MA Popular Culture

Summary 2012/13

• Combine the study of contemporary popular culture, literature, film and history;
• Benefit from a distinct and interdisciplinary curriculum;
• Study subjects which are not commonly available within a single MA, taught by a team of supportive and specialist tutors.

Subject to validation.

The MA in Popular Culture is a distinct, interdisciplinary MA programme that covers film, literature and cultural history. It will appeal if you are interested in popular culture in its critical and historical contexts.

Delivered by an enthusiastic team of cross-disciplinary specialists in popular culture research, the programme will provide you with the opportunity to undertake a comparative study of literature, history and film, working across subject boundaries.

2012 Entry Requirements

To join this programme a good first degree in a relevant subject is normally required (2.2 or above). An interview will form part of the selection process.

Summary 2013/14

• Combine the study of contemporary popular culture, literature, film and history;
• Benefit from a distinct and interdisciplinary curriculum;
• Study subjects which are not commonly available within a single MA, taught by a team of supportive and specialist tutors.

Subject to validation.

The MA in Popular Culture is a distinct, interdisciplinary MA programme that covers film, literature and cultural history. It will appeal if you are interested in popular culture in its critical and historical contexts.

Delivered by an enthusiastic team of cross-disciplinary specialists in popular culture research, the programme will provide you with the opportunity to undertake a comparative study of literature, history and film, working across subject boundaries.

2013 Entry Requirements

To join this programme a good first degree in a relevant subject is normally required (2.2 or above). An interview will form part of the selection process.

Details

Who is this course for?

The MA in Popular Culture will appeal if you have interests that cross the boundaries of popular culture, literature, film and history, and you would like to pursue this combined focus at Masters level. The programme is also excellent preparation if you wish to pursue a research-based higher degree in the future since it includes a compulsory introduction to research skills and methodologies as well as a dissertation project.

What will I gain from this programme?

You will acquire a distinctive subject knowledge arising from the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum. The MA will provide you with experience of advanced cultural study, the practical skills necessary to undertake work across subject boundaries and training in transferable research skills and methodologies.

How we will support you

You will take a module intended to update your critical skills and theoretical knowledge and also study a further compulsory module introducing research philosophies and methodologies in the humanities. You will be assigned a personal tutor and develop your own personal development plan.

What will I study?

The programme consists of two compulsory modules (20 credits each), four optional modules (20 credits each) and a compulsory dissertation (60 credits). You will be guided to a combination of optional modules focusing on popular literature and/ or film and media.

If you are interested in literature, the available options cover contemporary texts, including the graphic novel, journalism and print culture, and genre fiction. Film-related modules focus on genre, identity and representation.

How will I study?

The course will be delivered in the evenings through three-hour group sessions at the Ormskirk Campus. Part-time students will attend one evening a week and full-time students will attend twice a week.

Who will be teaching me?

You will be taught by a team of specialist tutors who are active researchers and committed teachers with interests in popular culture, literature, film, genre studies, modern history, gender studies, and history.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through a combination of assignments which, depending on the modules you choose, may include essays, critical reviews, critical diaries, presentations and research-based projects as well as a 15,000-word dissertation.

What are my career prospects?

Graduates in the humanities with a higher degree find employment in a wide variety of careers such as teaching, arts organisation and management, the heritage industry, publishing, advertising, journalism, libraries and learning centres or management/administration.

Further study at Edge Hill University

On successful completion of the MA Popular Culture you may apply to progress onto a research degree.

Related Programmes

• MA Creative Writing
• MA English
• MA History and Culture

A Great Study Environment

Based in 160 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the Ormskirk Campus is a unique and inspirational place to study. Industry standard resources and cutting edge technology combine to make an interactive and highly advanced teaching and learning environment. Everything you could want is on one site with fantastic modern spaces in which you can study and socialise and 25 acres of sport and leisure facilities.

The University library gives you access to thousands of books, journals, online resources and extensive PC and media provision. You'll get all the support you need to succeed, reflected in Edge Hill University being ranked in the top two in England for students' personal development, and the top three in the country for assessment and feedback, in the 2011 National Student Survey. The University is also featured in the top four in England for graduate employment.

How do I apply?

Apply online at www.ukpass.ac.uk from September 2011.

Visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/applyukpass for more information on the application process.

Fees and Finance

Tuition fees for the MA Popular Culture are £3,500pa for full-time study in academic year 2012/13. Part-time students on this programme in academic year 2012/13 will pay £1,750pa. Information for UK and EU students only.

Edge Hill graduates joining an eligible postgraduate programme at the University in academic year 2012/13 could benefit from a 20% reduction in tuition fees. If you're a UK or EU student and will be paying the fees yourself, you might be eligible to receive this discount. See www.edgehill.ac.uk/reducedfees for more information.

Not got the entry requirements?

Applicants who do not meet the standard entry requirements will be assessed on an individual basis.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like to receive a copy of our prospectus or be kept updated about forthcoming events, contact the Course Information, Advice and Guidance Team by emailing study@edgehill.ac.uk or calling 01695 657000.

If you want to attend one of our open events held throughout the year, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/postgradopendays to book your place.

You will also find Edge Hill University staff at many postgraduate study fairs taking place across the UK and Ireland.

Still want more?

If you have any questions you would like to ask the programme leader about this course, please contact:

• Dr Minna Vuohelainen, Department of English and History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP
• Tel: 01695 584363
• Email: minna.vuohelainen@edgehill.ac.uk

Overseas students should contact the Centre of International Education by calling +44 1695 584489 or emailing international@edgehill.ac.uk with any queries.

Modules

You will study the following three compulsory modules:

• HUM4001 Critical Approaches to Postgraduate Study in the Humanities: an introduction to key concepts, terms and theories in the Humanities;
• HUM4002 Research Philosophies and Methodologies: an introduction to key methodologies and skills employed in literary, historical and cultural research;
• HUM4003 Dissertation: an opportunity to undertake an in-depth and extended study within a chosen and specific area.

You will study four of the following optional modules on offer in academic year 2012-13:

• HUM4014 Cinema, History and American National Identity: a study of the construction and affirmation of American national identity as found in filmic representations of that nation’s history;
• HUM4018 Popular Culture 1880-1920: a study of the emergence of mainstream popular culture in Britain in the period 1880-1920;
• HUM4023 Representations of Liverpool: an interdisciplinary study of Liverpool's history and culture since 1900;
• HUM4026 Film Genre: History, Context and Conventions: The Musical: a genre study of the American musical, exploring the development, conventions and historical background of the genre;
• HUM4029 Print and the People, 1850-1880: a module examining the ways in which periodicals engaged with various audiences in the nineteenth century;
• HUM4030 Fictions of Class, 1910-1965: a module combining Marxist and post-Marxist theory with representations of class in literature from the Edwardian period to the 'Swinging Sixties';
• HUM4032 Writing Contemporary Women: a module combining feminist theory with a range of mainly contemporary women’s writing;
• HUM4033 Colour and Rhythm: Literature, Jazz and Art: an exploration of the relationship between poetry, prose, art and jazz in the 1950s and 1960s.

The following additional optional modules may be available in academic year 2013/14:

• HUM4006 From Female to Postfeminist Gothic: a module charting the movement from the female Gothic’s associations with second wave feminism to postfeminism;
• HUM4009 Women and Popular Culture: an examination of the shifting representations of women in American and British popular culture from the 1960s to the present day;
• HUM4012 Transgressive Women's Writing: Fatales, Grrls and Dangerous Women: a module examining mediated representations of transgressive women, figures both historical and fictional, who have flouted conventions;
• HUM4016 Men and Supermen: Masculinities in Twentieth-Century Narratives: a module examining a range of twentieth-century texts that explore representations of masculinity and male identity in relation to current gender theory;
• HUM4024 African Americans and U.S. Popular Culture, 1890-1945: an exploration of the contribution of African Americans to American popular culture in the period 1890-1945;
• HUM4025 African Americans and U.S. Popular Culture since 1945: an exploration of the contribution of African Americans to American popular culture since 1945;
• HUM4027 Out of the Gutter: Reading the Contemporary Graphic Novel: this module engages with the graphic novel as a cultural format and introduces you to a range of relevant theoretical skills and methodologies;
• HUM4028 Hiroshima and the Popular Imagination: an exploration of the representations of the dropping of an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima across a range of popular cultural forms;
• HUM4031 Literature of Industrialisation: an investigation into the relationship between literature and industrialisation, particularly in the North West.