Course summary
This pathway of our MA Literary Studies degree gives you the chance to study critical literary and cultural theory. Why study the MA Literary Studies: Critical Theory pathway
- You'll look at a range of theoretical issues in literary and cultural theory in both its historical and contemporary modalities. This begins with Aristotle, Luther, Kant and Nietzsche and includes thinkers like Freud, Heidegger, Blanchot, Derrida, Benjamin and Adorno. You'll also look at structuralism, gender, and postcolonial theory.
- The main focus will be on the relationship of theory to literary and cultural criticism but you will also be able to concentrate on theoretical concepts in their own right.
- You also have the opportunity to pursue your wider interests thanks to the flexible structure of the MA by studying three options from the large provision of the department, choosing at least one of these in an area that is relevant to literary and critical theory.
- You will be able to take advantage of the unique resources available in the Department of English and Creative Writing, which is home (together with Sociology) to the Centre for Philosophy and Critical Thought (cpct.uk), which runs an annual research seminar, and hosts numerous public lectures, workshops, and conferences throughout the year.
- You will be able to further develop your interest in literary theory or literary-theoretical approaches to literature and culture through a 15,000-word dissertation to be submitted at the end of your programme of study.
Modules
What you'll study Theories of Literature & Culture 30 credits In addition to the core module and dissertation, you also take three option modules from the selection below. Introduction to Modern and Contemporary American Literature and Culture 30 credits Literature in the World: Encounters, Comparison, Reception 30 credits Modern and Contemporary Literary Movements 30 credits Literature of the Caribbean & its Diasporas 30 credits Nineteenth-Century Literature: Romanticisms 30 credits Historicising the Field of Black British Writing: From the Romans to the Present 30 credits American Science Fiction: 1950 Onwards 30 credits The Contemporary American Novel in the Era of Climate Change 30 credits Contemporary Indigenous Literatures: Place, Politics and Identity 30 credits Interculturality, Text, Poetics 30 credits Modern and Contemporary Women's Writing: 1920s To Present 30 credits Genre and Aesthetics: Contemporary Black British Writing 30 credits Postmodern Fiction 30 credits Literature and Philosophy 30 credits European Decadence and the Visual Arts 30 credits You can also choose linguistics modules as option modules. Discourse and Identity in Spoken Interaction 30 credits Thinking Translation: Introduction to Translation Theory 30 credits Decolonising English Language Teaching 30 credits Language in its Sociocultural Context 30 credits Intercultural Discourse & Communication 30 credits Core Issues in English Language & Linguistics 30 credits English in a Multilingual World 30 credits Language & Ideology in Written Discourse 30 credits *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 or equivalent. 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. 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
Additional fee information
Unless otherwise stated the annual fee for part-time students is half the full time fee quoted.
Provider information
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
Lewisham
SE14 6NW