MA English Literature

Program Overview

The MA English Literature program at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), United Kingdom, offers a comprehensive and enriching postgraduate experience designed to elevate students' engagement with literary study. This unique MA is deeply informed by the research, writing, and publications of its dedicated teaching team, ensuring that the curriculum is current and reflective of scholarly advancements. A core tenet of the program is to highlight marginalized voices within literature, exploring how such writers navigate the past, address the present, and envision multiple futures. This distinctive approach is woven alongside the study of more familiar, canonical authors, providing students with a broad understanding of literary context and a profound appreciation for the expressive power of imaginative writing. The program is suitable for a diverse range of students, including recent graduates aiming to deepen their knowledge and mature students returning to academia, and offers a high level of critical engagement that can enhance applications for teacher training, provide essential postgraduate experience for PhD aspirations, or give a competitive edge in the professional job market.

Curriculum: The curriculum of the MA English Literature program is designed to foster advanced critical engagement with literary texts across various periods. While specific module titles are not extensively detailed in public-facing information beyond being informed by tutor research, the program covers English literature from the Early Modern, Victorian, and Modern periods. Students are expected to engage in in-depth literary analysis, critical theory, and research methodologies. The assessments are likely to be coursework-based, including essays, research projects, and a substantial dissertation, allowing students to pursue their own literary interests under expert supervision. The program aims to develop sophisticated analytical skills, a nuanced understanding of literary history and theory, and the ability to conduct independent, rigorous academic research.

Research Focus: Canterbury Christ Church University, through its School of Humanities and Education Studies, maintains a vibrant research environment that directly underpins the MA English Literature program. The modules offered are explicitly stated to grow out of the tutors' own research, writing, and publications. While comprehensive details of all ongoing research projects are not publicly listed for this specific MA, the faculty members are active researchers with expertise spanning various literary periods and themes. A notable example of research within the humanities at CCCU includes the International Centre for Victorian Women Writers (ICVWW), which spearheads innovative research into Victorian women's writing, encompassing textual editing, life writing, crime and sensation fiction, and literary networks of the nineteenth century. This research emphasis ensures that students are exposed to cutting-edge scholarship and are encouraged to engage in their own critical inquiry for their dissertations.

Industry Engagement: While the MA English Literature program at Canterbury Christ Church University primarily focuses on academic rigor and critical literary study, the university broadly emphasizes embedding industry and enterprise within its curriculum to enhance employability. The School of Humanities and Education Studies works to provide students with opportunities to engage with real-life briefs developed in collaboration with external partners, including those in publishing and media. Though direct placements might not be a core feature for an English Literature MA, the transferable skills gained—such as advanced critical thinking, research, analysis, communication, and nuanced understanding of diverse perspectives—are highly valued across various professional sectors. The program also supports students planning careers in areas like teaching, where strong literary and analytical skills are essential.

Global Perspective: The MA English Literature program at Canterbury Christ Church University inherently fosters a global perspective through its approach to literary study. By actively bringing to the fore marginalized voices in literature, alongside canonical writers, the program encourages students to explore how writers negotiate the past, find a place in the present, and project multiple futures across diverse cultural and geographical contexts. The teaching team's commitment to this inclusive approach ensures a broad understanding of literary contexts beyond traditional Western canons. While specific international collaborations for this MA are not explicitly detailed, the university's overall commitment to internationalization and its diverse student body further enrich the learning experience, providing a multicultural environment where different perspectives on literature and its global impact can be explored and debated.