EGH602   Research Methods In English Studies   (30 credits)

Description

This, the core module for the MA in English Studies, combines an introduction to an area of English literature, namely Renaissance lyric poetry, with an exploration of various research tools, such as the Oxford English Dictionary and the Early English Books Online database. You are encouraged to use such resources, alongside wider scholarship and close reading, in order to investigate the primary texts and to develop your own research interests and research questions. Texts studied on the module might include William Shakespeare's Sonnets and Lady Mary Wroth's Pamphilia to Amphilanthus. In the course of the module you are likely to consider a variety of critical approaches, including reception history and literary theory (e.g. feminist theory, postcolonialism), and you will develop awareness of how historical contexts and editorial practices impact on texts and their reception. The module will therefore help you improve crucial research skills as well as enable you to study a range of English literary texts in depth. You will learn by way of and demonstrate skills in online discussions with peers, and are encouraged to use independent study and tutor feedback as appropriate. By the end of this module you will have developed skills that are transferable to other modules on the MA English Studies as well as various employment situations. The module will be very useful for and interesting to secondary and post-16 English teachers.

Reading List