MA in English – Texts and Contexts: Medieval to Renaissance

Key Points

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This Master’s degree offers students the opportunity to explore the full variety and contexts of Old English, Middle English, and the Renaissance literature of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the later lives and legacies of these literary traditions in the modern era.

The master’s degree examines the interactions between the English texts of these islands, tracing the beginnings of Anglo-Irish writing, as well as the cultural transmissions and transformations between classical, European and island intellectual and literary traditions between approximately 700 and 1700. particular interest in questioning the conventional boundaries between periods (such as medieval and Renaissance), genres and media (drama, prose, poetry, oral traditions, cinema, etc.). Modern writers and filmmakers have a fascination with the Middle Ages and Modern Ages that goes far beyond the rewriting of ancient myths or star-studded film versions of Shakespeare’s plays, and this program aims to alert students on some of these recent cultural approaches.

The MA Texts and Contexts: Medieval to Renaissance program is designed to provide students with the ability to analyze, understand, and communicate:

• the conceptual and critical issues involved in the study of Old, Middle, and Renaissance English;
• the historical and cultural contexts involved in the study of these periods;
• the problems surrounding the reception, transmission, appropriation and transformation of early writing over time and especially in modern texts and media.

Additionally, this intensively taught master’s degree provides the foundation for study at the higher grade level. It introduces the subject-specific skills required for the primary study of earlier English (paleography, codicology, analysis of the physical composition of printed texts, use of databases and bibliographies) and seeks to develop essential transferable skills (writing, research, analysis). , references, presentations, teamwork, time management) that are invaluable when students embark on an academic project or career.

Program Structure

The subject modules and the Literary Inquiry Skills module comprise the taught element of the Master’s degree and run from October to March. Subject modules introduce students to the specific subject area of their choice. The Literary Research Skills module aims to equip master’s students for the development and implementation of their research strategy through the acquisition of a variety of research skills.

Delivery of the Program

The course is taught through lectures, tutorials and practical laboratory classes. There is an average of 24 contact hours per week, of which 60% are practical and the remaining 40% are face-to-face classes.

External internships take place in Year 3 and in the final year students undertake a one-year project.

Research Element Dissertation : The dissertation will be written between March and the end of September, and will be sent in October. It will be supervised by a member of staff, after consultation and agreement, and will last from 15,000 to 17,000 words. The supervision will take place between March and the end of September.

Why choose this course

The MA: Texts and Contexts offers a unique graduate program that covers the full range of the three linguistic and cultural phases of early English writing: Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) through c.1100; Middle English (or later medieval script) to c.1500; and early modern (or Renaissance) writing (c. 1500-1700). Through each of its modules, the MA offers an exciting and challenging course of study in a supportive research-based teaching environment. Students participate in independent investigations, small group discussions, and collaborative projects to develop and acquire transferable knowledge and skills essential for further study and a variety of careers. The program will appeal to students interested in ancient, medieval, and Renaissance literature, and the later lives of these traditions.

Master’s students benefit from the school’s thriving research community and have the opportunity to attend academic conferences, research seminar series, master classes, reading groups, and public outreach events. Former Master’s students also have a long history of actively contributing to Cork’s literary and cultural life and to the vibrant UCC research community (for example, through events such as Inkwell, the UCC English Society Medieval and Renaissance, and Bookends, UCC’s annual graduate conference in English).

Studying at UCC also gives graduate students the opportunity (subject to approval) to enroll in modules in other European languages ​​and literatures of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, such as Latin, Irish, Italian, and the languages ​​of the peninsula. Iberian.

Career opportunities

Graduates of MA: Medieval to Renaissance texts and contexts will be linguistically and critically skilled writers and researchers capable of advanced academic research. Our graduates have the skills and abilities in independent research, effective verbal and written communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, organization, teamwork, problem solving, and time management.

With extensive knowledge of the physical, socio-historical, formal, and linguistic contexts of ideas and writing over time, some graduates in Master’s Texts and Contexts advance to doctoral study. Equipped with a variety of transferable skills, students also advance toward careers in areas such as teaching, journalism and broadcasting, publishing, the arts and heritage industries, library science and curation, public administration, research. and policy formation.

Admission requirements

To be considered for admission to a master’s program within the School of English, an applicant will normally possess a primary degree outcome with honors at the Second Degree Honors 1 (2H1) level or a higher or equivalent degree in English or a related matter. All candidates must satisfy a Selection Committee that may request applicants to provide letters of reference.

A cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 is expected for North American students.

The selection committee for the MA in English Department, University College Cork also attaches great importance to the supplementary special additional questions online and the 500 word online personal statement for the MA in English (Medieval and Renaissance: Texts and Contexts )

English requirements

All graduate applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency. Certain tests (eg, IELTS, TOEFL, and Pearson PTE) have a three-year time limit on their validity and will apply. English language tests must be taken no more than three years prior to the start of a program.

Please note that Secure English Language Test (SELT) scores must be obtained in a single session of the corresponding qualification (for example, IELTS and TOEFL). We will not accept a combination of individual component scores from multiple tests.

Applicants who are nationals of a country that, according to the UCC, is predominantly English-speaking, or who have a degree or equivalent qualification that was taught in a country that is considered predominantly English-speaking, will normally be assumed to have met the language requirements of the UCC. However, in some circumstances, applicants may be required to present evidence of an English language qualification to satisfy the college program entry requirements.

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