MA English Literary Studies (Postcolonial and World Literatures) (1 year)

Typical entry requirements

For 2020 entry

Degree

First- or upper second class honours degree or an equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University in English literature or a cognate discipline.

English Language

IELTS 7.0 overall, with minimum of 7.0 in writing, 6.5 in reading, listening and speaking, or an equivalent standard in other qualifications approved by the University.

Mature applicants

Studying for a degree later in life can be extremely rewarding and mature students are often among our most successful.

If you are over 21 and feel you would benefit from degree-level studies, we can be more flexible about our entry requirements. For full-time courses, selectors will expect you to demonstrate your commitment by means of some recent serious study, for example, one or two A level passes, successful completion of an Open University foundation course or an appropriate Access course. Your application will be considered on individual merit and you may be asked to attend an interview.

For further information, please contact our Admissions Team: pgafh@southampton.ac.uk

Selection process

Selection process: Online application

Sample of written work (the work should be a piece of academic writing related to English Literary Studies or related field and which shows evidence of some research)

Interview may be required on a case by case basis to assess suitability of course

This page contains specific entry requirements for this course. Find out about equivalent entry requirements and qualifications for your country

This page contains specific entry requirements for this course. Find out about equivalent entry requirements and qualifications for your country.

Typical course content

In the first semester, the MA English pathway in Postcolonial and World Literatures comprises one core module, Adventures in Literary Research and three options. Three further optional modules from the MA in Postcolonial and World Literatures and related modules in other MA programmes are taken in the second semester, along with the dissertation. 

The optional modules below are taught as special subjects, where you will meet in smaller groups with your tutor and develop your own research question.

Race and Literature      

This module traces the conceptual trajectory between social Darwinist theories of race and the post-modern refutation of the ‘illusions of race’ by examining how racialised bodies and identities are represented in a range of literary texts in which they linked to various other social constructs and institutions – including slavery, colonialism, Apartheid, Empire and its legacies. Comte de Gobineau’s theories about the inequality of races will be allowed to be interrogated by the narrative of a female slave, W.E.B. Du Bois’ ground-breaking notion of double consciousness will be placed alongside Bildungsromane from both Harlem and the Caribbean, and ideas related to ethnic hybridity and silencing related to narratives of colonial India and postcolonial Australia. We will discuss the interface between race, culture and religion, and there will be sessions on multiculturalism and the framing of Muslims, migrants and asylum seekers in the recent ‘war on terror’.

Literature and Law         

This module examines the interface between literature and law in the following key ways: through the representation of law within literature; the representation of law as literature; the use of literature in law; and laws relating to literature. It will examine a range of literary and legal texts from the nineteenth century to the present, and includes a focus on the relationship between literature, law, and colonialism.

Modernisms and Modernities        

This module aims to provide a cultural history of the dynamic relationship between modernism and modernity in the early twentieth century. It focuses on the political, social, philosophical and technological dimensions of modernity, and the impact that this had on cultural and artistic expression from the Imagists through to Beckett. The course will also introduce you to current debates in modernist studies; indicative topics include the body and technology in modernist literature, the audience and market for modernism, the modernist city, and the importance of interdisciplinary practices in modernist culture.

You are also encouraged to take modules from other programmes, pathways, and disciplines in the Faculty of Humanities. 

The MA culminates in a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice.

For further details of core and optional modules, see the table below.

Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if s/he takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information can be found in the programme handbook (or other appropriate guide or website).

Scholarships, bursaries, sponsorships or grants may be available to support you through your course. Funding opportunities available to you are linked to your subject area and/or your country of origin. These can be from the University of Southampton or other sources.

Costs associated with this course

Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the academic requirements for each programme of study.

In some cases you'll be able to choose modules (which may have different costs associated with that module) which will change the overall cost of a programme to you. Please also ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University’s Fees, Charges and Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.