Literary Studies (research MA)

The research-intensive programme studies literature as a cultural practice capable of reshaping the world, examining literary texts and literary culture from transnational, theoretical and historical perspectives. Metaphor, symbol, aesthetic experience, narrative and point of view are treated as culturally significant objects of study in their own right, as the programme analyses how literature functions in society and why particular meanings, carrying social and political implications, come to be attached to literary texts. Coursework focuses on the cultural processes through which people negotiate pressing concerns, among them identity, morality, justice and belonging, and how those processes create new connections between different literatures and forms of discourse. Core courses ground students in literary theory and cultural history, while a broad selection of electives and small-group tutorials, working closely with a faculty member, allow topics to be explored in depth; the specialisation serves as preparation for further doctoral study.