English Literature - MA

Our course invites you to join a team of leading scholars. You will think critically about texts as radical interventions in a changing world.

The English Literature MA offers an intellectually challenging, innovative programme of study. It is directly informed by the outstanding research of staff in the School of English. The course emphasis is on key critical developments in literary studies, such as:
-The relation of shifting aesthetic forms to political radicalism
-The biographies of books
-How authors and texts articulate their relationship to shifting geographies of cultural power
-Textual editing from manuscript to print to digital platforms
-The sexual politics of public and private life in literature
-The mind, the body and affect as sites of and for representation
-The aesthetics and politics of American and world literatures

The MA moves away from period-based literary studies. Instead, it considers texts in the context of established and emerging scholarship and theory.

The School has an international reputation for high-quality research. It also has a friendly research environment. This makes it the ideal place for postgraduate engagement with major issues in English literary studies from 1500 to the present.

Careers

The course provides an excellent foundation for doctoral research. It also develops skills that are valuable for a career in:
-The creative and cultural industries
-Media and journalism
-Education
-Heritage management
-Publishing

Delivery

The course structure allows you to tailor your own programme of study. It includes:
-Optional modules
-Compulsory research methods modules
-A dissertation of your choice, supervised by an expert in the field

Teaching typically takes place on Tuesdays (11 am-1pm and 4 pm-6 pm) and Thursdays (11 am-1pm and 4 pm-6 pm) during the teaching semesters.

You will choose four 20 credit modules from a range of options (80 credits). Our optional modules are thematically structured and cover literature from the 16th to the 21st centuries.

You will also take two 20 credit compulsory modules. These modules cover major critical issues in the subject of English Literature. They also include training in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research methodologies. This training is essential preparation for your individual research in the MA dissertation.

Visit the English Literature - MA page on the Newcastle University website for more details!