Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). 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 MSt in Literature and Arts (MLA) is a degree in interdisciplinary studies in the humanities. It is focused on the study of British history and culture through the lens of four humanities disciplines: literature, history, history of art, and philosophy. The course is structured around four five-day residences and two online modules. Based in Oxford, and taking full advantage of the remarkable resources that this university has at its disposal, the Literature and Arts course is designed around three sequential periods of British history: the early modern period (circa 1500-1700), the ‘long’ eighteenth century (circa 1688-1800), and the ‘long’ nineteenth century (circa 1800-1914). British history is understood in an expansive sense that includes Britain’s relationships with the rest of the world. By studying each period through the lens of multiple disciplines, you will have the opportunity to acquire a multi-faceted picture of the past and explore connections between different aspects of British culture and society. In this framework giant achievements such as Shakespeare’s plays or Turner’s art can be understood not only as uniquely inspired works but also as products of their times and influences on future developments. The MLA is a two-year, part-time course. In year one, there are three compulsory five-day residences and one online module consisting of nine units (Core course two). In year two, there is one compulsory residence and one online module (Core course three). Although the online modules are not assessed, it is a requirement that students engage with the online modules to the satisfaction of the course director. The online modules are fully supported by a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment. Students are supported by tutorials with the course director before or during each residence, input from the course director in asynchronous discussions in the online modules, supervision from tutors in relation to each assignment, and supervision from a dissertation supervisor or supervisors. The course director is also able to offer support at any time throughout the course by email/phone. After taking a broad view of British history and culture in a global context at the first residence (Core course one), the three subsequent residences will enable you to choose from a range of options, each rooted in one of the core disciplines of literature, history, history of art and material culture, and philosophy. You will take two options out of four offered during each residence. Please note that due to timetabling constraints it may not always be possible to allocate you to your first and second choices. For Residence two, which is focused on the early modern period, the options offered are likely to be ‘Sacred Monsters: Shakespeare in History’, ‘Tudor Monarchy’, ‘The Elizabethan Country House' and ‘Sovereignty and Power in Reformation Britain, 1533-1651’. For Residence three, which is focused on the ‘long’ eighteenth century, the options offered are likely to be ‘Green Retreats: Nature and Landscape in Eighteenth-Century Literature’, ‘Overseas Trade and the Rise of Britain as a Superpower’, ‘The Rise of Landscape in British Painting’, and ‘Bentham, Hume and Eighteenth-Century British Philosophy’. For Residence four, which is focused on the ‘long’ nineteenth century, the options offered are likely to include ‘Fiction c 1800-1820’, ‘History, Historiography and Medievalism: The Victorians and the Crusades’, ‘Classical Power: Legacies of Antiquity in British Art, c 1770-1860’, and ‘The British Empire and the Country House’. It cannot be guaranteed that any particular option will be offered.