Course summary

Combining the study of the environment with methodologies from the arts, you will explore the role played by culture in shaping attitudes towards and responses to environmental change across a wide range of historical and geographic contexts. This course will introduce you to foundational concepts for studying the relationship between arts, cultures and the environment, as well as allowing you to experiment with creative and cultural practices that aim to challenge and expand our contemporary attitude to ecology and the natural world. In an era of climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, global pandemic, and social inequality driven by ecological change, how the environment intersects with humanistic questions of culture, values, ethics, and social responsibility is more important than ever. The MA in Arts, Culture and the Environment is provided by the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC). It builds on the innovative research undertaken by academics within the School in subjects including English and American Studies, History, Drama and Film, Art History and Cultural Practices, and Modern Languages and Cultures, as well as the innovative practices of Manchester’s world-leading cultural partners such as Manchester Museum, The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and The Whitworth Art Gallery. Teaching approaches on this course emphasise participation, engagement and practice-based learning. The core units combine critical and creative methods for studying the intersection of arts, culture and the environment, and classes will feature theoretical discussions, practical workshops, field trips and group work. You will be assessed via a variety of methods which may include individual presentations, project proposals, coursework essays and digital exhibitions. Coursework is designed to help you discover and explore your own areas of interest which you will then pursue in more depth through a dissertation.