COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA English Literary Studies at the University of Southampton offers students the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and research skills in literary studies through core modules such as Adventures in Literary Research and the English Dissertation. Adventures in Literary Research equips students with expertise in methodologies of theory and criticism, book history, textual scholarship, and research techniques, forming a foundation for independent scholarly inquiry. The dissertation allows students to pursue in-depth, original research on a chosen aspect of literature, guided by a supervisor, fostering critical thinking and academic rigor. Students can also select from a range of optional modules tailored to specific interests, including studies of literary genres, Shakespeare across time, and the long eighteenth, nineteenth, or twentieth centuries, enabling a focused exploration of historical and thematic literary contexts. Other options include Digital Forms, Literary Industries and New Media, and Popular Fiction and Digital Culture, which examine the impact of digital culture, global literary industries, and mass-market fiction on contemporary literary landscapes. Modules like Literature, Culture and Social Change, Memory in National and Transnational Contexts, and Nation, Culture, Power explore the intersections of literature with social, political, and cultural frameworks, while creative writing options, including Scriptwriting, The Art and Craft of Fiction, and Writing for Children and Young People, provide practical training in writing across multiple forms and audiences. This program prepares graduates for careers in teaching, publishing, libraries, cultural heritage, and other literary or creative sectors.