Course summary

Our MA English Literature offers opportunities to deepen your passion for literatures in English through research-led modules that engage and push the boundaries of new and emerging disciplinary frameworks and debates. Supported by a team of academic specialists, it creates a space for you to advance your academic and communication talents and further your professional prospects. We offer a close and mutually supportive learning community that recognises and responds to your distinctive learning needs and interests through seven student-centred flexible and vibrant modules that engage you with the latest literary debates by exploring a stimulating range of genres, approaches, authors, and themes. Our innovative modes of assessment over this degree are designed to develop your interests: you will choose texts, writers, genres, theories, themes, and literary periods on which to focus independently.

About this course

Our MA English Literature is ideal if you wish to broaden and extend your engagement with English Literature. You will explore a range of literary genres, approaches, and themes within a post-Enlightenment context, from 1780 to the present day through two team-taught modules uncover research methodologies, theories and the poetics and politics of identity, as well as innovative ways to interpret the past and the present through different perspectives, and four modules led by a tutor’s pursuits of selected authors, literary periods, genres and themes.

Across this Master's degree will gain advanced knowledge of literatures in English, powers of literary critical analysis, research, independent scholarship, and knowledge transfer through excellent communication skills. This course equips you with highly sought-after organisational, project-managing, delivery, liaison, problem-solving, and interaction skills. Flexible and vibrant, it gives you the opportunity to pursue your own interests in a variety of written and verbal assignments.

English at BGU in Lincoln has an established research culture and you will be invited to join our staff at regular literary events, workshops, and presentations. You will be encouraged to participate in the research seminar series, conferences, and other public events. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 83% of the work submitted by English staff was judged to be of ‘international’ quality, including research that was deemed ‘world leading’ in its originality, significance and rigour.

Assessment

Teaching will be based on independent research tasks feeding into regular small group seminar sessions. Through a combination of expert commentary and critical discussion, students will acquire the skills and frameworks required for a range of oral, written and research-oriented assessments. These literary assessments will develop advanced communication and presentation skills for a multiplicity of professional future.

Careers & Further study

This Master's course will prepare you for a variety of professions that depend on advanced critical, literary and analytical skills, and also depend on the sophisticated communication and research abilities you will gain. This may include careers such as teaching, publishing, librarianship, journalism, professional writing or within academia (through obtaining a PhD). However, a Master's in English need not result in a career specifically tied to the subject. Our graduates will also be in a strong position to move into occupations relating to marketing, management or public relations.