MA English Studies: Literature in Context

On this English Studies Literature in Context course students complete a range of subject modules that focus upon the different ways that specific concepts or ideas.

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MA English Studies: Literature in Context at University of Winchester

MA English Studies: Literature in Context familiarises students with the most up-to-date developments in English Studies through a range of modules developed from staff research interests. Students are given the chance to study a range of texts from different historical periods and the emphasis is on the way that texts respond to and shape their historical, social and literary contexts.

Fact File

Entry requirements: Normally a first or second-class Honours degree or professional experience in the area of study

Full-time:
1 year

Part-time: 2 years

Programme Leader: Dr Liam Connell
Telephone +44 (0) 1962 827024
Email Liam.Connell@winchester.ac.uk

If English is not your first language: IELTS 7.0 (including 7.0 in academic writing) or a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based) or equivalent

Start dates: September and January

Application process: UKPASS (full-time applicants only) or Direct Entry Application Form (part-time applicants only)

Programme Content

All students take a compulsory module in Research and Employability Skills. This module develops the necessary skills to complete the independent study element of the programme. For students who wish to develop this aspect of postgraduate work, there is an optional module in English Studies and Employability. Guided by academic staff, students complete an independent portfolio detailing how a specific piece of literary study connects to other kinds of work such as publicity, marketing and information management.

Students complete a range of subject modules that focus upon the different ways that specific concepts or ideas such as Jewishness, disability or politics are expressed through a range of literary texts. Students also consider how the idea of literariness influences, and is altered by, our consideration of specific themes or ideas.

Modules

• The Apocalypse in Contemporary American Literature and Culture
• English Studies and Employability
• Jewishness in Contemporary British Literature
• Literature and Politics
• Postcolonial Literature and Theory
• The Twenty-First Century: The First Decade
• Theorising the World
• Twenty-First-Century Gothic
• Women, Text and Publishing in the Eighteenth Century
• Writing and Disability

Learning and Teaching

The programme is taught by and offers students the opportunity to work alongside scholars interested in the contemporary vitality of literature within the UK and across cultures. Most classes are organised around small-class discussion and students are expected to participate in and lead classroom discussion.

Assessment

Most modules are assessed via a single 5,000-word essay but students are also required to present their own work in a verbal form to small groups.

Dissertation
Students complete a dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words in a research area of their choice with support from a tutor.

Careers

The programme aims to act as a stepping stone to academic research but also aims to develop students’ writing skills and to enhance their employability in educational and professional contexts.The programme develops subject-specific skills which are relevant in a wider range of professional careers.