Postgraduate course

English: Contemporary Literatures

English, History & Media

Attendance

Start Date

Duration

24 Months

Main Location

Broadcasting Place

Application Information 

Course Details
Course Benefits
Distance Learning

Explore your passion for contemporary literature and the way it can be used to help our understanding of society. You will examine current developments and critical issues in the past 30 years of literature on a course that provides an international and cross-cultural outlook.

Whether your interests lie in the postcolonial world or you have a fascination with women's writing or contemporary gothic literature, this challenging course will allow you to study recent volumes of poetry, research cultures and explore novels and films relating to current debates. You will use key theoretical models and concepts to gain a greater understanding of how we study literature and the motivations and historical events that have driven the authors you choose to read.

Taught by a team with an international reputation for their research in diverse areas, ranging from Caribbean culture, history and literature to cultural representations of the 2007-08 credit crunch across literature, stage and screen, this course will expose you to new ideas and will encourage you to question them.

Check out our twitter feed @BeckettEnglish for up-to-date information on staff and student events, short courses and fun happenings around the school.

Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: 38% of our research was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent in the Communication, Culture and Media Studies, Library and Information Management unit.

Visit the School of Cultural Studies & Humanities Website

You will learn how to use a range of cutting-edge theoretical approaches to texts, while you will be able to draw upon the course team's research and teaching strengths in contemporary women's writing, postcolonialism and popular fiction.

You will acquire a well-informed, critical understanding of current developments, questions and critical issues in the field of contemporary literatures and develop the transferable skills needed to undertake independent research into contemporary literatures and associated criticism and theory.

We understand that full-time study does not suit everyone. That’s why we offer courses which give you the opportunity to decide where, when and how you can get involved in learning. Studying a distance learning course offers the convenience and flexibility to make education work for you. Whether you’d like to fit your studies around childcare, develop your skills while working or, quite simply, want to learn from the comfort of your own home, we can help you gain a qualification at a time and pace that suits your lifestyle.

Like our students on campus, you will have the same excellent teaching and learning resources, however you’ll find these online instead of in a lecture theatre. Not only are all the modules taught online, but you will also have access to an online community and more than 140,000 books and journals in our online library.

Visit our Distance Learning Website

Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or Human Geography, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment. All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; a template can be accessed at this link. All applicants should satisfy our University English language requirements, please access further details at this link

SELECTION CRITERIA:

We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.

IELTS:

IELTS 6.5 overall with no skills below 5.5, achieving 7.0 in the written component of the test, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.

ADDITIONAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Mature Applicants

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu. If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website. Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

IELTS:

ADDITIONAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Verify your qualifications

If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Need to improve your English Language skills?

Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.

Careers

Job Prospects
Careers Advice

You will graduate with the expertise and confidence to add your voice to the latest literary criticism. You could decide to explore your chosen area further, get your findings published and work towards an MPhil or PhD, and then pursue a career in academia. Having built on and developed a range of transferable skills such as advanced planning and critical engagement, you will also be well prepared for a variety of careers in the civil service, teaching, journalism or publishing.

Editorial Assistant
Press Officer
Reader Development Librarian
Marketing Communications Executive

Our dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit our Careers Site

Download 2018/19 Course Spec

Core modules
Option modules can include*:

Researching Cultures: Is an interdisciplinary research methods module, taught with students on other Masters programmes. It prepares students for their dissertation, and equips them with research skills and strategies necessary if they intend to progress to PhD.

Dissertation: Presents the opportunity for students to synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course and to write a substantial piece of supervised research, in the guise of a 15,000-word masters dissertation.

Doris Lessing: Narrating Nation & Identity: Explore a selection of the extensive body of work produced during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries by the Nobel Prize-winning writer, Doris Lessing.

Contemporary Genre: (Re)Presenting the 21st Century: Examine contemporary genres with an emphasis on their innovations and socio-cultural developments.

Haunting the Contemporary: the Ghost Story in 20th & 21st Century Fiction: Discover the contemporary field of haunted narratives and consider them in relation to a variety of theoretical approaches, primarily the work of Jacques Derrida.

Post-Structuralist Theory: Foucault & Derrida: Develop a deeper awareness and more sophisticated understanding of two theorists who have been of fundamental importance to debates in literary studies in the twentieth century: Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida.

Neoliberal Fictions: You will focus on the 1990s and 2000s - including the US-led globalisation project, the spread of global markets, the dotcom crash, 9/11 attacks on America and the bursting of the housing bubble.

Other Victorians: The Neo-Victorian Contemporary Novel: You will use pastiches, rewritings and parodies of the 19th-Century novel to consider how we are 'other Victorians' and the role of the 'other' in Victorian society.

The New Yorkshire Novel: Study a range of novels that investigate questions of race, class, politics, social and cultural history, landscape, the urban-rural divide, and migration as it is experienced in different parts of Yorkshire.

Contemporary Gothic: Examine the relevance of the Gothic today by studying contemporary Gothic texts. You will engage not only with novels but with Gothic-influenced US TV drama, South-East Asian vampire films, and Latin American horror.

Poetry & Poetics: Analyse volumes of recently published poetry (2009-12) and consider them alongside a range of influential contemporary statements on the genre including pieces by Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida.

Translating Tricksters: Literatures of the Black Atlantic: Explore postcolonial writing in the form of short stories, novels and poetry, and unpick the ways writers use religion and folklore to define their identity and resist the legacy of western imperialism.

India Shining: Secularism, Globalization, & Contemporary Indian Culture: Discover the diverse and challenging selection of literary and visual texts offered by modern postcolonial India and explore the different conceptual and political approaches taken by writers and film-makers.

*These modules rotate on an annual basis. Not all modules listed may be available in your year of entry.

Download 2018/19 Course Spec

Core modules
Option modules can include*:

Researching Cultures: Is an interdisciplinary research methods module, taught with students on other Masters programmes. It prepares students for their dissertation, and equips them with research skills and strategies necessary if they intend to progress to PhD.

Dissertation: Presents the opportunity for students to synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course and to write a substantial piece of supervised research, in the guise of a 15,000-word masters dissertation.

Doris Lessing: Narrating Nation & Identity: Explore a selection of the extensive body of work produced during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries by the Nobel Prize-winning writer, Doris Lessing.

Contemporary Genre: (Re)Presenting the 21st Century: Examine contemporary genres with an emphasis on their innovations and socio-cultural developments.

Haunting the Contemporary: the Ghost Story in 20th & 21st Century Fiction: Discover the contemporary field of haunted narratives and consider them in relation to a variety of theoretical approaches, primarily the work of Jacques Derrida.

Post-Structuralist Theory: Foucault & Derrida: Develop a deeper awareness and more sophisticated understanding of two theorists who have been of fundamental importance to debates in literary studies in the twentieth century: Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida.

Neoliberal Fictions: You will focus on the 1990s and 2000s - including the US-led globalisation project, the spread of global markets, the dotcom crash, 9/11 attacks on America and the bursting of the housing bubble.

Other Victorians: The Neo-Victorian Contemporary Novel: You will use pastiches, rewritings and parodies of the 19th-Century novel to consider how we are 'other Victorians' and the role of the 'other' in Victorian society.

The New Yorkshire Novel: Study a range of novels that investigate questions of race, class, politics, social and cultural history, landscape, the urban-rural divide, and migration as it is experienced in different parts of Yorkshire.

Contemporary Gothic: Examine the relevance of the Gothic today by studying contemporary Gothic texts. You will engage not only with novels but with Gothic-influenced US TV drama, South-East Asian vampire films, and Latin American horror.

Poetry & Poetics: Analyse volumes of recently published poetry (2009-12) and consider them alongside a range of influential contemporary statements on the genre including pieces by Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida.

Translating Tricksters: Literatures of the Black Atlantic: Explore postcolonial writing in the form of short stories, novels and poetry, and unpick the ways writers use religion and folklore to define their identity and resist the legacy of western imperialism.

India Shining: Secularism, Globalization, & Contemporary Indian Culture: Discover the diverse and challenging selection of literary and visual texts offered by modern postcolonial India and explore the different conceptual and political approaches taken by writers and film-makers.

*These modules rotate on an annual basis. Not all modules listed may be available in your year of entry.

Professor Andrew Cooper

Dean of School

Andrew Cooper is Dean of Cultural Studies and Humanities. He joined our University in September 2015, and in addition to his duties as Dean also teaches and researches in the area of English language and literature.

We are proud of how we bring research into the public domain through participation in regional events, as well as making a distinctive contribution to the intellectual life of the city through the Leeds Cultural Conversations series organised by our Centre for Culture & the Arts. We welcome you to join us to explore the latest thinking in our disciplines, become part of our regional, national and international networks, and add your voice to debates shaping the future of cultural studies and humanities.