ObjectivesTo enable students to pursue their individual interests within English literary studies from the Anglo Saxon period to the present day, while acquiring the knowledge and developing the skills necessary for advanced research. The course is especially suited to students wishing to proceed to the degree of PhD.
Entry requirementsEntry requirements Candidates should normally possess a good upper second class honours degree in English language and literature or its equivalent.
Academic titleMA in English Literary Research
Course descriptionCourse modules
-Bibliography, Research Methods and Writing Skills
-Two Special Subjects chosen from the following lists A and B (which vary from year to year), at least one of which must be chosen from List A:
List A
-English Books and Texts: 1060 to 1220
-Editing and Textual Criticism
-Lexicology and Lexicography: Words and Dictionaries
List B
-Church and State in Medieval Literature
-Heroic Poetry in Old English and Old Norse
-Options available in the MA in Victorian Studies
-Special Subjects available in the MA in Modern Literature
Teaching and assessment methods
The dissertation is individually supervised. The other modules are taught by diverse methods in seminar or tutorial groups. Students are required to produce two 5,000-word essays or exercises, one for each taught module. The Bibliography, Research Methods and Writing Skills module also carries an element of assessment for a presentation on ‘work in progress’. The dissertation (maximum 30,000 words) also has an associated oral examination related to the subject matter