Pathway 2: Renaissance and Early Modern Studies

MA in English Studies
 

Pathway Description

The Renaissance and Early Modern Studies pathway gives you the opportunity to explore the vibrant culture that existed in Europe between 1450 and 1700. Our approach to this material is genuinely interdisciplinary: you will look at the history, religion, literature, and visual culture of the period, and be taught by experts working in the Departments of English, History, and Modern Languages. The specially designed modules examine some of the most influential figures of the Renaissance including Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Montaigne, Cervantes, and Michelangelo, and address the central issues that are informing current discussions about what constitutes the Renaissance and early modern periods. Among the topics that we investigate are: the emergence of new national identities, the nature of performance; the role played by religion, changes in ideas about the self and the body, and the impact of new technologies in printing and publishing. In all cases, our aim is to generate a historical understanding of the key movements, debates, and ideas which shaped the period.

 

Pathway Outline

Core modules
You will take three compulsory modules:

  • Textual Scholarship (semesters one and two)
  • The Renaissance in Context (semester one)
  • Renaissance and Early Modern Studies: Research Preparation (semester two). 

Training in Latin is also encouraged. The Textual Scholarship and Latin modules are assessed by practical exercises and do not contribute to your overall mark.


Module options
You will also take two optional modules (one of which may be from another pathway). Modules offered within this pathway may include: 

  • Public and Private Cultures in Renaissance England 
  • Reading Shakespeare Historically 
  • Understanding Religions Historically 
  • Urban Culture and the Book 
  • Writing a Biography 
  • Writing Lives from Letters: the Archive and Production of Historical Biography 
  • Renaissance Bodies 
  • Performing Early Modern Drama

 

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