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Humanities➞Postgraduate study

Q320 MA English Literary Studies (Postcolonial and World Literatures) (1 year)

This MA pathway explores the emergence of postcolonial and world literatures in English, and the histories of empire and decolonization underpinning these literatures. It considers how different postcolonial cultures have transformed genre and form; and how the global intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and diaspora have changed our ways of reading literature’s worldliness.

 

Introducing your degree

The MA pathway in postcolonial and world literatures will give you the opportunity to specialise in the literature, culture, and history of the postcolonial world. It is taught by world-leading experts who are as passionate about the subject as you are, and is linked to the Southampton Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies. It will empower you to conduct advanced-level research and independent thinking in postcolonial theory, history, and criticism; to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries; and examine how postcolonial literature, culture and history transforms our understanding of the pressing global issues such as climate change, human rights, sovereignty, security, conflict, and more. Not only will you emerge with an internationally-recognised masters degree from a top Russell Group university, you will also acquire the critical thinking and writing skills that will give you the competitive edge, either as a future scholar in the field or as a professional in areas such as broadcasting, international development, public administration, creative writing, secondary school teaching, librarianship, museums and galleries, publishing.

 

Overview

Our pathway in Postcolonial and World Literature allows you to specialise in the literary culture and history of the long twentieth century. It is taught by leading experts in the field and is linked to the Southampton Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies .

The MA English Literary Studies (Postcolonial and World Literature) will enable you to work independently in the field; to explore how genres, authors, and texts participate in wider public discourses concerning the legacies of colonialism and imperialism, the aftermath of decolonization, the relationship between gender and nationalism, and the fault lines within postcolonial national narratives; and to evaluate unique publications and archival resources specific to the study of postcolonial literatures. It will develop your knowledge and understanding of critical and research methods appropriate to the period; raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature and culture of postcolonial and world literatures; and empower you to explore the nuances of literary meaning in the contested cultural field of postcolonial writing and world literature.

 

View the programme specification document for this course.

Entry Requirements

Typical entry requirements

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

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.

Modules

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).

Fees & funding

Tuition fees

Fees for postgraduate taught courses vary across the University. All fees are listed for UK, EU and international full-time and part-time students alphabetically by course name.

View the full list of course fees

Funding

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.

Explore funding opportunities

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.

Career Opportunities

An MA in English Literary Studies is excellent preparation for a career in teaching, publishing and arts administration. Graduates of our programme go onto professional careers in writing (from journalism to fiction), education, international PhD programmes, teaching, broadcasting, and varied work in the creative industries. Former graduates and alumni return to give talks throughout the year, and you will help you make the most of the opportunities here.

A number of our graduates have gone on to careers in teaching, journalism, media and found the year-long course invaluable in shaping and developing their voice.

Learning & Assessment

We are committed to providing a relevant, modern and above all enjoyable experience that will ensure that you graduate with the additional skills and understanding you need to start a career in a wide range of areas or to go on to further research.

The MA offers a wide and fascinating range of modules related to our specialisms led by academics who are experts in their chosen fields and who wish to engage you with their own experience of research. 

Typically, Masters modules have small seminar groups, facilitating your engagement with the ideas and themes that you feel passionate about. Other methods of learning will include student-led debates, group work and oral presentations, individual consultation and the dissertation. Our teaching methods will challenge you intellectually and expose you to new ideas, approaches and perspectives. Our courses have many exciting additional opportunities such as visiting Chawton House Library, a unique collection of early women’s writing, a 19th-Century handpress printing workshop, and the chance to hear from visiting speakers from international universities who are frequent part of our Research Centre-led lecture and seminar series. These include the Southampton Centre for Nineteenth Century Research, Southampton Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies, the Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing, and the Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies.

A large part of postgraduate study is independent learning. The MA will develop your critical awareness, encouraging you to reflect on the methodologies employed in further study and to apply these to the reading and research you undertake as part of your degree. Subject to availability, you may choose to take 2 x 15 credit Special Projects in an area of departmental expertise. You will also research and write a scholarly dissertation on a subject of your own devising.

The MA in English Literary Studies also offers you the opportunity to specialize in four subject-specific pathways:

  • MA in English Literary Studies (Eighteenth Century)
  • MA in English Literary Studies (Nineteenth Century)
  • MA in English Literary Studies (Twentieth Century and Contemporary)
  • MA in English Literary Studies (Postcolonial and World Literature)

Study locations

Student life

Avenue campus

Only a few minutes walk from Highfield Campus, Avenue campus provides ...Find out more

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