Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (October/November 2022). 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 This is the core course for this MSt, and introduces students to key texts and current debates on the literature and cultural history of the period. It is intended both to help students find their feet as they begin advanced literary study, and to allow them to sample discussions taking place at the cutting edge of the field. It is formally non-assessed but compulsory. B. Core course: Bibliography, Theories of Text, History of the Book, Manuscript Studies On this course you will explore the materiality of texts: drawing on the unparalleled early modern holdings of the Bodleian Library, you will consider the production, circulation and reception of texts as physical objects. This means examining, among other things, the ways in which manuscripts moved between scribes and readers; annotated books and the history of reading; palaeography; editing and ideology; and the roles of publishers and printers in the period. Seminars will offer a blend of critical reflection alongside first-hand access to rare print and manuscript materials. C. Special options The special option courses present an excellent opportunity for you to develop and pursue your research interests. Each year the special options that are offered reflect the diversity of interest and approach within the English Faculty itself, and will encompass various methodologies and degrees of focus. Recent and future options include: ‘Slow Reading Spenser’, ‘Early Modern Life Writing’, ‘Of Essays: Origins and Afterlives’ and ‘Twelfth Night’. D. Dissertation You will write a 10,000- to 11,000-word dissertation on a subject of your choice, but related to the work you have been doing over the year.