The MA English Literature at Winchester is designed to develop your skills in analysing and reading texts and creating your own arguments as you work on closely focussed projects from all the main periods of English Literature. Our course is focussed around four literary periods: Medieval to Renaissance (1473-1660), The Enlightenment (1660-1798), Romanticism and Victorian Literature (1798-1910), and The Modern Period (1910 – the present). The course pushes the boundaries of the discipline, providing opportunities to enjoy a thought-provoking mix of literary materials and approaches to understanding them. You will engage with the ideas of the most exciting critical thinkers in contemporary cultural debates. Throughout the MA course your study is backed up by a module in Research Methods, which provides a basis for your advanced learning, your assessments in each module and your dissertation – an extended piece of work on the text(s) or theme of your choice. Within the department, staff and students form a community of learners who, together and independently, seek to generate and exchange knowledge. Over the duration of the course, you will develop your abilities in independent and critical learning, building your confidence and expertise progressively through independent and collaborative research, problem solving, and analysis, with the support of staff.