Shakespeare Studies – (M.A.)

Contents

You will follow six (20 credit) modules, and then conclude your programme with a 12,000-word dissertation.
The modules you will take are:

* Plays and Poems of Shakespeare - This module provides a detailed examination of Shakespeare’s works, and enables you to develop your critical thinking in the light of current criticism. Tutorials are focused on student presentations and group discussions of various critical interpretations of Shakespeare’s work. The Plays and Poems module forms the core of the MA programme, and is taught over two terms.
* History of Shakespeare in Performance -
This module introduces you to the history and analysis of Shakespeare’s plays in performance on stage, film, television and radio. It provides an introduction to the specific methods and materials of theatre research.
* Textual Studies in Shakespeare - This module investigates the original production of the text in the early modern theatre and in print. You will explore the controversies surrounding the interpretation of the earliest texts of Shakespeare and be introduced to the techniques of editing that mediate those texts to the modern reader.
* History of Shakespeare Criticism -
Shakespeare criticism, from Ben Jonson to the modern day, has constantly sought to redefine Shakespeare and his significance to the reader. This module traces the main developments in Shakespeare criticism, in the context of the wider development of intellectual culture from the 16th century to the present day.
* Research Skills -
Provides an initial training in the resources and methodologies of research in the various fields associated with Shakespeare studies. It explores the rich resources available to the Shakespeare Institute through the University of Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. This knowledge is applied to a bibliographical essay, which prepares you for your final dissertation.