Program Overview

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English Literature MA

Course Overview

Our English Literature MA course aims to help you gain insight into the relationship between literature and the environment and develop transferable skills to prepare for careers in industries such as publishing, education, and marketing.

Key Course Content

• Literature and the environment: Examine the relationship between human and non-human worlds, exploring diverse cultural perspectives on ecological and social issues.
• Romantic and gothic narratives: Study Romantic-era environments, utopian/dystopian themes, and their intersections with gender, technology, and ecology.
• Global perspectives on waste: Analyze the cultural and ecological impacts of waste through literature, paired with interdisciplinary frameworks like eco-criticism, ecofeminism, and climate justice.

Why You Should Study This Course

• Academic community: We foster learning experiences built around collaboration and research, taught by a team of accessible scholars who will help you develop a portfolio of work for the post-graduation market or further studies.
• Academic skills: Each module embeds English academic skills into its delivery. Material is tailored to the module and covers a wide variety of academic skills necessary for success at the postgraduate study level.
• Employability: Gain the transferable skills needed in a knowledge-based job market. These typically include flexibility, creativity, and strong communication skills.
• Technology: Become proficient in using emerging technologies and methods to solve complex problems while adhering to ethical standards and considering the societal impacts.
• Innovative assessments: Produce work for assessments that move beyond the academic essay, preparing you for a multitude of ways to disseminate your ideas.

Collaborations

• Endorsement: Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

Coventry University and the RSA have collaborated on a module concerning social and ethical responsibility. You will be entitled to a 12-month fellowship of the RSA so you can access all RSA resources and platforms during your period of study. Once you have successfully passed the Professional Practice and Innovation module, you will receive an RSA digital credential.

What You'll Study

Examine the relationship between literature, the environment, and the built world. Explore topics such as waste and the environmental crisis, early modern theatre spaces, Romantic-era settings like gardens and war ships, and the interplay of utopian and dystopian genres with technology and ecology. Use the city of Coventry as a case study with its environmental and cultural impacts of war, urban transformation, and colonial legacies, providing a context for understanding the connections between people, place, and space, and the non-human world.

Modules

• American Wests: Literary Spaces and Cultural Maps – 30 credits
• Romantic Environments – 30 credits
• Postcoloniality and Environment: Narratives of Waste – 30 credits
• Professional Practice and Innovation – 30 credits
• Gothic Nightmares and Utopian Dreams – 30 credits
• Reimagining Shakespeare – 30 credits

How You'll Learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Presentations
• Group projects
• Workshops

Teaching and Learning Hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totaling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching and learning hours, and guided and independent study.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending on the module. Assessment methods may include:

• Reports
• Essays
• Practical coursework
• Assignments
• Presentations

Entry Requirements

• UK: An honors degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in any discipline.
• International: An honors degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in any discipline.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

Fees and Funding

• UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man: £11,200
• EU: £11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary, £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary
• International: £18,600

Careers and Opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Critically assess the importance of the environment to writing of different periods, geographical regions, genres, and forms
• Articulate and critique the role of literature in reflecting environmental concerns and galvanizing communities of resistance
• Employ high-level information retrieval and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret, evaluate, synthesize, and organize archival material, to formulate independent critical judgments, articulate reasoned arguments, and find creative solutions
• Synthesize and critically employ a wide range of historical, philosophical, scientific, and theoretical knowledge bases in the analysis of literature
• Analytically reflect on and engage with wider contexts and communities, including the political and societal effects of literary research and criticism
• Appraise the employment opportunities and career pathways open to you as literary and environmental researchers

Where Our Graduates Work

Successful graduates of this course have gone on to work in fields and roles including:

• Funded PhD research
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Publishing
• Copywriting
• Journalism
• Education
• Civil services
• Content production
• Management
• Campaign organizations
• Heritage and arts organizations

Facilities

Our George Eliot Building plays host to interactive seminars, advanced research training, and group project activities. Interact with like-minded students, cross the Edible Garden to relax at the Hub, or immerse yourself in books at the Lanchester library.

The Delia Derbyshire complex offers more space to learn, design, and make, including a hyper-studio for students across all disciplines to collaborate on projects together, a gallery space, and an events atrium.

Lanchester Library

The library is usually open 24/7, in term-time. It’s where you can access your course’s specialist Academic Liaison Librarian. It’s also home to specialist teams which can support you with your academic writing and maths and statistics questions.

The Hub

The Hub is the center of student life on campus. Facilities include a food court, convenience store, multi-faith center, medical center, hairdresser, coffee shops, and the Your SU offices. It has fully licensed function spaces and a bar.

Careers and Employability

Get one-on-one career and employability guidance lasting up to 36 months from the end of your course. We’ll help you find placements and graduate roles, offer CV and application checks, mentoring, skills workshops, employer events, and more.