Postgraduate Study
MA in English Literature
How might the study of literature and culture enable us to understand and explain the everyday world we inhabit and the ways in which different social worlds have been invented and sustained across time and cultures? How might it help us both to explore ourselves and the ways in which we see and understand others? How does such an enquiry affect, and quite possibly change, the way we read texts and read the world? These are the kinds of questions at the core of the MA in English Literature, which is an exciting development in English studies at Brunel, offering the opportunity to study a wide range of topics and periods, from the early Modern/Renaissance through to the modern and contemporary.
MA English Literature: Contemporary Literature and Culture
The Contemporary Literature and Culture pathway allows advanced study of contemporary literature in all its diversity. We examine popular genres, the 21st century novel, contemporary innovations, postcolonial literatures, postmodern poetics and more. Designed to develop advanced theoretical understanding of cultural, social, intellectual and aesthetic contexts, it allows students to engage with some of the most exciting writing of the last forty years.
To apply for this course, make an application for MA English Literature. In your personal statement you may wish to indicate that you are interested in this pathway. At induction, you will then be given the opportunity to enrol for the Contemporary Literature and Culture pathway.
English MPhil/PhD
Brunel's research strengths continue to grow. All staff are research-active, and some of their research interests can be read here. Our active research culture is enhanced by the provision of taught postgraduate degrees, a series of lectures by contemporary writers, and research seminars given by some of the leading academics in their fields. These and many other research events and initiatives are organised by Brunel's Centre for Contemporary Writing, a research group that has established itself as a centre of excellence in the study of contemporary and popular fiction, culture, poetry and many other aspects of literature and narrative . We now also offer PhDs in Creative Writing, supervised by our experienced Creative Writing staff including Celia Brayfield, Bernadine Evaristo, Max Kinnings, Matt Thorne and Bejamin Zephaniah.
