MA in Early Modern Literature and Culture
The Centre's MA, co-ordinated in the School of English, offers opportunity for cross-period study and for specialisation in the early modern but also medieval periods. There are also a number of history and art history courses on offer co-ordinated in the School of History, Art History & Philosophy.
The MA explores the writing, visual expression, material and other cultural artefacts generated by Europe’s transforming intellectual and social environment between 1400 and 1750. It engages with issues such as:
- Periodization
- Humanism
- Eloquence and government
- The idea of Europe
- Sexuality and desire
- The West’s engagement with Islam
- New ideas of the body and the self
- The history of the book
- Popular culture.
Special Collections and Archives
The MA programme offers you the opportunity of working with local and national archives and galleries, such as those housed at The Keep; with galleries; as well as with rare manuscript and book collections such as Sussex’s own Travers and Baker collections of rare books (and other Special Collections), and the Jubilee Library's Bloomfield Collection.
Skills Training
A core programme of training in palaeography, taught in conjunction with Christopher Whittick (Head Archivist, East Sussex Record Office), and in working with early materials and archives is offered as part of the MA. This skills training is also open to PhD students in the Centre.
Structure
The MA programme requires full-time students to take four taught courses, two in term one and two more in term two. The Centre welcomes part-time students; they study one course in term one and another in term two. Students write a dissertation of 15,000 words over the summer under the supervision of a member of faculty.
See the link on the left for a selection of courses from the MA; and see the entry in the postgraduate prospectus for more details and information on entry requirements, fees and funding options.
How to apply
All applications for our postgraduate programmes are made online. Full information on how to apply can be found in the relevant section of the postgraduate prospectus.
Abigail's perspective
'The MA in Early Modern Literature and Culture at Sussex gave me a great year exploring a range of literature from the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as the opportunity to learn important research and writing skills. I took a variety of courses on assorted subjects, from the works of Shakespeare and Spenser, to representations of early modern marriage and the literary culture associated with the Bible.
'An important aspect of my postgraduate experience at Sussex was participation in the Centre for Early Modern Studies, which organised guest lectures, reading groups and research trips.
'After I completed my MA I stayed on at Sussex to do a PhD, on the poet Edmund Spenser, after which I spent a year as a Tutorial Fellow before leaving to take up a three-year postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of York. I’m currently working on a book on conversion narratives (the stories that people tell about their changes of faith) in early modern England as part of that appointment.
'The skills and research interests I developed during my MA have had a direct effect upon the work I currently do, from the beginnings of a fascination with early religious culture and the idea of literary communities, to learning about the processes behind detailed research and the devising of well-honed arguments.
'The MA also introduced me to a community of scholars and researchers in the field, opening out a forum for conversations across a variety of fields and disciplines, which has proved invaluable.'
Dr Abigail Shinn
Teaching Fellow
University of Leeds