This course gives you the chance to study English literature in a modern university environment, while taking advantage of the wealth of resources offered by London's rich cultural life. You will examine literary texts in the wider context of cultural production and relate them to the social, historical and political circumstances from which they emerge.
The course team consists of academic specialists who make use of the many nearby museums, galleries and libraries in their teaching. The course will be of particular interest to those wishing to prepare for further study at MPhil or PhD level, and those teaching English who want to gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field.
Course content
The English Literature: Modern and Contemporary Fictions MA at the
University of Westminster is designed to offer a coherent programme of postgraduate study that allows for both chronological range and specific topical focus. It gives you the opportunity to revisit and reinvestigate the texts, critical practices, institutions and periods that make up the discipline in order to see it in new and exciting ways.
It consists of three core modules. Subjectivities constructs a critical sense of the discipline by focusing on the notion of subjectivity. It investigates the idea of a self as relevant to questions of literary form, to reading, and to writing. Institutions and Histories looks at the institutional and material conditions that produce our ideas of what literature is and the way literary texts are determined by them. Topics covered include the institution of publishing, questions of history, and globalisation, and a critical investigation of the premises and assumptions of academic study. The Dissertation, which can be written on an appropriate topic of your choice, is also a core module. The option modules provide an opportunity for you to deepen and extend your knowledge of a range of periods, issues and forms across the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Modules
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules
-DISSERTATION
-INSTITUTIONS AND HISTORIES: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS
-SUBJECTIVITIES: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS
Option modules - Choose four from:
-EXPERIMENTAL WOMEN’S WRITING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM
-LONDON VORTEX: THE CITY AND MODERNISM
-READING CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
-TRAUMA IN AMERICAN MODERNITY: THE NATION AND ITS LIMITS
-URBAN CULTURES
-WORK PLACEMENTS IN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Associated careers
The course is particularly relevant to those employed in a range of professions, including English teachers wishing to update their professional skills, and professional researchers. The part-time course would appeal to those interested in studying English literature for career development and general interest.
You should have a good Honours degree (usually 2:1 or above, or equivalent) in a relevant subject area. If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of at least 6.5 with 7.0 in writing (or equivalent). Applicants may also be asked to provide an example of previous written work as part of the application. The University offers pre-sessional summer programmes if you need to improve your English before starting your course.
