Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The English master's programmes are designed to serve both as an autonomous degree for students wishing to pursue more advanced studies in English literature, and as a solid foundation for doctoral research. The MSt in English (1550-1700) offers students the opportunity both to explore their own interests within this remarkably rich period in English literary history, and to develop the skills necessary for pursuing these interests with real breadth and depth. Its varied components allow students to study texts in careful detail, and to pursue large and ambitious concepts: as such, the MSt is well-suited both to those who want an additional, stand-alone year of coherent literary study, and those who are interested in going on to undertake doctoral research. The mixture of interpretative, scholarly, and writerly skills that the course helps to foster are ideal for applicants interested in a range of subsequent paths, both inside and outside the academy. Course structure The MSt programme consists of four main components. In the first two terms, you will take a core course (A), in which specialists in Early Modern literature from across the English Faculty will introduce you to key concepts and debates within the period 1550-1700. You will also take a second core course (B), in book history and the materiality of the text, which will allow you to engage closely with the unparalleled collections of the Bodleian Libraries. You will additionally choose two courses from a wide range of thematic options (C courses), which might focus on a given author in depth, or explore a broader theme. Finally, under the guidance of a specialist supervisor you will also research and write a dissertation on a topic of your choosing, which is submitted in the final term. A. Core course: Critical Questions in Early Modern Literature B. Core course: Bibliography, Theories of Text, History of the Book, Manuscript Studies C. Special options D. Dissertation For the full description, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas