits)

Choose three optional modules from a list that may include the following modules
-Gothic (30 Credits)
-The 1790s (30 Credits)
-Late Victorian Gothic (30 Credits)
-‘What Ish My Nation?’: Postcolonial Irish Literatures (30 Credits)
-Language and Ideology in Children’s Fictions (30 Credits)
-Reading ‘Ulysses’ (30 Credits)
-The Global City: Modern to Postmodern (30 Credits)
-Orientalism: Representations of the East in Western Travel Literature and Arab and Iranian Novels (30 Credits)
-‘Strange Country’: Irish Literature 1790 to 1831 (30 Credits)
-Critical Theory and Creative Writing (30 Credits)
-Early Humans in Fiction (30 Credits)
-Reading the Anglo-Scots Borders (30 Credits)
-Reading and Writing the Fantastic, the Marvellous and the Gothic (30 Credits)
-Irish Literature and the Supernatural (30 Credits)

Plus the compulsory dissertation
-Dissertation on a topic that you negotiate with your supervisor (60 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include seminars and discussion groups. We often have visiting speakers and a range of research seminars to enhance your learning opportunities. This includes our widely acclaimed Spectral Visions event, held annually at the University.

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters course requires a higher level of independent working. Assessment methods include mainly essays. Some options require oral presentations.

Facilities & location

The University of Sunderland has excellent facilities that have been boosted by multi-million pound redevelopments.

Course location
The course is based at the Priestman Building on City Campus, just a few minutes from the main Murray Library and close to Sunderland city centre. It’s a very vibrant and supportive environment with excellent resources for teaching and learning.

University Library Services
We’ve got thousands of books and e-books on topics related to English and literature, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles. Some of the most important sources for your course include:
-Early English Books Online, which provides digital images of virtually every work printed in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and British North America during 1473-1800
-Eighteenth Century Collections Online, which provides 136,000 full-text publications from 1701-1800
-Periodicals Archive Online, which provides digitised literary journals
-Project Muse, which provides over 180 full-text humanities and social sciences journals

IT provision
When it comes to IT provision you can take your pick from hundreds of PCs as well as Apple Macs in the David Goldman Informatics Centre and St Peter’s Library. There are also free WiFi zones throughout the campus. If you have any problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.

Employment & careers

This course is relevant to a wide range of occupations because it sharpens your skills of analysis and persuasive communication. At the same time it advances your intellectual development. A Masters degree in English is a qualification that is well-recognised by employers across all sectors. Past graduates have gained employment in areas such as:
-Teaching
-Media and journalism
-Civil Service
-Publishing
-Communications
-Freelance writing
-Arts and creative industries

A Masters degree will also enhance opportunities in academic roles or further study towards a PhD.

Read less

The Literature and Philosophy MA draws on the interdisciplinary relationship between literature and philosophy. It combines rigorous philosophical and cutting-edge literary study, at the same time as critically examining questions pertaining to the relationship between the two disciplines in an inclusive, critical and non-partisan manner.

The course demands the best of its students, while at the same time providing a supportive pedagogical environment, in which teaching is student-centred and research led. You will be challenged to engage in critical thinking in ways that will prepare you for a range of careers.

On the course you will be able to draw on the resources of not only literature and philosophy, but also creative writing, journalism and publishing, and in a faculty that incorporates the study of film, psychoanalysis, drama and dance. You can therefore take advantage of a broad range of intellectual and creative resources.

What will you study?

The course offers you a broad range of topics in English, including gender, race theory and postcolonial literature and theory medieval literature, Shakespeare, the gothic, the American Suburban novel, Iris Murdoch, slavery and empire. It also offers you the chance to engage in continental philosophy with an emphasis on deconstruction, French thought, German idealism, critical theory, aesthetics, contemporary feminist, modern continental thought and psychoanalysis. The core module offers you the chance to interrogate the boundary between English and philosophy, focusing on their divergent assumptions as well as their connections. It pushes you to think about what is unique to each discipline, and what each discipline can bring to the other.

Assessment

Coursework and dissertation.

Course structure

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Modules
-Interdisciplinary Investigations: An Introduction to Literature and Philosophy
-Humans and Animals
-Mappings and crossings
-Markets and Materiality
-Sex and Text
-Trauma and Justice
-Recent French Philosophy - delivered and assessed in English
-Plasticity and Form
-Art Theory: Modernism, Avant-Garde, Contemporary - delivered and assessed in English

Read less

The MA in English covers literature and popular culture in their historical contexts from the sixteenth century to the present day, with a focus on literature post-1800. It provides you with the opportunity to undertake a comparative study of literature, history and popular culture and develop research skills and methodologies. The programme will appeal if you are interested in combining the study of ‘serious’ literature with popular writing, women’s literature, and topics such as Empire, American national identity, the Victorian period, Holocaust and Second World War, approached as interdisciplinary case studies from the perspective of literature, history, popular culture and print culture. The course enables you to work across subject boundaries and provides excellent preparation if you wish to pursue a PhD in the future.

What will I study?

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (20 credits each), four optional modules (20 credits each) and a compulsory dissertation (60 credits). You will be guided to a combination of optional modules focusing on literature and popular culture, or a combination of literature modules and modules on a historical topic or theme.

If you are interested in literature, the available options cover texts from the sixteenth century to the present day, with a predominant focus on literature post-1880. Themes include gender, popular culture, ‘transgressive’ women’s writing, masculinity, print culture, humour, the gothic, and various theoretical and critical perspectives.

History-related modules focus on themes from the last three centuries, including topics such as Empire, the Holocaust and the Second World War, approached as interdisciplinary case studies involving the study of history, literature and culture (especially popular culture).

How will I study?

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and guided independent learning. Taught sessions take place between 6pm-9pm on weekday evenings. If you are studying full-time you will attend two evenings per week and if you are studying part-time you will attend one evening per week.

[[How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through a combination of assignments which, depending on the modules you choose, may include essays, critical reviews, critical diaries, presentations and research-based projects, and a dissertation.

Who will be teaching me?

You will be taught by a team of specialist tutors who are active researchers and committed teachers with interests in literature, popular culture, genre studies, modern history, women’s studies, history and print culture.

What are my career prospects?

Graduates in the humanities with a higher degree find employment in a wide variety of careers such as teaching, arts organisation and management, the heritage industry, publishing, advertising, journalism, libraries and learning centres, and management/administration.

Alternatively, upon successful completion of the programme, you may wish to apply to progress onto a research degree such as an MPhil or PhD.

Read less

About the course

This is our most flexible course. It’s designed to let you explore, then specialise in the specific pathway that interests you.

Your career

An English Literature masters from Sheffield is the mark of an independent thinker, a skilled researcher, someone who can bring complex projects to fruition. Our graduates go into teaching, management and consultancy, advertising, journalism, publishing, and all branches of the arts – especially theatre, film, and creative writing. Our courses are also excellent preparation for a PhD.

Cultural life

There is always something going on, and there are plenty of chances to get involved. We have extensive links with arts and heritage organisations including Arts Council England and Sheffield Theatres. Recent poetry readings featured Carol Ann Duffy and Ciaran Carson. Our Arts/Science Encounters events bring together musicians, writers, architects and academics to explore ideas. The English Society, run by our students, organises theatre trips, guest lectures, and seminars. Students also get the chance to take part in drama and readings.

First-rate facilities

We’re based in a brand new building at the heart of the campus. There are computer workstations especially for postgraduates and a DVD library with viewing facilities. Our theatre workshop is a fully equipped teaching/performance area with excellent film-viewing facilities and audio suites.

Specialist resources

The University Library subscribes to the major periodicals and full-text electronic archives, including Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Special collections include an outstanding collection of Restoration drama, the Hope Collection of eighteenth-century periodicals, the Jack Rosenthal scripts collection, and papers of contemporary writers such as Anita Brookner, Marina Warner, Fay Weldon and Peter Redgrove.

Funding

There are a number of studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring. For details, see our website.

Research training for PhD

If you intend to progress to a PhD, your course can be tailored to include essential research training. The same applies to students on the online course.

Part-time study

Part-time students usually take one taught module in each semester. In the second year, you’ll also take a dissertation module. For most courses, you’ll need to come in for one half-day per week. The MA Creative Writing is taught in the evening. Some modules, such as Theatre and Performance, may require greater time commitment. We try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the different needs of our students.

Examples of optional modules

Modules may include, but are not limited to: Memory and Narrative in Contemporary Literature; Exchanging Letters: Art and Correspondence in Twentieth-Century American Culture; Tales of the City; Analysis of Film; Animal Writes: Beasts and Humans in 20th and 21st Century Fiction; White Like Me; Rocket-State Cosmology; The Rise of the Gothic.

Teaching and assessment

Essays, 15,000-word dissertation.

Read less

About the course

You’ll study contemporary creative writing and develop your skills in different genres and styles. You’ll also develop and explore your own writing through practical workshops. You’ll complete two core modules, optional modules and a dissertation. Your final portfolio of work may take the form of short stories, a novel extract, script or poetry.

Your career

You’ll examine early modern texts, language and culture. Staff expertise includes palaeography, rhetoric, news writing, the sermon, drama, and issues of political, sectarian and national identity between 1400 and 1700. Modules (including modules from History) can be tailored to suit your interests. You’ll complete one core module, optional modules and a dissertation.

Cultural life

Study eighteenth-century literature to develop a broad range of advanced skills. The focus is on the interface between historical and literary approaches, and you’ll be introduced to current academic debates and research methods in the field. Spanning eighteenth century prose and poetry, Romantic poetry, prose, and drama, and Gothic literature, there’s an incredible range to choose between.

First-rate facilities

We’re based in a brand new building at the heart of the campus. There are computer workstations especially for postgraduates and a DVD library with viewing facilities. Our theatre workshop is a fully equipped teaching/performance area with excellent film-viewing facilities and audio suites.

Specialist resources

The University Library subscribes to the major periodicals and full-text electronic archives, including Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Special collections include an outstanding collection of Restoration drama, the Hope Collection of eighteenth-century periodicals, the Jack Rosenthal scripts collection, and papers of contemporary writers such as Anita Brookner, Marina Warner, Fay Weldon and Peter Redgrove.

Funding

There are a number of studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring. For details, see our website.

Research training for PhD

If you intend to progress to a PhD, your course can be tailored to include essential research training. The same applies to students on the online course.

Part-time study

Part-time students usually take one taught module in each semester. In the second year, you’ll also take a dissertation module. For most courses, you’ll need to come in for one half-day per week. The MA Creative Writing is taught in the evening. Some modules, such as Theatre and Performance, may require greater time commitment. We try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the different needs of our students.

Core module

The Eighteenth Century: Research Approaches.

Examples of optional modules – literature

May include: British Poetry in the Long Eighteenth-Century; The Rise of the Gothic; Poetry and History; Fiction and Reality; Humans, Animals, Monsters and Machines: from Gulliver’s Travels to King Kong; Sex and Death in the Eighteenth Century.

Examples of optional modules – history

May include: The Historical Novel; Framing the Past: the eighteenth century on film; Arguments about Eighteenth-Century Crime; Eighteenth-Century British American Colonies; Material Life and Culture in the Early Modern World.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching takes place through seminars. You’ll be assessed on your essays and a 15,000-word dissertation.

Read less

About the course

This interdisciplinary course will give you a firm grounding in nineteenth-century British and European culture. You’ll complete one core module that will introduce you to key concepts by examining literary, artistic or historical texts. You’ll also take optional modules and complete a dissertation.

Your career

You’ll examine early modern texts, language and culture. Staff expertise includes palaeography, rhetoric, news writing, the sermon, drama, and issues of political, sectarian and national identity between 1400 and 1700. Modules (including modules from History) can be tailored to suit your interests. You’ll complete one core module, optional modules and a dissertation.

Cultural life

Study eighteenth-century literature to develop a broad range of advanced skills. The focus is on the interface between historical and literary approaches, and you’ll be introduced to current academic debates and research methods in the field. Spanning eighteenth century prose and poetry, Romantic poetry, prose, and drama, and Gothic literature, there’s an incredible range to choose between.

First-rate facilities

We’re based in a brand new building at the heart of the campus. There are computer workstations especially for postgraduates and a DVD library with viewing facilities. Our theatre workshop is a fully equipped teaching/performance area with excellent film-viewing facilities and audio suites.

Specialist resources

The University Library subscribes to the major periodicals and full-text electronic archives, including Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Special collections include an outstanding collection of Restoration drama, the Hope Collection of eighteenth-century periodicals, the Jack Rosenthal scripts collection, and papers of contemporary writers such as Anita Brookner, Marina Warner, Fay Weldon and Peter Redgrove.

Funding

There are a number of studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring. For details, see our website.

Research training for PhD

If you intend to progress to a PhD, your course can be tailored to include essential research training. The same applies to students on the online course.

Part-time study

Part-time students usually take one taught module in each semester. In the second year, you’ll also take a dissertation module. For most courses, you’ll need to come in for one half-day per week. The MA Creative Writing is taught in the evening. Some modules, such as Theatre and Performance, may require greater time commitment. We try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the different needs of our students.

Core module

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Nineteenth- Century Studies.

Examples of optional modules – literature

May include: The Rise of The Gothic; Fiction and Reality; Poetry and History; Language and Literature in the Workplace; Study of Texts; Murderers and Degenerates: contextualising the fin-de- siècle Gothic; Humans, Animals, Monsters and Machines: from Gulliver’s Travels to King Kong. You can also take School of English research methodology seminars.

Examples of optional modules – other departments

May include: The Fin-de-Siècle; Nineteenth-Century German Literature; The Scramble for Africa; Jacksonian America 1828–1846.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching takes place through seminars. You’ll be assessed on your essays and a 15,000-word dissertation.

Modern languages modules

In addition to your course modules you can take optional 15-credit modules in the Modern Languages Teaching Centre in Arabic, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Assessment of these modules ties your language learning to your research interests.

Read less

About the course

Explore diverse forms of contemporary theatre with this practical course. You’ll study areas including devised performance and live art, community and applied theatres, new playwriting, classic texts on the contemporary stage, and documentary and verbatim theatre. Our teaching team has strong links with many major venues, theatre companies and practitioners, with Sheffield recently named best theatre city outside London.

Improve both your research and performance skills by working with practising theatre-makers and arts organisations. We have a fully equipped theatre workshop and studio spaces, a publicly licensed drama studio, and excellent editing and recording facilities.

Your career

You’ll examine early modern texts, language and culture. Staff expertise includes palaeography, rhetoric, news writing, the sermon, drama, and issues of political, sectarian and national identity between 1400 and 1700. Modules (including modules from History) can be tailored to suit your interests. You’ll complete one core module, optional modules and a dissertation.

Cultural life

Study eighteenth-century literature to develop a broad range of advanced skills. The focus is on the interface between historical and literary approaches, and you’ll be introduced to current academic debates and research methods in the field. Spanning eighteenth century prose and poetry, Romantic poetry, prose, and drama, and Gothic literature, there’s an incredible range to choose between.

First-rate facilities

We’re based in a brand new building at the heart of the campus. There are computer workstations especially for postgraduates and a DVD library with viewing facilities. Our theatre workshop is a fully equipped teaching/performance area with excellent film-viewing facilities and audio suites.

Specialist resources

The University Library subscribes to the major periodicals and full-text electronic archives, including Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Special collections include an outstanding collection of Restoration drama, the Hope Collection of eighteenth-century periodicals, the Jack Rosenthal scripts collection, and papers of contemporary writers such as Anita Brookner, Marina Warner, Fay Weldon and Peter Redgrove.

Funding

There are a number of studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring. For details, see our website.

Research training for PhD

If you intend to progress to a PhD, your course can be tailored to include essential research training. The same applies to students on the online course.

Part-time study

Part-time students usually take one taught module in each semester. In the second year, you’ll also take a dissertation module. For most courses, you’ll need to come in for one half-day per week. The MA Creative Writing is taught in the evening. Some modules, such as Theatre and Performance, may require greater time commitment. We try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the different needs of our students.

Core modules

Text, Politics and Performance; Issues in Contemporary Performance; Theatre Practice 1: practical research projects; Theatre Practice 2: independent practice; Dissertation of 15,000 or 9,000 words plus integrated practice component.

Teaching and assessment

You’ll be taught through practical workshops, productions and seminars. You’ll be assessed on performance practice, written coursework and a dissertation.

Read less

Overview

The MRes in Humanities offers students the opportunity to produce a substantial piece of independent research and writing, and to undertake wide-ranging, systematic training in research skills and project management. Students will write a dissertation in a specific field or prepare a portfolio of compositions, recital or a media project with a named supervisor.

Supervision is available in all disciplines where the School has expertise:
- American Studies
- English
- History
- Media, Communications and Culture
- Music and Music Technology
- Philosophy
- Russian

You will be able to develop your research topic within the context of current debates and methodologies in relevant disciplines and within the humanities generally. The course will develop practical, critical and analytical research skills that can be deployed in a variety of professional and intellectual contexts. The programme is tailored to your research and career plans, and we recommend that you contact us before making a formal application.

The MRes degree is intended for applicants who already have a clear dissertation project (or equivalent, e.g. composition portfolio, performance or software development plan). In liaison with the supervisor and discipline lead, a plan of work in semester 1 and 2 is agreed and serves as preparation for the project as well as assessed work in its own right. When you submit your online application, please use your personal statement to describe the dissertation (or equivalent) project you intend to carry out (500-700 words). Include specific research questions and aims. What does the project intend to elucidate? Is any hypothesis proposed? How will the research be carried out (i.e. methodology)?

See the website https://www.keele.ac.uk/pgtcourses/humanitiesmres/

English

The MRes in English offers internationally recognised supervision in clearly defined pathways, with many different possibilities within each. They are:

- Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Writing (Contemporary British Fiction; Realism to Modernism: British Fiction 1880-1930; Postcolonial Fiction; Popular Fiction)

- Literature and Film (Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory; Shakespeare; Gothic literature; Novels)

- Renaissance and Early Modern Studies (Writing and Culture in Early Modern Britain, Shakespearean Performance and Theatrical Repertories, Erotic Bodies, Sex in the City, Hamlet and Revenge, the Court Masque, Gender and Tragedy, Caroline Drama, Early Travel Writing, Puritan tradition, Jonsonian Theatre)

- Romanticism and the Long Nineteenth Century

- Literary Theory

- Material Culture

Course Aims

To enable students to research and write an extended dissertation, whilst developing practical, critical and analytical research skills that can be deployed in a variety of professional and intellectual contexts. Students will develop an understanding of the place of a specific research topic within current debates and methodologies in relevant disciplines, and within the humanities generally. The course will promote the ‘project management skills’ of defining and planning a project, meeting deadlines, and recording and reflecting on outcomes.

Course Content

Students follow a tailor-made programme, comprising three components totalling at least 180 credits.
- A 20,000 word dissertation (or equivalent composition or artistic production) is at the heart of the programme (90 credits).

- Research Training covering research skills and reflective practice in the humanities (2 x 15 = 30 credits).

- Research methods in the field relevant to the thesis topic (30 credits)

- Individual Research Orientation: a module tailored to the needs of the student (30 credits).

Teaching & Assessment

Assessment is by coursework, culminating in the 20,000 word dissertation (or the equivalent composition or artistic production). Research Training is assessed by a portfolio consisting of an annotated bibliography, a project outline and a reflective diary. Each of the other modules will be examined through a 4,000-5,000 word essay or approved equivalent.

The pass mark is 50%. A merit will be awarded where students obtain 60% or over for the dissertation (or equivalent project or performance) and an average of 60% on their other coursework. A distinction will be awarded where students obtain 70% or over for the dissertation, (or equivalent project or performance) and an average of 70% in their other coursework.

Additional Costs

Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines we do not anticipate any additional costs for this post graduate programme.

Discretionary Award:
A sum of £6,250 has been made available to students enrolling on taught postgraduate course in History by a former member of Keele staff. The money will be distributed at the discretion of the relevant programme director(s) and is available to students entering the programme in 2015 and/or 2016. No application is required.

Find information on Scholarships here - http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/

Read less

About the course

Develop your knowledge of literature and literary linguistics. You’ll be supported by our expertise in areas including Renaissance and contemporary literatures in English.

This course is taught completely online, so you can study while working, wherever you live. Most class texts can be accessed electronically through the University libraries. You’ll complete one 30-credit core module, optional modules worth 90 credits and a dissertation worth 60 credits.

Your career

You’ll examine early modern texts, language and culture. Staff expertise includes palaeography, rhetoric, news writing, the sermon, drama, and issues of political, sectarian and national identity between 1400 and 1700. Modules (including modules from History) can be tailored to suit your interests. You’ll complete one core module, optional modules and a dissertation.

Cultural life

Study eighteenth-century literature to develop a broad range of advanced skills. The focus is on the interface between historical and literary approaches, and you’ll be introduced to current academic debates and research methods in the field. Spanning eighteenth century prose and poetry, Romantic poetry, prose, and drama, and Gothic literature, there’s an incredible range to choose between.

First-rate facilities

We’re based in a brand new building at the heart of the campus. There are computer workstations especially for postgraduates and a DVD library with viewing facilities. Our theatre workshop is a fully equipped teaching/performance area with excellent film-viewing facilities and audio suites.

Specialist resources

The University Library subscribes to the major periodicals and full-text electronic archives, including Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Special collections include an outstanding collection of Restoration drama, the Hope Collection of eighteenth-century periodicals, the Jack Rosenthal scripts collection, and papers of contemporary writers such as Anita Brookner, Marina Warner, Fay Weldon and Peter Redgrove.

Funding

There are a number of studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring. For details, see our website.

Research training for PhD

If you intend to progress to a PhD, your course can be tailored to include essential research training. The same applies to students on the online course.

Part-time study

Part-time students usually take one taught module in each semester. In the second year, you’ll also take a dissertation module. For most courses, you’ll need to come in for one half-day per week. The MA Creative Writing is taught in the evening. Some modules, such as Theatre and Performance, may require greater time commitment. We try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the different needs of our students.

Core module

Research Methods in English Studies.

Examples of optional modules

May include: Literature and the Mind; Shakespeare and Early Women Dramatists; Introduction to Literary Linguistics.

NB: All MA students can take optional modules from the online course, with the agreement of their course tutor.

Read less