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Literary Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

This unique and intellectually rigorous Masters programme gives you the opportunity to study literature at an advanced level from a variety of perspectives. Why study MA Literary Studies at Goldsmiths

  • In your first term of study, you can select from and develop expertise in a range of literary areas, such as: Modern and Contemporary American Literature and Culture; Critical Theory; Modern and Contemporary Literature; Romantic, Victorian and Decadent Literature and Culture.
  • In your second term of study, you can immerse yourself in an exciting array of specialist options (subject to availability), such as science fiction, climate change fiction, postmodernism, literature and philosophy, modern and contemporary women’s writing, the visual arts of European Decadence, and Indigenous literature.
  • In the third term of study, you will research and write a closely supervised dissertation in an area of literary studies relevant to the programme.
  • The structure of the programme allows you to concentrate on one literary area or broaden the scope of your studies by choosing a diverse range of modules.
  • This programme enables you to read critically across a wide range of texts and diverse syllabi, to engage with different literary periods and movements, from the nineteenth century to the contemporary, and to explore literature in various national and regional contexts but also to track its transnational and transcultural travels and interconnections.
  • Where our modules are interdisciplinary, you will be able to engage with different media (e.g., film, photography, and painting) alongside literary texts.
  • The programme approaches literature and culture from various critical and theoretical angles, but you can also study critical theory as a subject in its own right.
  • The programme develops a critical understanding of how literature responds to the crises and concerns of the past and present and opens up possibilities for the future when studied in historical, social and cultural contexts.
  • Our programme’s modules reflect the cutting-edge research of the experts who teach them.
  • Studying literature at Goldsmiths means that you will have on your doorstep one of the most diverse cities in the world, a world-class arts, cultural, and social scene, a multitude of museums, theatres, galleries, cinemas, libraries and archives, and an unparalleled creative economy and social life.

Modules

Compulsory modules All students will take the core module Advanced Literary Studies in their first term. In this module, you can select from and develop expertise in a range of core literary areas of study: Modern and Contemporary American Literature and Culture; Critical Theory; Modern and Contemporary Literature; Romantic, Victorian and Decadent Literature and Culture. You will select two of these areas of study and follow the module’s relevant seminar streams in those areas. You will also research and write a supervised dissertation in an area of their own choosing (subject to departmental approval). Optional modules You will choose 60 credits of optional modules from a wide range of options taught in the Department. You may wish to focus your studies on one area of interest; however, you are free to choose from the full range of available options to broaden the scope of your studies. Optional modules are chosen from a list provided annually by the Department of English and Creative Writing. Examples of 30-credit optional modules include: American Science Fiction: 1950 Onwards Climate Change Fiction Modern and Contemporary Women's Writing: 1920s To Present Postmodern Fiction Literature and Philosophy European Decadence and the Visual Arts Contemporary Indigenous Literatures and Cultures Students may also choose an optional module from another Goldsmiths MA programme, such as the MA in Black British Literature. Support A Research Skills Workshop will run a number of sessions throughout the year, including sessions on, for example, resources, essay-writing at Master's level, planning and developing dissertation projects. You will also be able to take part in GLITS, the department's weekly research seminar; and in the many activities organised by the Graduate School and other Goldsmiths departments. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.


Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject. You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level. International qualifications We accept a wide range of international qualifications. If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For details of fees and funding please visit https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ or the programme page on our website.
Literary Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS