Masters Degrees (Popular Culture)

This course examines the changing dynamics of contemporary international relations in the context of the politics of the forces shaping and being shaped by popular culture. It focuses on key theories, policies, and events in world politics, in relation to both traditional and new media.

As a student on this course you learn to think critically about:
-How world politics is reflected or reproduced in popular culture
-How the politics of popular culture shapes the dynamics of world politics
-Approaches and methods in social science and in cultural studies research

You develop the skills to:
-Identify, analyse, evaluate and interpret the principal source materials for world politics and popular culture
-Plan, carry out and communicate original research

This specialist knowledge and skills equip you for careers in government agencies, business, the media and other areas where an advanced knowledge and understanding of contemporary world politics and popular culture is needed.

We have a student-run Politics Postgraduate Society which brings together MA and PhD students to organise academic and social events. The Society runs:
-Professional development seminars, led by academic staff
-Seminars delivered by fellow postgraduates
-Round table discussions with staff and visitors
-The 'New Voices' seminar series, for exciting young external speakers
-A weekly film night during term time

Delivery

Teaching takes place on Newcastle University's city centre campus. Small group seminars, of no more than 15 students, create a highly positive and intimate learning environment.

The course comprises compulsory modules, optional politics modules and a dissertation. The compulsory module is co-taught via videolink with students from York University (Toronto). Your remaining modules in popular culture are chosen from the wide range of modules available across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, including modules in arts, music, film, literature and media studies.

Placements

You can include a work placement in your studies through the Career Development module.

Facilities

You will enjoy the benefit of most teaching taking place in the Politics building with the Robinson Library next door. This space includes a dedicated postgraduate computer room and a postgraduate common room

Read less

The MA in Popular Culture is a distinct, interdisciplinary MA programme that covers film, literature and cultural history. It will appeal if you are interested in popular culture in its critical and historical contexts and provides excellent preparation should you wish to pursue a research-based higher degree, such as a PhD, in the future.

Delivered by an enthusiastic team of cross-disciplinary specialists in popular culture research, the programme will provide you with the opportunity to undertake a comparative study of literature, history and film, working across subject boundaries. You will also develop the practical skills necessary to undertake work across subject boundaries and receive training in transferable research skills and methodologies.

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).

If you are interested in literature, the available options cover contemporary texts, including the genre fiction, journalism and print culture, and gender studies. Film-related modules focus on genre, identity and representation.

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, online discussions and research-based projects, as well as a 15,000-word 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 popular culture, literature, film, genre studies, modern history, gender studies, and history.

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 or 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

This is the only degree which offers students the opportunity to specialise as a translation expert in audiovisual translation and in the translation of popular culture.

Who is it for?

This course is for you if you:
-Are interested in popular culture, films, TV, literature, comics or graphic novels
-Love languages, other cultures and their differences
-Are interested in translation and want to learn about systematic decision-making
-Know about translation and want to specialise
-Have an amateur or fan background in translation and want to become a professional
-Have studied foreign languages, linguistics, literature, media, film, theatre, drama or cultural studies.
-Are looking for a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of translation.
-Want to gain an insight into professional practice in audiovisual translation or in literary translation.

The course aims to make students fit for the market as properly trained and highly qualified translation experts.

Objectives

This course:
-Provides you with training in audiovisual translation techniques.
-Uses industry-standard software for subtitling, dubbing and voice over.
-Specialises in the translation of children’s literature; crime fiction; science fiction and fantasy; comics, graphic novels, manga and video games.
-Introduces you to the different conventions and styles associated with popular culture in its varied forms and genres.
-Focuses on the specifics of genre translation and how these shape translation decisions.
-Provides a theoretical framework for the practical application of translation, working with a wide range of source texts from different popular genres and media.

The course:
-Aims to give you a secure foundation in theoretical strategies underpinning and supporting the practice of translation.
-Develops your awareness of professional standards, norms and translational ethics.
-Works closely with professional translators and the translation industry helping you to develop a professional identity.
-Has optional modules in dubbing, translation project management, screenplay translation and publishing.

Placements

There are no course-based placements on this course. Literary translation does not offer placements, while audiovisual companies offer internships which are competitive.

We support and guide our students through the application process for audiovisual translation internships and have a very good record of achievement. Each year, several of our students win one of these very competitive internships and they tend to be offered full time work on completion.

The course is very industry-oriented and we work closely with the translation industry. Industry professionals teach on the course, supervise students or give guest seminars and lectures.

Academic staff have run Translation Development courses, for example in genre translation for professional translators for the Chartered Institute of Linguists, and they are involved in running Continuing Professional Development courses in specialised translation.

We run a preparatory, distance learning course for the professional Diploma in Translation examined by the Chartered Institute of Linguists. We organise a Literary Translation Summer School each July which is taught by professional, literary translators and with lectures by prestigious translators, academics or writers.

The Translation department runs the John Dryden Translation Competition for the British Comparative Literature Association. The competition is sponsored by the British Centre for Literary Translation and the Institut Français. We offer one internship per year in working on this Translation Competition, interacting with translators, translation judges, managing competition entries and learning about the judging process.

Teaching and learning

The course is taught by academics, industry professionals (for example, audiovisual translation project manager) and translation professionals (for example, award winning literary translators, experienced subtitlers).

Teaching is delivered in a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and lab-based sessions for audiovisual translation. In workshop sessions students work individually, in pairs, group work or plenary forum in a multilingual and multicultural environment.

In all translation modules, there is also a translation project prepared in independent guided study under the supervision of a translation professional in the student’s language pair and language directionality. You can expect some on-line learning, supported by seminar sessions, and industry visits to audiovisual translation companies.

In the Translation project management module, students work in project groups performing real-life translation roles and tasks in a collaborative environment.

Assessment

Assessment is 100% coursework – there are no examinations.

Coursework assignments are a mixture of essays, translation projects, translation commentaries, subtitling and voice over files or project work. The dissertation is 12,000 to 15,000 words long and can either be a research project on any topic relevant to Audiovisual Translation or Popular Literary Translation / Culture or it can be practice oriented: a translation of an extended text or AV clip with critical introduction to and analysis of the translation.

Coursework assignments: 66.6% (120 credits)

Dissertation: 33.3% (60 credits)

Modules

There are five compulsory taught modules plus three elective taught modules, selected by the student from a pool of module choices, plus a dissertation which can be a research dissertation or a practice-oriented dissertation of an extended translation with critical introduction and analysis.

Each taught module is an estimated 150 hours of study. Teaching consists of lectures, seminars and workshops plus independent individually supervised work.

The first part of the translation modules is taught in three-hour sessions (lecture + seminar + practical workshop). In the second part of each translation module, students work on a translation project which is individually supervised by a translation professional who gives written feedback on drafts and provides tailored advice and guidance in individual supervision sessions.

Students can expect between ten and 12 hours of classroom-based study per week, plus time spent on preparatory reading, independent study and research, preparation of assignments.

The dissertation is 60 credits and an estimated 600 hours of study. There are four two-hour research method seminars guiding students through the process of writing a dissertation, plus individual supervision sessions.

All taught modules are in term 1 and term 2 (January – April). Term 3 is dedicated to the dissertation (and completion of assignments from term 2 modules).

Core modules
-Principles and practice of translation theory (15 credits)
-Translating children’s literature (15 credits)
-Subtitling (15 credits)
-Translating crime fiction (15 credits)
-Translating science fiction and fantasy (15 credits)

Elective modules - choose three:
-Principles of screenwriting and the translation of screenplays (15 credits)
-Creating and managing intellectual property (15 credits).
-Dubbing and voice over (15 credits)
-Translation project management (15 credits)
-Translating multimodal texts (comics, graphic novels, manga, video games) (15 credits)
-International publishing case studies (20 credits)

Dissertation - 60 credits
-Dissertation option A (discursive/research)
-Dissertation option B (extended translation with critical introduction and analysis)

Career prospects

The degree is designed to produce graduates who are fit for the market, either working in translation agencies / companies or as a freelancer, addressing the need for properly trained and highly qualified translation experts.

Career options come in a wide range of jobs in the translation industry, ranging from self-employed translator, staff translator or localisation expert to editor, researcher or project manager.

Recent graduate destinations include: video game testing and localisation at Testronic Laboratories; video game translation at Sega; Dubbing, subtitling and voice over at VSI London; translation at the World Health Organisation; project management at Maverick Advertising and Design and at Deluxe Media Europe; freelance translator creative and literary texts.

The degree also lays the foundation to continue to a research degree / doctoral study in any area of translation studies. Currently, graduates from the course are pursuing doctoral study at City, specialising in crime fiction translation.

Read less

This innovative course introduces you to advanced level study of the various aspects of popular culture; principally that produced and consumed in Britain since the late nineteenth century

The programme consists of a broad range of modules from a number of academic disciplines, including History, English, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Religious Studies, and Film Studies

All modules are taught by experts in their respective fields, and informed by research at the forefront of the various disciplines. For your own independent research into popular culture, we can also offer supervision in a wide range of areas and approaches
You will experience a variety of teaching methods with a high level of input from students on the course. Assessment is largely by coursework, essays and presentations

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

The MA in History and Culture will appeal if you have interests that cross the boundaries of history, popular culture, print culture and literature and would like to pursue this combined focus.

The programme seeks to understand the modern world through perspectives derived from the study of history, literature, popular culture and print culture. You will pursue thematic subjects, such as empire, propaganda and gender, and examine select interdisciplinary ‘case studies’ such as the Victorian city, the Second World War and the Holocaust.

You will gain experience of the advanced study of history, develop the practical skills necessary to undertake work across subject boundaries and receive training in transferable research skills and methodologies. On graduation, you will be well placed to pursue a research-based higher degree, such as a PhD, should you wish to do so.

What will I study?

The programme consists of two core 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 focused upon the interdisciplinary study of modern and contemporary history or a combination of these modules with others which have a strong literature and popular culture content.

You may combine period studies, focused, for example, on the Victorian period, the Second World War and the Holocaust, with more generic modules concerned with subject such as ‘transgressive women’ and empire.

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, online discussions, 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 history, literature, popular culture 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

The Modern Languages MPhil is a research-based programme. You can specialise in topics in the languages of: Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American studies. Specialism is also possible in translating and interpreting.

The Modern Languages MPhil is offered through the School of Modern Languages. We offer expert supervision in the following areas:

Chinese

-Chinese translating and interpreting
-Chinese numerology, number and gender in nursery rhymes (Dr V Pellatt)
-Cross-cultural studies between China and the West
-Chinese modernity studies
-Modern Chinese literature and culture
-Chinese-English translation
-Global Chinese diaspora studies
-Chinese-American studies
-Cultural theory (Prof J Qian)
-Contemporary society, especially identity, ethnicity and religion
-Minority nationalities (eg Xinjiang or Uyghur studies)
-Chinese state or popular nationalism and national identity
-Islam in China
-Performing arts, music cultures and popular culture in mainland China (Dr J Smith Finley)
-Transnational Chinese cinema
-Stardom
-Independent documentary filmmaking
-Gender and sexuality in Chinese media (Dr S Yu)

French

-Contemporary women's writing (Dr Robson, Dr El-Maïzi)
-19th century literature and culture (Prof Harkness, Prof Cross)
-Dialectology (Dr Hall)
-French and Algerian cinema (Prof Austin, Dr Leahy)
-History, politics and gender (Prof Cross, Prof Harkness)
-Language change (Dr Hall, Dr Waltereit)
-Popular culture (media, sport, music) and public policy (Dr Dauncey)
-Postcolonial cultures (Prof Austin, Dr El-Maïzi)
-Trauma and culture (Prof Austin, Dr Robson)

German

-20th century German and contemporary literature (Dr T Ludden, Dr B Müller)
-GDR literature and censorship (Dr B Müller)
-Representations of the Holocaust and/or World War II (Dr B Müller)
-Literature and philosophy - cultural and critical theory (Dr T Ludden)
-Women's writing (Dr T Ludden)
-Medieval German and comparative literature (Dr E Andersen)
-Morphological theory - morphology, phonology and dialectology of German and Dutch (Dr C Fehringer)

Japanese

-Gender studies (Dr G Hansen)
-Popular culture, film and media studies (Dr G Hansen, Dr S Yoshioka)
-Political studies (Dr G Hansen, Dr S Yoshioka)
-Literary studies (Dr G Hansen)

Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American studies

-Anthropology, anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics of Latin America, including Quechua language (Prof Howard)
-Semantics, philosophy of language, history and spread of Spanish in Latin America, Latin American dialects and Creole (Prof Mackenzie)
-Political, social and intellectual history of Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially Brazil and Southern Cone (Prof Hentschke)
-History of education in Latin America in 19th and 20th century Latin America (Prof Hentschke, Dr Oliart, Prof Howard)
-Discourses of race and identity in Latin America (Prof Howard, Dr Oliart, Dr Morgan)
-Latin American film, literature and theatre (Dr Page)
-Spanish and Latin American cultural history and popular culture (Dr Catala Carracso, Dr Morgan, Dr Oliart, Dr Fernández)
-Catalan nationalism (Dr Catala-Carrasco)
-Spanish novel (Dr Catala Carrasco)

Translating and Interpreting

We can offer supervision for projects involving English plus Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Quechua, Spanish, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.

Our research specialisms are:
-Interpreting (Dr Y Chen, Dr M Jin, Dr V Pellatt, Dr F Wu)
-Psycholinguistics of interpreting and translating (Dr M Jin)
-Translating literature (Dr F Jones, Dr V Pellatt)
-Translation and culture (Dr Y Chen, Dr F Jones, Dr V Pellatt)
-Translation and ethics, ideology and power (Prof R. Howard, Dr F Jones, Dr V Pellatt)
-Translation products, processes and strategies (Dr Y Chen, Dr M Jin, Dr F Jones, Dr V Pellatt)
-Translator and interpreter training and assessment (Dr Y Chen, Dr V Pellatt, Dr F Wu)
-Reflective/autonomous learning and educational psychology (Dr Y Chen, Dr F Wu)
-Audiovisual translation studies (Dr Y Chen)

Read less

Be part of a lively popular music research community that embraces everything from metal music to film scores with the opportunity to work alongside performers, composers and studio experts.This course is about the here and now - you will study everything from folk to jazz, right through to rock, hip-hop and dance, developing your knowledge of contemporary popular music.You'll join peers from backgrounds in cultural studies, sociology, music and the creative arts to explore today's local live music scene and its connection to the wider national and international industry. From getting out into the Leeds area and conducting ethnographic research into local gigs and events, to composing scores for film and television, you'll discover how a wide variety of communities fuse together to create what is recognised as a vibrant and expanding scene.Whether it's developing your music editing techniques in our studios, or organising events and liaising with artists at Leeds Festival, you'll gain the hands-on experience employers are looking for, gathering evidence for your major research project.This course is the perfect springboard to make contacts, help you discover the interconnectivity of popular music and culture, and really engage with a vibrant and varied scene which covers everything from metal right through to country.

Visit the website http://courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/popularmusicandculture_ma

Mature Applicants

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu.

If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website (http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/recognition-of-prior-learning.htm).

Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.

Careers

With more festivals and independent producers and artists than ever before, the need for live music and industry professionals has soared.

Employment opportunities could be open to you in sound engineering, performance, teaching, song writing, production, music for film and television, music journalism, marketing and PR, and events organisation.

Alternatively you may wish to further your research by studying for a PhD.

- Performer
- Songwriter
- Sound Technician
- Events Organiser

Careers advice: The dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit the careers site - https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/employability/jobs-careers-support.htm

Course Benefits

As well as having access to modern, professional music studios, you'll benefit from being taught by a highly skilled and experienced teaching team, including Professor Karl Spracklen who is Secretary of the International Society for Metal Music Studies and the Editor of Metal Music Studies. You'll also have the chance to network with industry professionals during our guest lecture series. Previous speakers have included Leeds Festival boss Melvin Benn and chart-toppers Rudimental. We also have fantastic links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, which help ensure you get the most from your course.

Core Modules

Popular Music as Leisure & Culture
Examine the importance of popular music as a form of leisure and culture. You will explore music subcultures through sociology, cultural geography, cultural studies and leisure theory.

Researching Popular Music & Culture
Develop an understanding of the strategies used in the study of popular music and culture, drawing on advanced approaches from sociology, musicology, cultural studies, ethnography, leisure and other relevant areas.

Popular Music Analysis
Examine performance, record production, video and reception and the meaning of music for your small scale, individual research project which focuses on the analysis of popular music artefacts.

Popular Music in Contemporary Culture
Engage in debate and discussion of how, where and why certain strands of musical productivity and creativity remain constantly part of the vocabulary of popular music.

Final Individual Project
Combine your learning into a significant piece of work, the nature of which will be determined by yourself and the course team.

Option Modules

Studio Production Skills
Produce a series of sound design projects and create your own systems for the purpose of manipulating/processing sound which will demonstrate your understanding of the concepts behind the tools used for sound design.

Creative Music Production
Develop a broad understanding of the creative possibilities of the studio environment by investigating a range of theoretical, technical, and creative approaches to the production process.

Music Industries in Context
Develop a range of theoretical perspectives drawing on contemporary research into the ecology of the music industries and how different stakeholders across the music sector work together.

Music Industries in Practice
Investigate a host of contemporary issues affecting the practice of operating in the music industries, focusing on one key area determined by your own interests.

Facilities

- Library
Our libraries are two of the only university libraries in the UK open 24/7 every day of the year. However you like to study, the libraries have got you covered with group study, silent study, extensive e-learning resources and PC suites.

- Broadcasting Place
Broadcasting Place provides students with creative and contemporary learning environments, is packed with the latest technology and is a focal point for new and innovative thinking in the city.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/postgraduate/how-to-apply/

Read less

Overview

CREOLE is an innovative two-year Anthropology degree (120 ECTS), funded under the EU SOCRATES Programme, in which students are required to spend two of the four semesters at one or more European partner institutions:

- Universität Wien (Austria)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
- Université Lumière Lyon 2 (France)
- Univerza v Ljubljani (Slovenia)
- Stockholms Universitet (Sweden)
- Universität Bern (Switzerland)
- Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland)
This unique international Master’s degree allows the opportunity to study and analyse multiple complex societies, and to deal with cultural diversity, transnationalism, visual and popular culture. The programme’s main language is English. Proficiency in the language of the proposed partner institution (French, German, Spanish, Swedish, or Slovenian) is desirable.

Course Structure

Normally, Maynooth University students complete 60 ECTS worth of taught modules in their first year at home in Maynooth. For their second year, students visit at least one of the partner universities where they must carry out original research and submit a thesis. For the thesis, students identify their primary supervisor at the home university (MU) as well as a co-supervisor at the partner university they visit. There is also an Intensive Programme (IP) which takes place every year between Semesters 2 and 3 – normally in July – where all students from all partner universities come together for learning, teaching and networking in one of the 6 partner universities. This MA allows the opportunity to study and analyse multiple complex societies, and to deal with cultural diversity, transnationalism, visual and popular culture. The programme's main language is English but proficiency in the language of the chosen university partner is desirable.

Career Options

The CREOLE MA places its graduates in an excellent position to pursue a wide range of international careers. The experience of living and working in at least two different linguistic settings of Europe equips graduates to communicate well in the context of social and cultural diversity, while the completion of a field-based original research project provides them with analytic and problem-solving competencies that are highly valued in both public and private sectors. Students might pursue careers that deal with migration, visual and popular culture, cultural heritage, or international policy, and might work in internationally oriented NGOs, government organisations, international organisations at the European or global level, or international business.

How To Apply

Online application only http://www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity

PAC Code
MHC58

The following information should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

**Certified copies of all official transcripts of results for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed.

- Writing the Statement of Academic and Professional Goals (500 words)

The Statement of Academic Goals is a significant component of the application, and should be given a good deal of thought and preparation. This is your statement of purpose that explains your experience, scholarly interests, and goals. Some of the things your statement should address include (but are not limited to): why you want to pursue postgraduate study in the CREOLE programme; what you have been reading recently that has inspired you to pursue the field of anthropology (please be specific about authors and titles); your general research interests in the field of anthropology and/or ideas for a thesis project; your professional/career goals and how the CREOLE MA degree will help you achieve them.

- Arranging for letters of recommendation

You must make prior arrangements with two referees to write letters of recommendation on your behalf; these should be academic references, or if you do not have recent academic experience, then some other type of professional reference; personal character references are not appropriate. In your application, provide the names and contact details (preferably emails) of these two referees, and the department will contact them on your behalf to request letters. You may alternatively ask your referees to send letters directly to [email protected]; letters should be signed and on letterhead, and should be sent from the referee’s own email address. They can also be sent by post to Anthropology Department at the address below.

Online PAC application form
Statement of your academic and professional goals (SEE BELOW)
Names and contact details of two referees who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you (SEE BELOW)
Official Transcripts of degrees not earned at NUIM**
A copy of your Birth Certificate or valid Passport (non-NUIM students only)
Decisions are returned within 2 weeks of each closing date

Find information on Scholarships here https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/study-maynooth/postgraduate-studies/fees-funding-scholarships

Read less

Everything we do is aimed at helping you to appreciate the approaches and methods used by historians, and developing your knowledge of historical trends, processes and events over the past 300 years.

You will have the opportunity to explore a range of social and cultural developments in the history of Britain, Europe and the wider world. Throughout your study, you will work in small groups or individually, guided by your expert teaching team. Their historical research in areas such as urban history, the history of crime, environmental history, imperialism, sexuality and gender, migration, popular culture and social movement, is of an international standing and will feed into your learning.

Our teaching will give you the platform to reflect on historical interpretations of the past and conduct your own independent historical research.

- Research Excellence Framework 2014: 38% of our research was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent in the Communication, Culture and Media Studies, Library and Information Management unit.

Visit the website http://courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/socialhistory_ma

Mature Applicants

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu.

If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website (http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/recognition-of-prior-learning.htm).

Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.

Careers

You will develop a range of transferable skills valued by employers in areas such as teaching, local government, administration, management, the civil service, marketing, public relations and the non-profit sector. Your course will also provide you with an excellent grounding should you want to pursue further postgraduate study.

- Teacher
- Historical Researcher
- Lecturer
- Journalist

Careers advice: The dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit the careers site - https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/employability/jobs-careers-support.htm

Course Benefits

You will work in small groups or individually with research-active historians throughout your period of study. Our history team has strengths in many areas and you will benefit from their expertise in urban history, the history of crime, environmental history, imperialism, sexuality and gender, migration, popular culture and social movement history.

Core Modules

Researching Cultures
This is an introduction to research skills and methods, exploring libraries, sources, archives and treatments of history through the theme of war. You will analyse the relationships between literary texts, historical documents, and films, as well as scrutinising how World War Two has been recorded, historicised, fictionalised and dramatised.

Underworlds: Representations of Crime, Police & the Criminal c.1700 to c.1945
You will study the representation of crime, criminals and police during a period which witnessed key changes in the criminal justice system, the rise of a policed society, and the emergence of print culture.

Sexuality, Gender & Popular Culture in Britain 1918-1970
According to some theorists, a preoccupation with sexuality is one of the defining features of Western modernity. You will explore current debates, relevant theoretical approaches and will be introduced to a range of source material including newspaper reports, film and popular literature.

Organised Crime in the Modern World: Global Criminal Cultures
Throughout history, as societies have become more organised, so too have their criminals. You will study a range of criminal organisations, exploring the role organised crime has played in both shaping and reacting to the ebb and flow of power and socio-economic development in the modern world.

European Cities: Making Urban Landscapes & Cultures since c.1945
You will examine urbanisation and metropolitan cultures of the cities within Europe during the second-half of the 20th century. We will ask you to consider the relationship between cities and the social, economic, political and cultural policies of local, national and supranational governments and other governing bodies.

Journeys & Discoveries: Travel, Tourism & Exploration, 1768-1996
This is an opportunity to consider the journeys, voyages and discoveries recounted in travel journals, guidebooks, colonial texts, memoirs and ethnographic studies. You will learn how travel, tourism and exploration has evolved - influenced by innovations in transport, health and media, public tastes, colonial policies and racial attitudes.

A Cultural Revolution? The Sixties in Comparative Perspective
Focusing on cultural, social and political elements of the 'long 1960s' (1958-1975), you will study a wide variety of political movements, social changes and cultural forms - such as music, film, TV, theatre and literature - looking at the United States, Britain and Western Europe, and the wider world.

Dissertation
You will undertake a sustained piece of research in social history on a topic selected by yourself and involving the use of both primary and secondary sources.You will design, plan, manage and complete a sustained research project, presenting your findings both orally and in writing.

Facilities

- Library
Our libraries are two of the only university libraries in the UK open 24/7 every day of the year. However you like to study, the libraries have got you covered with group study, silent study, extensive e-learning resources and PC suites.

- Broadcasting Place
Broadcasting Place provides students with creative and contemporary learning environments, is packed with the latest technology and is a focal point for new and innovative thinking in the city.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/postgraduate/how-to-apply/

Read less

At the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, we conduct research and offer MPhil supervision in all major fields of politics, including: international and global politics, governance and political organisations, and political theory.

We can offer you excellent supervision for your Politics MPhil, in a vibrant and supportive research environment.

We have a Politics Postgraduate Society, which organises:
-The 'New Voices' seminar series, with both internal and external presenters
-Round table discussions on topical issues
-Professional development workshops led by politics staff

You are encouraged to attend conferences to present papers, partial funding for this is available from the School.

Our main research themes are:

The politics of difference

We examine the issues thrown up by the social and political differences of humanity from a variety of perspectives including: analytical and continental political philosophy; comparative politics and international politics; post-colonialism. Our work includes research on:
-Multiculturalism and issues of identity
-Inequality and social justice
-Disability
-Competing discourses of national identity
-Ethnic-nationalism
-Political violence
-Socio-political exclusion and discrimination
-Global norms and cultural difference
-Free speech - toleration and recognition

Popular culture and political communication

Our research addresses various key issues including:
-Representation
-Aesthetics
-Identity
-Cultural political economy
-Memory
-Control

We also assess the processes and depiction of political struggles, such as:
-Armed conflict
-Everyday life
-Political organising and identity formation
-Elections

Political participation and elections

We examine the differing forms of political participation that link society to the political systems of the world. We look at both the formal electoral process and non-electoral politics (social movements, protest groups etc). Our research on the emergence of virtual political participation means that some of our work intersects with popular culture and political communication. We investigate:
-Citizen involvement and (dis)engagement
-Social capital
-Non-participation
-The role of civil society

Political ideologies and political thought

We focus on the history of political thought as well as how these ideas are embedded in programmes for political action. Our research incorporates both historical and contemporary political thought prominent in the Western tradition as well as Asian philosophy and post-colonial thinking. This is an interdisciplinary theme, serving as a bridge between empirical political science and political theory.

Global economic and environmental challenges

We study the importance of political ideas such as sustainable development and globalisation, as well as the struggle to define the core problems that society faces. These challenges pose questions to the nature and reform of global governance, and generate tensions between the state and transnationalising forces in global politics and political economy. Our work has already led to findings on:
-The implications for global justice
-The policy challenge for governments and non-governmental actors
-The empowerment of various actors

Democracy, the modern state and political organisations

Our work examines the role of interest groups, social movements, political parties, third-sector actors and charities, community organisations and postcolonial nationalism in relation to the modern state. We draw from ancient and modern political thought to understand the interpretation of democracy (including democratic rights and the foundations of democracy). Our research interrogates the forms democracy takes, including:
-Elite theories of democracy
-Deliberative democracy
-Cosmopolitan democracy
-Democracy in divided societies

Political economy of development

Our research focuses on the interaction of economic forces and principles with political power in the development of societal economics and welfare, as well as on theories of development and post-development. We cover a range of geographic areas in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. We explore questions such as:
-The impact of the ongoing financial and economic crisis
-The role of communities and individuals in the face of global political economic forces
-The impact of the emerging economies (for example Brazil and China) on the global political economy

Critical geopolitics and security

Our research focuses on thinking critically about the political dynamics, consequences and discourses of historical and contemporary geopolitics. We cover both historical and contemporary questions of security, including:
-The territorialisation/de-territorialisation of identity and political agency
-Political cartography
-The role of fear and identity in shaping geopolitics
-Sovereignty and nationalism - the role and impact of the military
-Notions of terrorism and the war on terror
-The geographies of international boundaries
-The war on the trade in illegal substances
-The city and security
-The threat of biological weapons and infectious disease
-The vertical dimension in geopolitical and security studies
-Visual culture and world politics
-Technologies and architectures of security and insecurity
-The human body and security

Theory of international relations

We take an active role in the global debate on the units, actors and structures that shape the dynamics of international politics. Our research covers the political consequences of the constitution of the international as a distinct kind of relation. We examine political concepts including:
-The world system
-International diplomacy
-Networks
-Notions of empire
-Regional integration
-Non-governmental actors
-The (nation) state

Governance in Britain and wider Europe

Our research investigates the dynamics driving public policy-making at national, EU and international levels. We focus on the challenges multi-level governance offers for concerns about legitimacy and accountability. This includes the changing relationship between the governing and the governed over matters of politics and policy. Our geographic scope includes the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia, and the Mediterranean

Global justice and human rights

Our work in political philosophy reflects the increasing need to tackle issues at a global rather than a state-only level. We cover issues such as:
-The formulation and justification of human rights
-The competing claims of relativism, particularism, and cultural diversity
-The extension of ideas of distributive justice from states to humanity as a whole
-Proposals to secure global democracy
-The application of just war theory to modern conflicts and to humanitarian intervention
-Environmental justice, especially climate change

We tackle questions of justice from an issue perspective as well as surveys of nationalism, statism, and various non-cosmopolitan theories of global justice.

Political research and methods

We conduct qualitative and quantitative research reflecting both empirical and critical political methodologies. We use quantitative methods, including rational choice theory and experiments, to make sense of topics as diverse as party systems and transitional justice. Our aim is to push innovation in research methods in ethnography, hermeneutics and discourse analysis. We use concepts that challenge traditional notions of politics to investigate methods for research into new challenges, including:
-The rise of life sciences
-The focus on the relationship between the human body and security
-Emergent forms of subjectivity and politics

Research skills development

The University's Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate School provides a full range of research training in the social sciences, which meets the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This training includes:
-Bibliographical techniques
-Philosophy of social science
-Quantitative and qualitative methods

The Graduate School also hosts postgraduate events, including open days, and supports personal development.

Read less

This course will enable you to explore the diversity of global religious and spiritual life; probe relationships between religion, spirituality, society, identity, ethics and popular culture; explore texts and traditions; consider the phenomenon of religion from a range of disciplinary perspectives; receive training in advanced research skills; and undertake field research.

Why Study Religious Studies with us?

Our course is ideal for anyone seeking to gain greater understanding of the impact of religion and spirituality in the contemporary world and at some key points in history, and to develop critical thinking skills. It is also ideal as a means of training for further doctoral studies in religion.

Professionals in both the private and public sectors engage in this Master’s course to increase their ‘religious literacy’ and to demonstrate to their employers the many transferable skills fostered by the study of religions. Teachers take the course to bolster their expertise in a range of religious traditions. Many students take this course simply because they consider studying the world’s religious beliefs, texts, histories and practices fascinating and relevant.

We will provide you with opportunities and training to undertake field research in religious communities, both abroad and in the UK.

What will I learn?

You will study two introductory core modules, which provide a foundation in key literature on theory and training in practical research methods and ethics. You may then select three specialist modules, covering many major traditions, as well as spirituality and popular culture; the contemporary religious and spiritual landscape; indigenous religions; and field research.

How will I be taught?

The course is available entirely through online distance learning or through a combination of face-to-face taught sessions, intensive residentials and online learning.

Full-time and part-time students should expect to devote 30 hours or 15 hours respectively per week to their studies. You will also have two to six contact hours per week.

How will I be assessed?

Assessments include long essays (usually 4,000 words), shorter critical reviews, research proposals, and other shorter tasks. There are no examinations. The dissertation is a single piece of work comprising 20,000 words.

Read less

The MLitt in Film Studies will expand your appreciation of the medium in terms of its history, formal properties, and its relationships with other art forms. There is a particular focus on authorship and adaptation, as well as the transition from script to screen, drawing on an extensive collection of unpublished script material.

Why study Film Studies at Dundee?

This is one of over ten degree pathways offered in the Masters Programme in Humanities with Specialisation. Students on the Programme take some common modules, and are able to draw upon the research culture of the School of Humanities.

Film has been called the art form of the Twentieth Century, and continues to be a major force in contemporary culture. However, it remains in creative interaction with older arts. Above all, literature and film have been involved in a mutually enriching relationship since the birth of cinema in 1895. Moreover, films are often derived from literary sources, and literary texts increasingly draw on the cinematic devices. Film adaptations can extend or alter our perceptions of fiction or drama, but film also has its own language and styles, which range from the avant-garde to the popular, from aesthetic experiment to pulp commodities.

Interdisciplinary studies

This programme is inherently interdisciplinary in its approach (looking at film in relation to literature, art history and music, television and popular culture). Students are encouraged to think critically about these ideas, and to appreciate the importance of relating critical close analysis of style and form to theory, context, politics and history. These analytical skills, combined with assessment that tests presentational and communication skills and problem solving abilities, are essential in the workplace.

What's so good about Film Studies at Dundee?

Research Excellence:
The School of Humanities at Dundee is a centre of research excellence. Postgraduate students join a vigorous research culture led by world-leading scholars. In the most recent RAE, a full 90% of English's research publications were rated as of international excellence in terms of their 'originality, significance and rigour' and 45% of our research output was rated in the two very highest categories of 'international excellence'.

Postgraduate Culture

The English at Dundee offers a lively postgraduate culture, including a regular postgraduate forum, visiting speakers and an annual postgraduate conference.

"The English department at the University of Dundee is worth recommending for a number of reasons ... I greatly enjoyed the fact that I was allowed a free hand with my own research; supervision being present and supportive, but not controlling or stifling in the least."
Samira Nadkarni, MLitt English Studies

Who should study this course?

As well as being a research preparation degree for students who intend to proceed to a PhD, this course also caters directly for students who wish to take their first degree to a higher level of advanced study, for either career development or merely general interest.

The start date is September each year, and lasts for 12 months on a full-time basis, or 24 months part-time

How you will be taught

All the core teaching is conducted 5.30-7.30pm to allow attendance by part-time and full-time students alike. Other classes are scheduled for the mutual convenience of staff and students. A variety of teaching methods will be used, including: small group teaching, supervised study, seminars, presentations, invited speakers and discussion groups, lectures, workshops, practical classes and demonstrations. Learning methods will include oral and written presentations, as well as research essays and a dissertation. One-to-one supervision of a dissertation is designed to promote continuity in the learning experiences provided and students with the opportunity to work on an area of film study of their own choosing (subject to approval by the tutor).

What you will study

You will study one core module, various options and a dissertation.

Approaches to Film Studies: Theory, Criticism and Archives
English Studies Dissertation
Plus optional modules, from a list such as the one below:

Approaches to Literary and Visual Culture
Approaches to Film Adaptation
The Cinema of John Huston: Adaptation and Authorship
Two British Auteurs: Ken Russell and John Boorman
The Writer-Director in American Film
Joyce and the Cinema
Comics and Film
Film and Theatre
The Literature of Hollywood

How you will be assessed

Assessment is normally by extended essays for each module. All students allowed to progress to the MLitt phrase must attempt the dissertation. Students whose dissertation fails to satisfy the examiners will be awarded the PG Diploma, provided that the taught elements of the course have been successfully completed.

Careers

Graduates will gain a high degree of knowledge and expertise about cinema, literature, art, media, and popular culture, and will explore the relationship between these fields in a highly critical and interdisciplinary way. Students taking this programme may pursue academic careers, work in the media, or in the creative industries or publishing.

Read less

The French MLitt comprises taught and research-based elements, allowing you to focus in depth on one aspect of French studies. We offer a range of study topics including cinema, literature, popular culture and French linguistics.

We offer expert supervision in the following research areas of French studies:
-Contemporary women's writing (Dr Robson, Dr El-Maïzi)
-19th century literature and culture (Prof Harkness, Prof Cross)
-Dialectology (Dr Hall)
-French and Algerian cinema (Prof Austin, Dr Leahy)
-History, politics and gender (Prof Cross, Prof Harkness)
-Language change (Dr Hall, Dr Waltereit)
-Popular culture (media, sport, music) and public policy (Dr Dauncey)
-Postcolonial cultures (Prof Austin, Dr El-Maïzi)
-Trauma and culture (Prof Austin, Dr Robson)

You will normally work on a research project which comprises two to four research assignments and a longer dissertation. Your supervisor will be an expert in your chosen field, and will receive support if necessary from an experienced research supervisor. It is well suited as preparation for PhD research.

Our research staff work in a diverse range of fields from sociocultural, historical and political studies, to film and literature, linguistics and sociolinguistics. The School has strong links with interdisciplinary research centres and groups, including:
-Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
-Centre for Research in Linguistics and Language Sciences
-Research Centre in Film and Digital Media
-Gender Research Group
-Medieval and Early Modern Studies
-Postcolonial Research Group

You will also have the opportunity to attend festivals and conferences with a direct bearing on your course:
-Talking to the World Conference
-VAMOS festival

As a student in the School of Modern Languages, you will benefit from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Faculty research training programme. You will choose these research modules in consultation with your supervisors.

Up to £250 per year is available to support your attendance at conferences or for archival research. You can also request an inter-library loan allowance.

Delivery

This course is delivered by the School of Modern Languages, with the possibility of joint supervision with other schools. You will mainly be based in Newcastle’s city-centre campus. Attendance is flexible and agreed between you and your supervisors depending on the requirements of the research project.

Full-time students are expected to undertake 40 hours of work per week with an annual holiday entitlement of 35 days (including statutory and bank holidays). Part-time study requires a commitment of at least 20 hours per week.

The MLitt includes a formal research training component where you develop research skills and methodologies (20 credits). You complete a portfolio of essays chosen in consultation with your supervisors according to your interests and experience (80 credits). You then undertake a dissertation of 16,000–24,000 words consisting of a sustained piece of original research (80 credits).

Study consists mainly of tutorials and independent learning supported by research training. Supervisors will advise applicants on how to develop their research proposals.

Facilities

You will have access to a dedicated quiet study space, as well as use of a common room with kitchen facilities. The School also houses the Language Resource Centre, with an extensive range of language learning facilities and resources, including:
-Access to 24 satellite television channels from around the world
-Listen and record facilities for speaking practice
-Interactive language learning software
-An international film collection of over 800 titles

Read less

What is Digital Humanities?

Digital Humanities is a field of study, research, and invention at the intersection of humanities, computing, and information management. It is methodological by nature and multidisciplinary in scope involving the investigation, analysis, synthesis, and presentation of information in electronic form.

Digital humanists do not only create digital artefacts, but study how these media affect and are transforming the disciplines in which they are used. The computational tools and methods used in Digital Humanities cut across disciplinary practice to provide shared focal points, such as the preservation and curation of digital data, the aesthetics of the digital (from individual objects to entire worlds), as well as the creation of the born-digital.

Why Take this Course?

This M.Phil. provides a platform for a technically innovative research path within the humanities giving students the opportunity to engage with a new and dynamic area of research. It provides them with the technologies, methodologies, and theories for digitally-mediated humanities providing a framework for new and bold research questions to be asked that would have been all but inconceivable a generation ago.

Course Outcomes

Those who complete this course will have highly specialised IT skills combined with an advanced understanding of how these skills can be applied to a wide variety of digital objects (text, image, audio, and video). It will also provide students with the theories and perspectives central to the field, including the aesthetics implicit in digital creation and migration, best practice in terms of the standards used for a number of data formats, as well as the growing concerns of digital curation and preservation. Through the internship programme students will get real world experience working with cultural heritage partners or digital humanities projects. Moreover, several modules will integrate content from these partners in their learning outcomes, providing opportunities for students to engage with cutting-edge issues and technologies.

What's on the course?

This MPhil consists of three core modules and three optional modules. There is also a dissertation module in which a research topic is chosen in agreement with your supervisor.

Core modules

Theory and Practice of Digital Humanities
Web Technologies
Internship at cultural heritage institution, library, or project
Optional modules (for the 2012-13 academic year):
Cyberculture/Popular Culture
Computational Theories of Grammar and Meaning
Corpus Linguistics
From Metadata to Linked Data
Programming for Digital Media (Full year module)
Contextual Media (Full year module)
Visualising the Past
Heritage Visualisation in Action
NB: Some optional modules require prerequisites

How is it taught and examined?

The taught component of the course begins in September and ends in April. Contact hours depend on the modules you take. Theory-based modules meet for two hours a week (such as 'Theory and Practice of Digital Humanities' and 'Cyberculture/Popular Culture'); practice based modules (such as 'Web Technologies' and 'Digital Scholarly Editing') typically meet for three hours a week to include lab time. Modules are assessed through a combination of essays, in-class presentations, assignments, and projects (either individual or group), depending on the module. There are no examinations. The supervised dissertation of 15,000-20,000 words is submitted by 31 August.

Applicants should have a good honours degree (at least an upper second, GPA of at least 3.3) in any of the disciplines of the humanities. The admissions process will be carried out in two stages. In stage I candidates will apply online and have the opportunity of submitting a sample of their own critical writing (3,000-5,000 words) and a cover letter. Those candidates passing this initial assessment will go onto to stage II that will take the form of interviews (either in person, telephone, video, or skype) which will be arranged by a member of the admissions subcommittee. Taken together, these stages will allow the admissions committee to assess the candidates' general suitability for postgraduate work as well as clarifying my query re on line application]

Applications are also welcome from professionals in the library and cultural heritage sectors. Those already in employment may opt to take the degree over two years: the first year all coursework is taken and the second year the dissertation is written.

Read less