The MA in Welsh and Celtic Studies offers you the chance to explore the relationship between literature, language, culture and identity across the centuries. From medieval literature to contemporary language planning and policy, the exact content of the course will be tailored to suit your individual research interests and based on our areas of expertise.
The areas of research that we offer and which are available to you include: creative writing through the medium of Welsh, language policy and planning, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, performance theory, medieval and modern prose and poetry, translation theory and methodology, ethnology and folk studies, creative writing, children’s literature, gender studies and literary theory and criticism. Great emphasis is set on placing the School’s academic research within a comparative international context.
Working with leading experts in these fields will allow you to develop advanced academic skills in your chosen area of study and undertake original research. Examples of ground-breaking MA research in recent years include linguistic landscape mapping, creative literary criticism, intertextuality and medieval Welsh literature, and digital technologies and minority languages.
Distinctive features
• Work with leading experts in Welsh and Celtic literature, culture and language in Wales’s capital city.
• Develop an understanding of minority-language cultural and linguistic issues that can be related to other international contexts.
• Gain research and professional transferable skills of the highest quality.
• Experience working at one of Cardiff’s cultural, educational, commercial or political institutions integrated as part of the MA’s work placement programme.
• Choose to study through the medium of Welsh, English or bilingually.
• Benefit from a wide range of Welsh language modules available to learn Welsh or improve your skills in the language, free of charge.
• Participate in regular research seminars with postgraduate research students and staff.
Structure
The course can be completed in one year with full-time study or in two years by part-time study.
For a list of modules for the FULL-TIME route, please see website:
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/welsh-and-celtic-studiesastudiaethau-cymreig-a-cheltaidd-ma For a list of the modules for the PART-TIME route, please see website:
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/welsh-and-celtic-studiesastudiaethau-cymreig-a-cheltaidd-ma-part-time Teaching
This MA degree uses many different methods of teaching and learning. During your degree you will attend lectures, seminars and workshops, complete practical tasks, undertake a work placement and complete extended pieces of independent work under your tutor’s supervision.
The learning sessions will be interactive and practical and you are therefore expected to attend every class (be they workshops, seminars, tutorials, lectures or other sessions). In some cases, for example maternity or disability, we may make alternative arrangements for you.
Assessment
This MA programme is innovative in its use of a variety of methods of assessment. As well as developing essential research and essay/dissertation-writing skills, you will give a 15 minute seminar presentation on an area of your research, undertake a period of work placement (and produce a reflective report of the experience in the context of your academic and professional skills and career plans), and form a detailed research proposal (for the extended research project).
In part one, you will follow three core modules and complete the following assessments:
• Academic and Professional Research (40 credits) - seminar paper presentation, work experience report and research project outline
• Special Subject 1 (a subject of your choice related to Welsh and Celtic Studies) (40 credits) - critical review (2,000 words) + essay (6,000 words)
• Special Subject 2 (a subject of your choice related to Welsh and Celtic Studies) (40 credits) - essay (8,000 words)
In Part 2, you will work on an extended research project (60 credits) and complete a dissertation (12,000 words). This dissertation can take the form of an essay, project or creative portfolio.
Career Prospects
This degree offers academic training of the highest standard in Welsh and Celtic Studies to those interested in a career in language, planning, media, heritage, government, management, public relations, marketing, the creative industries, education and research. You will develop knowledge and skills regarded as assets in a wide variety of posts and undertake a work placement as part of the Academic and Professional Skills module.
Placements
Work experience is a core requirement of the MA programme, forming a part of the Academic and Professional Research module. A five-day placement will allow you to explore how your academic and personal skills relate to the requirements of a professional workplace in an area related to your research. You will write a report to evaluate and reflect on your experience. Previous MA students have undertaken placements with organisations such as the National Assembly of Wales, Glamorgan Archives, translation services, media companies and schools.
