MA Literature
The MA in Literature at Macquarie offers prospective students interested in an advanced study of literature an opportunity to widen their perspectives on some of the problems of theory, context and interpretation that are central to its reading and study. The program promotes examination and discussion of the works of the past and present, and of how readers and scholars think about these at the beginning of the twenty first century.
Objectives of the MA in English Literature
- to read widely and critically in a variety of literary areas;
- to examine the social, political and historical contexts of literature;
- to review and rethink knowledge and assumptions about literature and literary meaning;
- to acquire a knowledge of recent developments in literary, critical and cultural theory;
- to develop analytical skills and strategies based on discussion,
writing
and research; - to develop enhanced parameters of understanding within which to read, write about and discuss literature;
- to develop the ability to initiate and carry out research at a postgraduate level, leading to the production of a research project.
Admission requirements
Applicants will normally have a Bachelor’s degree, with a major in
Literature. Applicants with other degrees or majors may also be admitted.
A qualifying program is available for applicants not eligible for direct
admission. Application for this course is made through UAC.
http://www.uac.edu.au/pg/index.html
Structure
The MA consists of six coursework units and a research project (that is, a minor thesis). Candidates are also able to substitute units from other postgraduate courses offered within the University.
Each unit requires attendance for one evening per week, for about two to three
hours (usually as a mixed lecture/seminar session).
Grades are determined mainly on the basis of essays.
The program is available full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years).
Schedule of Unit Offerings and Explanatory Notes
The Program
Unit offerings are rotated each year. Consult the Timetable for availabilities.
LIT800 Research Topic – Part A
For details of this unit contact the Convenor.
LIT801 Nineteenth Century Literature
This unit explores prose and poetry produced during the nineteenth century in England , with some reference to contemporary American texts. We will examine the reflection of changing literary and cultural contexts in a range of texts. Topics of particular interest will include: representations of childhood, class consciousness, and gender; the presentation of urban and rural themes; character and language; nostalgia and idealism in an age of scientific discovery; and the use of literature as a vehicle for social commentary.
LIT802 Shakespeare and the Renaissance
This unit studies poems and plays by Shakespeare and other writers of the English Renaissance in relation to notions of gender, sexuality, subjectivity and power. The texts are considered in the context of the unorthodox, the heretical and the alien.
LIT803 Literary Discourse
This unit examines the use of language in literary texts. It surveys attitudes to the language of literature and explores distinctions between literary and non-literary uses of language. Assessment includes a number of brief practical exercises.
LIT804 Twentieth Century Literature
This unit considers the development of modernist and contemporary literature. Literary and cultural issues are addressed through criticalanalysis of the work of writers such as Yeats, Eliot, Woolf and Joyce, and contemporary British and Australian writers.
LIT805 Gender and Genre
This unit focuses on the construction of gender in various genres, and the way genres can be gendered. We will explore female and male voices in different textual modes, examining topics such as: themes and centres of interest associated with particular textual types and modes; character, voicing, and style in different genres; writing the male and female selves; the way friendship, security, and love are imagined, written, and read in different genres; and fiction and non-fiction as gendered modes.
LIT806 Literary Theory
This unit considers some theoretical movements and issues of literary criticism. Areas may include the concept of the text; subjectivity; readers and reader theory; feminism; the impact of ‘politically’ situated theories; literature and culture.
LIT807 Research Topic
A research project of about 20,000 words on a topic determined in consultation with the general convener and supervised by an individual supervisor. The completed project is expected to show a good knowledge of the chosen topic and its contexts.
LIT 808 Research Topic – Part B
A research project of about 20,000 words on a topic to be decided in consultation with the course convener and supervised by a member of the department. The completed project is expected to show a good knowledge of the chosen topic and its contexts. This unit enables mid-year entry and facilitates extended or interrupted candidature.
LIT809 Special Study 1 #
This unit is available depending on demand, and enables students to pursue a specialised area of study not elsewhere available within the MA in Literature programs.
LIT810 Special Study 11 #
This unit is available from time to time, and enables students to pursue a specialised area of study not elsewhere available within the MA in Literature programs.
LIT812 Text, Image, Screen
This unit considers some of the issues surrounding the interpretation of multi-genre material and its transformations. Texts are drawn from illustrated narrative; film; television drama and adaptation; and other sources as appropriate.
LIT815 Australian Women’s Writing
This unit provides a conspectus of significant authors and themes in the area of Australian Women’s Writing, especially prose fiction, journalism and cultural critique. Discussion will be broadly organised around issues of power, gender, class and money. Political, social, economic and individual conflicts will be addressed, through close literary and contextual analysis.
Further Information
Convenor:
Dr Antonina Harbus
Ph: + 61 2 9850 6802
Email: antonina.harbus@humn.mq.edu.au