Masters Degrees in English Literature & Language

Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study English Literature at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

The MA in English Literature offers an exciting array of modules from the traditional core of English studies in the context of contemporary approaches to the subject.

Key Features of MA in English Literature

The MA in English Literature allows you to range widely across English studies rather than confine yourself to a narrow field and draws on the individual research expertise of members of staff.

From the student’s point of view the MA in English Literature is openly structured. As a student enrolled in the English Literature programme, you define your own pathway through the Department’s MA provision. This means that as well as choosing modules from the MA in English, you can select modules in any combination from the other specialist MAs offered by the Department, such as the MA in Welsh Writing in English and the MA in Gender and Culture.

As a MA in English Literature student, you develop your dissertation project on a topic of your own choosing in consultation with a supervisor.

The full-time English Literature course comprises three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer. The dissertation component draws on issues and themes developed throughout the year, or emerges from a topic of the student's proposing in English Literature. Part-time study is available for the MA in English Literature.

Students of the MA in English Literature will benefit from the College of Arts and Humanities' Graduate Centre. The Graduate Centre fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.

Modules

Modules on the MA in English Literature typically include:

• Practising Ideas: Advnaced Research Skills
• ‘The Unsex’d Females’: Women Writers and the French Revolution
• Women Writing India
• The Romantic Sublime
• Gender and Culture: An Introduction
• The Modernist Novel: James Joyce
• Angela Carter
• Dylan Thomas and the Idea of Welsh Writing in English
• Locating Wales: Comparative Perspectives
• ‘American Wales’: Writing the Transatlantic
• Welsh Identities: Literature and Nationhood
• Saints and Sinners in Christian Late Antiquity
• Fin’Amor and Marriage in the Medieval English Secular Lyric
• Gender and Humour in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• Lost in Europe: History, Biography, Ideology through the Short twentieth Century (1914-89)
• Neo-Victorian Mutinies: Gender & Racial Trauma in Neo-Victorian Fiction (& Film)
• Writing Poetry
• Writing the Self

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for English Literature graduates. Our Graduates enter careers in education, professional and creative writing, publishing, global marketing and advertising, media, international and national recruitment, heritage and tourism, and relief/humanitarian organisations. Some Graduates go on to pursue further postgraduate study leading to a PhD and a career in Academia.

Research Interests

The Department of English Language and Literature is home to three research centres and groupings:

• the Centre for the Research in the English Literature and Language of Wales (CREW)
• the Centre for the Research into Gender in Culture and Society (GENCAS)
• the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Research (MEMO)

All staff in the Department are research active and publish books and articles in their areas of expertise. Books published by staff in recent years include studies of medieval women’s writing, William Blake, Dylan Thomas, American fiction, Walt Whitman, narratives of the European border, Angela Carter, contemporary English language studies and many other areas. Regular research seminars
and lectures are run through these groups and also through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) which students are encouraged to attend.

Student Quote

"The MA in English Literature at Swansea offers students a unique opportunity to expand their intellectual horizons in an environment that brings people together from across the globe. I've had the chance to study with people from Ireland, England, America, and Germany and the differing views and experiences that each of us bring to our classroom discussions have been an invaluable part of my education here. One of the other enormous benefits of studying in Swansea is its location. In few other places can a student read a poem by Dylan Thomas or William Wordsworth and then walk through the same streets and countryside that inspired that poet. At Swansea University a student can find a learning experience that breaks free of the confines of the classroom and that may lead them out into all the beauty and history of the city and its surrounding areas. To top it off the small class sizes create an intimate and informal atmosphere where passionate professors challenge you to make the most of your love of literature. In all I'd describe my time here at Swansea as an experience that has both deepened my love of literature while allowing me to come to view it from a more global perspective."


Robert Tretin, English Literature, MA

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This programme provides professional development for English language teachers, and focuses on the theory and practice of teaching the English language in a variety of contexts, drawing on innovative research carried out by members of the School of Humanities, which includes work on Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), corpus linguistics, Academic English and telecollaboration.

A distinctive feature of the programme is that you will have opportunities to observe English Language classes in higher education and undertake microteaching practice. You will also develop digital expertise with state-of-the-art e-learning tools and focus on specific English Language issues relating to your own educational contexts.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

Students on the programme state that staff provide them with excellent academic and pastoral support and that their learning experience is very positive (evidence from module and course evaluation questionnaires). The course also focuses on the future world of work and students may apply for part-time paid teaching opportunities and work placements within Coventry University, including placements overseas.

The assessment on the programme is varied and includes essays, reports, presentations, digital learning object design, microteaching and seen in-class tests. The course also offers extra-curricular activities, such as participation in lectures and workshops with renowned visiting applied linguists andeducation experts.

There also is a free field trip relevant to the curriculum. In 2014 for example we went to the British Museum in London and then designed intercultural teaching tasks based on the objects viewed at the museum (activity linked to the mandatory module on materials design).

You will moreover be offered other field trips at competitive rates as they are supported by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and by the Centre for Global Engagement.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

You will:
-Discuss theory and practice of English language learning and teaching
-Develop skills in the evaluation and design of teaching materials for a variety of settings
-Explore the role played by new technologies for learning, teaching and communicating
-Analyse English as it is spoken and written in the UK and in the rest of the world
-Have the opportunity to practice teaching and observe experienced teachers in a variety of face-to-face and blended-learning settings

The mandatory modules are:
-Theories, Approaches and Methods of Language Learning and Teaching
-Developing Language Teaching Materials
-Analysing Written and Spoken Discourse
-Grammar and Phonology for the English Language Teacher
-Teaching English in Higher Education
-Computer Assisted Language Learning: Theory and Practice
-Dissertation in ELT/Applied Linguistics

In addition, you will choose three of the following optional modules:
-Business English;
-Sociolinguistics and English Language Teaching
-Teaching English Through Literature
-Corpus Analysis and Pedagogy
-English for Academic Purposes Course Design and Language Testing
-Understanding Academic English

HOW WILL THIS COURSE BE TAUGHT?

The full-time, face-to-face, programme runs over three semesters. There are two entry points: September and January. Students normally take four 15-credit modules in semester 1, four 15-credit modules modules in semester 2, and complete a Dissertation in semester 3.

Modules are taught face-to-face with lectures, workshops, laboratory sessions and seminars. All students are asked to submit a diagnostic task on arrival (normally a short essay). One-to-one support is available for students who need practise in academic English writing.

The delivery of all modules is supported by an online learning environment that is used, for example, to display content material, to submit assignments and provide electronic feedback, to discuss seminar topics (discussion forums), to design student-centred glossaries and to engage in online assessment and practice.

Students are also offered the opportunity to discuss English language teaching and analyse the English language with dedicated e-learning platforms for specific purposes (e.g. Corpus Linguistics tools, Computer Assisted Language Learning and Mobile Assisted Language Learning platforms).

Staff teaching on the programme also make use of the new learning spaces in the Disruptive Media Learning Laboratory in the Lanchester Library, to encourage students to practise English teaching in a variety of settings.

A part-time programme is available for UK/EU applicants, and can be tailored to the needs of each applicant.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

A variety of assessed tasks have been integrated into this programme, offering you a stimulating assessment experience and to enable you to reflect on your work, as the programme is designed to train teachers who will assess work themselves. Each module will normally have two assessment tasks and you will receive feedback on the first task before you submit the second one. The assessment tasks include seen examinations, presentations, essays and reports, corpus-based syllabus and course design, microteaching, reflective test design, e-learning object design in group and peer observation reports.

The external examiners have commented very positively on the variety, innovation and appropriateness of the assessment tasks on this programme. For example in 2013-2014 the External Examiner commented in his annual report: 'The assessment tasks are of good quality - well conceived, often imaginative, and in many cases appropriately practical, matching well with intended learning outcomes. I commend this.'

HOW WILL THIS COURSE ENHANCE MY CAREER PROSPECTS?

English looks likely to continue as the international language for the foreseeable future, and this MA programme leads to a variety of career destinations in teaching the language and/or in education management. Qualifications of this kind are often seen as important for access to senior management posts in both private and state educational institutions around the world. In addition to classroom teaching you will be well equipped to perform roles such as materials developer, resource manager and examiner.

Graduates from the MA in ELT are currently employed as professors in Jordan and China, as Pre-sessional Programme Coordinators in the UK and China and as Academic English Consultants for both the private and public sector, just to provide a few examples.

WORK PLACEMENTS

You will be provided support to find a work placement by dedicated staff in the careers office and in the Centre for Global Engagement.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

You will be offered the opportunity to take part in the global leaders programme (additional fees apply, see further details below) that includes international experiences. There will also be international trips organised by the School in collaboration with the Centre for Global Engagement. As English is a global language, international perspectives on learning and teaching English are fully embedded in the curriculum.

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Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study English at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

The Department of English Language and Literature can offer supervision in most areas of literature from the middle ages to the present. We have particular strengths in gender, Welsh writing in English, American Literature, medieval, Renaissance, eighteenth and nineteenth-century writing and culture, modernism and postmodernism, Irish poetry, contemporary literature and critical and cultural theory.

Key Features of MA by Research in English

An MA by Research in English gives you the chance to pursue a project inspired entirely by your own particular enthusiasms in English language and literature. The qualification would be a good preparation for proceeding to doctoral work. Alternatively, the proven ability to conduct independent research in English will boost employment prospects outside academia (for example, in the media, publishing, the Civil Service, or education).

As a student of the MA by Research in English programme, you will be supervised closely by two experienced academics in your field. Typically, you will meet them fortnightly in the first term and at regular intervals thereafter. Meetings are logged and goals agreed each time.

All research students in English are required to attend skills and training courses at College and Institutional level. English students give presentations to other research students and staff at departmental seminars and the annual departmental postgraduate symposium in June and the College of Arts and Humanities conference in October. MA by Research in English degree typically lasts from one year (full-time study) to two years (part-time study).

The MA by Research in English would suit those wanting the freedom to explore a topic of their choosing in English language and literature under the close supervision of two experienced academics but without attending regular classes as required in taught programmes; an MA qualification in niche areas where taught programmes are not offered; the experience of a research degree without committing to a PhD at the outset. Research proposals are invited on any topic in English for which staff can provide supervision.

Postgraduate Research in the Department of English Language and Literature

About 70 of the postgraduates currently studying at Swansea University’s Department of English Language and Literature [ELL] are researchers working on an MA, MPhil or PhD thesis. Each is supervised by two members of staff, 60% of whose own research publications were rated ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’ in the 2008 REF exercise. We supervise interdisciplinary projects as well as traditional areas of the discipline - in language studies, creative writing, literature (from medieval to the present) and critical and cultural theory. If you have an idea for a research project in English, do get in touch and discuss it with us informally before applying.

Postgraduate students including those of MA by Research in English, often join a research centre, e.g. the Centre for Research into Gender and Culture (GENCAS) or the Centre for Research into Welsh Writing in English (CREW) where they work alongside other students and staff in dedicated research rooms. Students present their work in the friendly environment of our Research Institute’s annual postgraduate conference, Swansea University’s Department of English Language and Literature (ELL)’s fortnightly research seminars, and the monthly workshop of the Creative Writing Programme. Our research environment was judged 100% ‘internationally excellent’ by the 2008 REF, and research students help staff organize a lively programme of conferences, readings and performances on campus and in the city’s arts centres. As well as being inducted into academic research and dissemination, doctoral students have the opportunity to undertake undergraduate teaching to prepare them for an academic career. We provide study stations with computers and postgraduate common-rooms, research training and the services of a research officer and subject librarian.

REF 2014

What the Research Excellence Framework 2014 had to say about Postgraduate research in the Swansea Department of English Language and Literature …

The environment in the Department of English Language and Literature is ‘conducive to producing research of mostly at least internationally excellent and at its best world-leading quality’

‘Arrangements for postgraduates were deemed of world-leading quality’

‘There is clear evidence of the development of a research culture into which research students are fully integrated’

‘Recruitment is strong’

‘There are excellent arrangements for support, training and employability’.

Summing up: ‘The unit makes an outstanding contribution to the health of the discipline’.

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The English Language and Literature MA aims to allow you to explore the interconnections between language and literature. It will provide you with a thorough understanding of the linguistic features of English from a wide range of perspectives (theoretical and applied, synchronic and diachronic), as well as leading you to explore a wide array of texts in connection with the social, historical and political circumstances from which they emerge. Furthermore, the MA will equip you with the intellectual perspectives and the scholarly skills that will prepare you to conduct independent research.

Course content

The MA is suitable for students who have taken English language and/or literature modules at undergraduate level, and others who have taken allied disciplines such as TESOL. It is of particular interest to those wishing to pursue further study and those teaching English who wish to gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field.

If pursuing the degree full-time, you will study 180 credits in one academic year; if part-time, you will normally complete 180 credits in two academic years. You will study four core modules (including a 60-credit dissertation on a topic of English language and/or literature), as well as two modules from the list of options. The core modules Subjectivities: Modern and Contemporary Fictions and Institutions and Histories examine classic and contemporary critical texts on literature in relation to ideas in larger contexts, such as history, the visual image, gender, psychoanalysis and post- colonialism, while the module English Language in Use will help you acquire the scholarly tools necessary for the stylistic interpretation of literary and non-literary texts.

The teaching is mainly through weekly two or three hour sessions for each module, which include tutorials, seminars, practical sessions and workshops. There is also independent self-directed study, and you will be prepared for the Dissertation via structured sessions in research methodology. Assessment methods include submitted coursework such as essays, reviews and exercises; there are no formal examinations.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-DISSERTATION
-ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN LITERARY CONTEXTS
-INSTITUTIONS AND HISTORIES IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS
-SUBJECTIVITIES IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS

Option modules
-ANALYSING SPOKEN AND WRITTEN DISCOURSE
-CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
-EXPERIMENTAL WOMEN’S WRITING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM
-INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
-LONDON VORTEX: THE CITY AND MODERNISM
-READING CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
-SEXUALITY AND NARRATIVE
-SOCIOLINGUISTICS
-TRANSLATION STUDIES

Associated careers

The English Language and Literature MA will provide you with sophisticated analytical skills and a widely applicable knowledge base, which will enable you to study at MPhil or PhD levels with a view to pursuing an academic career. The course is also particularly relevant to teaching English as a first or foreign language, and to a range of professions involving the study and use of language and literary texts.

While studying the MA, you will also benefit from the careers workshops organised by the departmental employability coordinator.

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The English Language and Literature MA aims to allow you to explore the interconnections between language and literature. It will provide you with a thorough understanding of the linguistic features of English from a wide range of perspectives (theoretical and applied, synchronic and diachronic), as well as leading you to explore a wide array of texts in connection with the social, historical and political circumstances from which they emerge. Furthermore, the MA will equip you with the intellectual perspectives and the scholarly skills that will prepare you to conduct independent research.

Course content

The MA is suitable for students who have taken English language and/or literature modules at undergraduate level, and others who have taken allied disciplines such as TESOL. It is of particular interest to those wishing to pursue further study and those teaching English who wish to gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field.

If pursuing the degree full-time, you will study 180 credits in one academic year; if part-time, you will normally complete 180 credits in two academic years. You will study four core modules (including a 60-credit dissertation on a topic of English language and/or literature), as well as two modules from the list of options. The core modules Subjectivities: Modern and Contemporary Fictions and Institutions and Histories examine classic and contemporary critical texts on literature in relation to ideas in larger contexts, such as history, the visual image, gender, psychoanalysis and post- colonialism, while the module English Language in Use will help you acquire the scholarly tools necessary for the stylistic interpretation of literary and non-literary texts.

The teaching is mainly through weekly two or three hour sessions for each module, which include tutorials, seminars, practical sessions and workshops. There is also independent self-directed study, and you will be prepared for the Dissertation via structured sessions in research methodology. Assessment methods include submitted coursework such as essays, reviews and exercises; there are no formal examinations.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-DISSERTATION
-ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN LITERARY CONTEXTS
-INSTITUTIONS AND HISTORIES IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS
-SUBJECTIVITIES IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTIONS

Option modules
-ANALYSING SPOKEN AND WRITTEN DISCOURSE
-CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
-EXPERIMENTAL WOMEN’S WRITING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM
-INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
-LONDON VORTEX: THE CITY AND MODERNISM
-READING CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
-SEXUALITY AND NARRATIVE
-SOCIOLINGUISTICS
-TRANSLATION STUDIES

Associated careers

The English Language and Literature MA will provide you with sophisticated analytical skills and a widely applicable knowledge base, which will enable you to study at MPhil or PhD levels with a view to pursuing an academic career. The course is also particularly relevant to teaching English as a first or foreign language, and to a range of professions involving the study and use of language and literary texts.

While studying the MA, you will also benefit from the careers workshops organised by the departmental employability coordinator.

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The MA in English Language and Literature offers an alternative to more traditional Humanities-based MAs by providing a unique combination of subject expertise and employability activities not offered elsewhere.
For this course, students will benefit from working under the guidance of both employment groups (e.g. at heritage sites) and academic tutors, as it combines academic expertise, field trips to heritage sites and mentoring schemes with Employability groups.

The course is designed to make students consider their own social and cultural identities, and thus provides substantial scope for reflection and personal development.

The course comprises 3 double modules plus a triple dissertation (15,000 words). The modules are as follows:

English Language and Literature (double)
Local and Global English (double)
Language Awareness in the Workplace (double)
Dissertation (triple)
The modules are designed to make students familiar with tools from Literature and English Language studies to analyse critically a range of spoken and written discourses and contemporary modes of communication. You will be made aware of the importance of language in the creation of social identities, interpersonal relations and social ‘realities’. You will learn to contextualise literary texts by exploring the role of literature in the reflection, and construction, of the societies and cultures you live in.

English Language and Literature explores the interface between language and literature through an up-to-date and thorough introduction to the study of a wide variety of texts. Local and Global English will apply theory to the discussion of texts and will study literature in its socio-cultural and historical context. A number of field trips to heritage sites will be incorporated into the module programme.

Language Awareness in the Workplace will explore aspects of language ‘use’ and ‘attitudes’ in a range of workplace environments, and examine the power of language to influence or construct both social relations and viewpoints. A wide range of communication media, including computer-mediated communication (e.g. email) will be explored. The Dissertation involves the production of a substantial piece of written work. It is designed to promote and support the development of an independent area of research within the field of English Language/Linguistics and/or Literature.

Teaching modes will vary depending on the nature of the module. A mixture of lectures and seminars will be the norm, although some lecturers prefer a more interactive style in which students might be asked to form groups to discuss particular topics or to complete exercises in class. Additional support will be provided in the form of tutorials. Group work and independent learning will be gradually introduced into the programme. A large part of the teaching process will involve discussions on extra-institutional activities, such as field trips and mentorships. You will have access to innovative state-of-the-art learning spaces within the new on-campus Media Factory building which will enable exciting, new forms of learning and teaching to be made accessible. These spaces will also be used to bring the business and academic sectors into contact during the mentoring process.

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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."

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We offer MPhil research programmes in English (including American Studies), Comparative Literature or Linguistics for full or part-time study- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-english-comparative-literature/

Find out more about our staff and their specialisms and expertise, and the Department of English and Comparative Literature.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature consists of some 40 scholars and creative writers whose work is acknowledged and cited internationally.

We offer a stimulating environment for undertaking postgraduate research in English Literature (including American Literature and literary theory), World Literature, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, and Creative Writing.

We particularly encourage cross- and interdisciplinary research in emerging fields of study and creative practice.

As well as working with scholars and writers of international standing, you will have the opportunity to play an active role in a vibrant research environment which includes the Richard Hoggart Lectures in Literature and Culture, the annual Goldsmiths Prize for bold and innovative fiction, and specialist seminars and colloqia offered by the Goldsmiths Writers' Centre, the Goldsmiths Literature Seminars (GLITS), the Goldsmiths Linguistics Seminars (GoldLingS), and the e-journal, GLITS-e.

The MPhil programme offers the opportunity for the student to continue their research to a PhD.

Assessment is by thesis and viva voce.

North American applicants especially should note that the British system does not include preparatory taught classes or examinations as part of the MPhil/PhD programme, except for an initial course in research methods.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Maria Macdonald.

Department

English at Goldsmiths is ranked:
18th in the UK for the quality of our research**
In the world’s top 150 universities for English language and literature***

Cervantes. Bukowski. Dostoevsky. Self. From classical literature and linguistics, to creative writing and contemporary fiction, we take a critical and creative approach to the discipline.

As a department we’re interested in a field of enquiry that extends from Old English to 21st-century literatures in English, French, Spanish and Italian. So you can study texts and films across a variety of periods and genres.

We’re engaged

We have a dedicated Writers’ Centre that encourages new writing and stimulates debate about all forms of literature. And we award the annual Goldsmiths Prize (for “fiction at its most novel”), which brings critically acclaimed writers like Ali Smith and Eimear McBride to campus.

We’re nurturing

We may be one of the largest departments at Goldsmiths but that doesn’t mean you won’t get personal support. Learn from our approachable team of academic staff and become part of the student-run English Society.

We’re vibrant

As one of the first departments in the UK to offer creative writing, you’ll be part of a hub of literary excellence – our graduates have gone on to win prestigious awards from the Orange Prize for Fiction to the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year.

Find out more about the Department of English and Comparative Literature.

**Research Excellence Framework 2014, Times Higher Education research intensity subject rankings
***QS World University Rankings by subject 2015

Skills

Carrying out a research degree will help you develop:

transferable skills, including enhanced communication and discussion skills in written and oral contexts
the ability to analyse and evaluate different textual materials
the ability to organise information, and to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments

Careers

Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in:

publishing
journalism
public relations
teaching
advertising
the civil service
business
industry
the media

Research training programme

Training in research methods and skills is provided both by the department and Goldsmiths' Graduate School. This begins with an intensive week-long induction in the first week of enrolment and continues later in the first term with a series of seminars focussing on the specific challenges of literary and linguistic research projects. The department will also inform you about any research training seminars or study-days offered elsewhere in the University of London (for example, by the Institute of English Studies or the Institute of Modern Languages Research, School of Advanced Study) or beyond, such as at the British Library. The specific training requirements of your project will be assessed, and guidance provided on specialist seminars and conferences to attend, which can be supported where possible by assistance from departmental funds.

How to apply

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application.

This should be in the form of a statement of the proposed area of research and should include:

delineation of the research topic
why it has been chosen
an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
a brief list of major secondary sources

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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This is an innovative and interdisciplinary MA programme, combining taught modules and a dissertation, which allows you to share your year between Canterbury and Paris.

The programme allows you to choose from the full range of our MA literature modules. The list of what’s on offer is regularly added to by academics keen to explore new areas of thinking with students and to draw you in to our established areas of research strength.

Following a similar path to our English and American Literature MA, the Paris option allows you to spend your first term at our Canterbury campus with full access to its excellent academic and recreational facilities. For the spring term you relocate to our Paris centre, studying in a historic corner of Montparnasse - close to the famous Latin Quarter, the Sorbonne University and the glorious Jardin du Luxembourg.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/223/english-and-american-literature-canterbury-and-paris

About the School of English

The School of English has a strong international reputation and global perspective, apparent both in the background of its staff and in the diversity of our teaching and research interests.

Our expertise ranges from the medieval to the postmodern, including British, American and Irish literature, postcolonial writing, 18th-century studies, Shakespeare, early modern literature and culture, Victorian studies, modern poetry, critical theory and cultural history. The international standing of the School ensures that we have a lively, confident research culture, sustained by a vibrant, ambitious intellectual community. We also count a number of distinguished creative writers among our staff, and we actively explore crossovers between critical and creative writing in all our areas of teaching and research.

The Research Excellence Framework 2014 has produced very strong results for the School of English at Kent. With 74% of our work graded as world-leading or internationally excellent, the School is ranked 10th out of 89 English departments in terms of Research Intensity (Times Higher Education). The School also received an outstanding assessment of the quality of its research environment and public impact work.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

EN818 - American Modernism 1900-1930 (Teaching Period I) (30 credits)
EN832 - Hacks, Dunces and Scribblers: Authorship and the Marketplace in the Eig (30 credits)
EN835 - Dickens, The Victorians and the Body (30 credits)
EN852 - Colonial and Postcolonial Discourses (30 credits)
FR866 - Literature and Theory (30 credits)
EN871 - Origins of Modern Poetry (30 credits)
FR820 - Paris: Reality and Representation (30 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by a 5-6,000-word essay for each module and a 12,000 word dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- extend and deepen through coursework and research your understanding of a body of literatures in English, with special emphasis on modern and postcolonial literatures, and on literary and critical theory

- enable you to develop an historical awareness of literary traditions

- develop your independent critical thinking and judgement

- introduce you to bibliographic method and scholarship and to foster in you the research methods that facilitate advanced literary study

- provide a basis in knowledge and skills if you intend to teach English and American literature, especially in higher education

- develop your understanding and critical appreciation of the expressive resources of language

- offer opportunities for you to develop your potential for creative writing (where such a module is taken)

- offer scope for the study of literature within an interdisciplinary context, notably that provided by history

- develop your ability to argue a point of view with clarity and cogency, both orally and in written form

- develop your knowledge and understanding of relevant aspects of contemporary Paris and the cultural history of the city as reflected in modern European, English and American literatures and other artistic media.

Research areas

Research in the School of English comes roughly under the following areas. However, there is often a degree of overlap between groups, and individual staff have interests that range more widely.

Eighteenth Century
The particular interests of the Centre for Studies in the Long Eighteenth Century converge around gender, class, nation, travel and empire, and the relationship between print and material culture. Staff in the Centre pursue cutting-edge approaches to the field and share a commitment to interdisciplinary methodologies.

The Centre regularly hosts visiting speakers as part of the School of English research seminar programme, and hosts day symposia, workshops and international conferences.

Nineteenth Century
The 19th-century research group is organised around the successful MA in Dickens and Victorian Culture and the editorship of The Dickensian, the official publication outlet for new Dickens letters. Other staff research interests include literature and gender, journalism, representations of time and history, sublimity and Victorian Poetry.

American Literature
Research in north American literature is conducted partly through the Faculty-based Centre for American Studies, which also facilitates co-operation with modern US historians. Staff research interests include 20th-century American literature, especially poetry, Native American writing, modernism, and cultural history.

Creative Writing
The Centre for Creative Writing is the focus for most practice-based research in the School. Staff organise a thriving events series and run a research seminar for postgraduate students and staff to share ideas about fiction-writing. Established writers regularly come to read and discuss their work.

Medieval and Early Modern
The Faculty-based Canterbury Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies has a distinctive brand of interdisciplinarity, strong links with local archives and archaeological trusts, and provides a vibrant forum for investigating the relationships between literary and non-literary modes of writing in its weekly research seminar.

Modern Poetry
The Centre for Modern Poetry is a leading centre for research and publication in its field, and participates in both critical and creative research. Staff regularly host visiting speakers and writers, participate in national and international research networks, and organise graduate research seminars and public poetry readings.

Postcolonial
Established in 1994, the Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Research has acquired an international reputation for excellence in research. It has an outstanding track record in publication, organises frequent international conferences, and regularly hosts leading postcolonial writers and critics. It also hosts a visiting writer from India every year in association with the Charles Wallace Trust.

Careers

Many career paths can benefit from the writing and analytical skills that you develop as a postgraduate student in the School of English. Our students have gone on to work in academia, journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching; as well as more general areas such as banking, marketing analysis and project management.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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The MA in English Literature is aimed at offering students an opportunity to combine a broad-based course of postgraduate study in the field of modern writing in English with a focused interrogation of a selected area of the literary heritage of the English language. In addition, a creative writing pathway provides students interested in using their experience of reading and their literary-critical skills and insights to inform their own writing practice with an opportunity to develop individual writing projects and to reflect, in a self-analytical way, on their own engagement in creative work.

Visit the website: http://www.ulster.ac.uk/course/ma-english-literature-ft-ce

Course detail

- Description -

The course offers a programme which is broad-ranging in terms of its coverage of a variety of areas of the literary tradition of the English language In line with recent trends in postgraduate taught courses across the UK, it integrates generic elements, such as the study of critical theory and the development of research skills, with more focused text-based exploration of a variety of key issues in modern literary studies, and with the study of Irish writing in English, which gives the course a distinctive regional identity; at the same time, the provision of a variety of specialist options, both at the taught stage of the programme and in the dissertation/creative project component provides students an opportunity to specialise in a particular area of modern English literary studies, the options on offer reflecting the breadth of research and teaching expertise across the English subject group.

- Teaching and learning assessment -

Transferable skills are practised and enhanced through all the forms of teaching and learning used on the programme, particularly in seminar work and in independent study, including in particular study of secondary literature, planning and delivery of presentations, and preparation of assignments.

Assessment: coursework essays, oral presentations, as well as either extended essays or creative writing portfolios and accompanying reflective work. At dissertation/creative project stage, the achievement by students of those intellectual skills is measured by the dissertation/creative writing portfolio.

Career options

Students graduating with the MA in English Literature are well-prepared to undertake a variety of occupations, both those related directly to the nature of literary study as an academic discipline and to the subject-specific skills acquired in the course of the programme, and those of a more generally defined postgraduate-level variety. Some typical careers followed by graduates from the course include teaching, publishing, bookselling, librarianship, archive work, media work, public relations, advertising, marketing, and administration. The MA also responds to a demand from serving teachers of English who wish to develop their own knowledge and advance their careers. For both full-time and part-time students, the course offers a useful bridge to further research work at the doctoral level.

How to apply: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply#pg

Why Choose Ulster University ?

1. Over 92% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduation.
2. We are a top UK university for providing courses with a period of work placement.
3. Our teaching and the learning experience we deliver are rated at the highest level by the Quality Assurance Agency.
4. We recruit international students from more than 100 different countries.
5. More than 4,000 students from over 50 countries have successfully completed eLearning courses at Ulster University.

Flexible payment

To help spread the cost of your studies, tuition fees can be paid back in monthly instalments while you learn. If you study for a one-year, full-time master’s, you can pay your fees up-front, in one lump sum, or in either five* or ten* equal monthly payments. If you study for a master’s on a part-time basis (e.g. over three years), you can pay each year’s fees up-front or in five or ten equal monthly payments each year. This flexibility allows you to spread the payment of your fees over each academic year. Find out more by visiting https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/postgraduate

Scholarships

A comprehensive range of financial scholarships, awards and prizes are available to undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. Scholarships recognise the many ways in which our students are outstanding in their subject. Individuals may be able to apply directly or may automatically be nominated for awards. Visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/fees-and-finance/scholarships

English Language Tuition

CELT offers courses and consultations in English language and study skills to Ulster University students of all subjects, levels and nationalities. Students and researchers for whom English is an additional language can access free CELT support throughout the academic year: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/international/english-language-support

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The Master’s programme in English Studies helps you develop your expertise in areas that are often separated in other programmes: English language and linguistics, literature in English, and the teaching of English. Upon graduation, you will have excellent command of the English language. By working in a stimulating environment with accomplished researchers and teachers, you will also develop other skills needed in your future career, such as skills in presentation, independent and group work, and project management.

An MA in English Studies prepares you for a variety of jobs, and our graduates have been successful in finding employment. If combined with mandatory pedagogical studies, the Master’s degree in English Studies qualifies you to be a language teacher. Alternatively, you can find employment in media or publishing, business, or international organisations where language skills are required. English is used globally as the language of science, culture, business and tourism, and experts in English are required in all of these fields.

The University of Helsinki will introduce annual tuition fees to foreign-language Master’s programmes starting on August 1, 2017 or later. The fee ranges from 13 000-18 000 euros. Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries, who do not have a permanent residence status in the area, are liable to these fees. You can check this FAQ at the Studyinfo website whether or not you are required to pay tuition fees: https://studyinfo.fi/wp2/en/higher-education/higher-education-institutions-will-introduce-tuition-fees-in-autumn-2017/am-i-required-to-pay-tuition-fees/

Programme Contents

Courses in English Studies focus on several topics relating to the English language, literatures in English, and teaching English. You can choose to combine courses from one or more lines according to your interests. In Linguistics courses you will focus on the structure and uses of English as well as on language variation and change, sociolinguistics and corpus linguistics. In the Literature courses you will study several areas of the various literatures in English from narrative, cognitive, postcolonial and ecocritical perspectives. Courses in Applied Linguistics are tailored especially for future language teachers.

As a student in English Studies, you will attend lectures but also work in collaboration with other students, partly in digital learning environments. To assess your learning progress, several methods are used, such as examinations, essays and learning diaries. In English Studies you will also practice your spoken and presentation skills.

During your Master’s studies, you can:
-Progress further in your linguistic or literary studies and choose the most interesting courses.
-Strengthen your understanding of theory in your chosen field.
-Strengthen your language skills, academic writing skills and presentation skills.
-Participate in research projects.
-Participate in the Master’s thesis seminar, during which you will write your thesis.
-Complete studies abroad as an exchange student (if you have not done so already).
-Complete practical training, by working as a trainee or a substitute teacher, for instance.

Selection of the Major

You can choose between two specialisations, Teacher Training and General. For the teacher’s specialisation, pedagogical studies are mandatory, and there is a separate selection process for these studies. If you choose the General specialisation, you can combine English Studies with other studies according to your interests.

Programme Structure

The scope of the Master’s degree is 120 credits (ECTS). The degree contains the following studies:
-Advanced studies in the discipline (60–120 credits) and
-If needed, you can take other courses to achieve the minimum credit requirement for the degree (a total of 120 credits).

With full-time studies you should be able to complete the Master’s degree in two years.

During your Master’s studies, you will focus mainly on your major subject, deepening your knowledge through coursework and writing your Master’s thesis. The advanced studies in your major subject include professional skills courses, which are typically completed as practical training.

Depending on your interests, you can also include minor subjects and other supporting studies.

To help you complete your studies systematically, you will prepare a personal study plan (PSP) at the beginning of your Master’s studies, with support especially from the programme staff and from the Faculty and University administrators.

Career Prospects

English Studies will prepare you for several careers in business and culture, as well as in public administration and education:
-With careful selection of supporting studies, you can find employment in government, the media, libraries and other cultural institutions, national and international organisations, or tourism.
-If you complete pedagogical studies for subject teachers, you will be qualified to teach English at comprehensive and upper secondary schools as well as in adult education.
-After successfully completing your Master’s degree, you can also apply to continue your studies as a postgraduate student and later build a career as a university researcher or teacher.

The University of Helsinki has the most comprehensive selection of disciplines in Finland, making it easier for you to plan your major and supporting studies to benefit your future career. Feel free to include the ones you find most interesting and useful in your degree.

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The English Linguistics MA provides students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to describe modern English, together with appropriate training in academic writing, linguistic argumentation and research methods. Students have access to the Survey of English Usage, an unparalleled resource for research into grammatical repertoire.

Degree information

The MA introduces students to the core areas of the study of English Linguistics, including morphology, syntax, phonetics, phonology and prgamatics. The programme trains students to use library OPACS, specialised websites, discussion lists, and databases, among them the ICE-GB corpus, based at the Survey of English Usage in UCL English.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of three core components (90 credits), two optional modules (30 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules
-English Grammar and Methodology
-English Corpus Linguistics
OR
-English Language in Use
-Research Methodology

Optional modules - students take two optional modules. Different options are offered each year and have included:
-English Words
-History of the English Language
-Literary Linguistics
-Phonetics and Phonology of English

Dissertation/report
All MA Students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words. Students have access to the Survey of English Usage for this project.

Teaching and learning
The programme is taught through seminars and individual tutorials. Student assessment is through a portfolio of essays (two 2,000-word essays on English linguistics), two three-hour written papers and the dissertation. Each of the five components of assessment makes up 20% of the final mark.

Careers

The programme provides an ideal foundation for those wishing to continue for a research degree in English language or linguistics; students who obtain good results in their MA examinations may be considered for the MPhil/PhD programme at UCL (subject to places being available). It is also of interest to those who wish to become teachers or lecturers of English, or those intending to pursue a career in writing, publishing, or editing.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-English Language Teacher, BGS College.
-English Language PhD, University College London (UCL).
-English Teacher, Institute of English.
-Study Consultant, Tiandao Education Group.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The department has exceptional resources for the study of English linguistics. Use of the Survey of English Usage has resulted in many important studies of the grammar, semantics and vocabulary of present-day English.

Excellent library facilities are provided by the UCL Library, Senate House Library and the British Library.

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The English Language MA gives you the opportunity to investigate language in its social and cultural contexts.

You will examine theoretical and analytical frameworks that explore issues of language variation, language contact, language and identity; analyse the role of language in social relationships and practices; and look at how linguistic theory can be applied to the analysis of literature and culture.

The programme equips you with high-level research skills that you can apply in your dissertation, which allows you to address an issue of particular interest with the knowledge you have gathered throughout the course.

Course structure

The programme is designed for both full-time and part-time students, with a flexible framework that can fit in with your professional and personal commitments. Modules are taught across the two semesters, usually in nine sessions per semester.

In addition, you are expected to work independently and engage with reading and research in your subject area. You will be offered support through tutorial supervision and the university's online virtual learning environment.

Areas of study

The English Language MA covers semantics, pragmatics (minimalism and contextualism), the philosophy of language, grammar, language variation and attitudes, language and identity (class, age, gender, ethnicity, social networks), language in interaction (politeness, speech accommodation, cross-cultural communication), feminist theory and linguistic theory, and ethnocentrism/racial prejudices in colonial discourse.

You approach these topics by: examining theoretical and analytical frameworks that explore issues of language variation; analysing the role of language in social relationships and practices; and examining how linguistic theory can be applied to the analysis of literature and culture.

Modules:

Grammar and the English Language
Semantics: Word Meaning
Pragmatics, Meaning and Truth
Topics in Sociolinguistics
Research Methods
Dissertation

One from:

Discourses of Culture
Semantics/Pragmatics Interface: Approaches to the Study of Meaning
Cultural and Critical Theory module

Careers and employability

The English Language MA prepares you for careers in linguistics, linguistic anthropology, forensic linguistics, speech therapy, sign language, journalism, writing, English language teaching, politics and sociology.

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Programme description

This intensive programme will enable you to delve deeper into the structure of the English language’s phonology, syntax and semantics and modern and historical development.

The MSc can function either as a stand-alone masters qualification or as a basis for further postgraduate study, typically at PhD level.

Joining an internationally acclaimed centre for research and teaching in the linguistic study of English, you will explore in depth a global language with a rich history and great social and geographical variation.

You will be taught by world-leading experts who will give you a detailed awareness of the ways in which English is used in Britain and around the world.

Programme structure

This programme comprises two semesters of taught courses, followed by a dissertation.

The programme focuses initially on the structure of English, and also offers option courses on aspects of the history of English, on current varieties of the language and on a good number of approaches to the study of the language and English linguistics.

Compulsory courses:

Introduction to Language Research
Introduction to Phonology
Introduction to Syntax
History of the English Language

Optional courses:

Corpus Linguistics
Current Issues in Phonology: Current Issues in Syntax
Diachronic Linguistics
Dialects of English in Britain & Ireland
Early Germanic Dialects
English Grammar: a Cognitive Account
Global Englishes
Historical Phonology
Introduction to Discourse Analysis
Introduction to Morphology
Introduction to Semantics
Introduction to Sociolinguistics
Middle English
Pragmatics
Pragmatics of Linguistic Communication
Reading Old English
Scots and Scottish English

You can also choose optional courses from a wide range of other areas of linguistic study. You may be able to take a course from other degree programmes in the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, and in some cases, from elsewhere in the University.

Career opportunities

The programme has been designed to help you progress your career as an English language specialist in academia. The analytical skills you develop and the research training you receive will be valuable in a wide range of careers.

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This programme encourages you to consider the relationship between literature from a variety of historical periods, regions, contexts and theoretical paradigms.

You will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published authors and academics and will have access to a full calendar of thought provoking literary events.

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

The MA in English Literature will equip you with a critical understanding of English literary studies, and the ability to reflect on significant questions: How have ideas about literature and literary value changed over time? What effects do innovations in printing and publishing have on writing? How much do political and social factors condition and define authorial identities and practices?

It is ideal for students wishing to pursue doctoral research, those who seek a broad overview of Anglophone literary culture, and those looking to develop expertise in specific literary areas.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and a dissertation.

On successful completion of the programme, students may go on to do the PhD in English literature. The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
-Research and Writing Skills I
-Research and Writing Skills II
-Literary Scholarship and Creativity I
-Literary Scholarship and Creativity II
-English Dissertation
-Open Essay I
-Open Essay II
-Special Author I
-Special Author II
-Advanced Studies in 19th century Literature
-Advanced Studies in 20th and 21st century Literature
-Literature and Science
-Issues in Literary Translation
-Identity: Communication in Practice
-Organisations and Written Communications
-Children’s Literature
-Screenwriting

ACADEMICS AND EVENTS

As a student on this Masters, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published academics and authors.

You will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing.

Academics to have recently spoken at the University of Surrey include:
-Rod Mengham
-Bernard O’Donoghue
-Edward Larrisy
-Robert Hampson
-Adam Roberts
-Helen Hester
-John Wrighton
-J.H. Prynne
-Robert Fitterman
-Allen Fisher
-Barbara Hardy
-Gilbert Adair

They have been joined by novelists Iain Sinclair, Monica Ali, Jaspreet Singh and Nikita Lalwani, to name a few.

Each year’s cultural activities begin with the Morag Morris Poetry Lecture on campus by a visiting speaker and feature readings by students at the Guildford School of Acting.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME

The English Literature MA programme will prepare graduates to undertake a PhD programme in the relevant field.

It will also provide students with the transferable skills of critical thinking, analysis, communication, and textuality that are attractive to a wide range of employers, from the cultural industries to marketing and advertising to tourism and leisure to the civil service and public/private partnerships.

Devoted to the requirements and complexities of textual analysis and critical reading, the programme also provides advanced understanding of the contexts, theoretical paradigms, methodologies and modes of interpretation that are vital in contemporary literary studies.

The main aims are to:
-Acquire sound knowledge of the major principles of literary criticism
-Develop the critical language and terminology to carry out in-depth analyses of literary texts from across the diverse range of periods, areas, and approaches to the study of English literature
-Reflect on their own practice as literary critics

The programme will help students to apply scholarly approaches to critically evaluate the major schools of literary criticism and literary theory in light of current and the possibilities of future development.

As a Master’s level programme, it also aims to instil in students the capacity for carrying out independent research in an area of literary studies.

PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and understanding
-Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the main principles and challenges of literary studies
-Relate developments in the field of literary studies to the social, political and historical contexts of the literary work (or works)
-Distinguish different approaches to literary studies and reflect upon these in their own
-Develop a critical engagement with various theoretical approaches and methods
-Recognize the critical language required in advanced literary studies
-Identify and explain relevant techniques and strategies for analyzing texts from a variety of perspectives

Intellectual / cognitive skills
-Able to critically appraise scholarly writing on a wide range of literary studies subjects
-Able to strategically develop research skills for retrieving information crucial for understanding the context of textual production
-Able to conduct conceptual and advanced research related to specific periods in the study of literature
-Able to formulate and address research questions relating to the field of study

Professional practical skills
-Able to produce high-quality analyses of a variety of literary genres which are appropriate to their context
-Able to verbally present abstract ideas and concepts in a clear and appropriate fashion
-Able to confidently deal with reading complex texts
-Able to acquire a sound knowledge of the key debates in literary studies
-Able to acquire review/evaluation skills for textual analyses at level 7
-Able to combine an understanding of text and context within and between periods

Key / transferable skills
-Display competence in a range of skills at postgraduate level, including advanced analysis and synthesis of arguments, presentation, the conducting of independent research, and the efficient processing of complex ideas and arguments
-Collaborate by working in small groups to exchange ideas and engage in debates
-Develop knowledge in a specialized subject, area or period and command of terminology
-Organize, research and deliver a sustained piece of work to a high standard
-Create and carry out a research project of significant complexity
-Reflect upon the knowledge gained and incorporate this into independent learning strategies
-Manage learning self-critically
-Exercise initiative and personal responsibility

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES

We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.

In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.

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