Modern Languages and Cultures

Semester one:

Research Methods in Modern Languages and Cultures

This module will introduce and explore a range of methodological approaches and techniques that are relevant to students of Modern Languages and Cultures. It will enable students to identify, assess and exploit sources and data, present the results of their research in (an) appropriate manner(s), and adhere to data protection, intellectual property and ethics requirements. Students will engage with different theoretical models and debates, and a range of tools for accessing information. Students will be required to attend generic research methods sessions as well as those which are of greatest relevance to their research topic(s).

15 credits

Migration and its Representations Across Cultures

Using case studies from a range of areas and cultures, this module emphasises the importance of understanding socio-political contexts that shape cultural debates. This module will examine the cultural, social, intermedial and political issues at the heart of migration and transcultural communication while developing language skills.  The module will look at the mechanics of how culture is shaped and contested  through, for example, language, textual and/or visual discussions about representation and voice, or cultural responses to discrimination in multicultural and/or multilingual spaces. Students will study the multilingual and cultural factors that influence policymakers and practitioners, and explore how these issues are represented in mainstream media, artistic, cinematic and cultural productions. 

In this module,  students are encouraged to think about how their experience relates to the socio-political context(s) under study , creating a community of learning through shared discussion. In this way, students can choose a topic within the theoretical frameworks studied in class, and tailor these  frameworks to their own interests and experience.

15 credits

Approaches to Literary and Cultural Studies (Critical Theory) I

A historical and critical survey, of major theoretical approaches to Literary and Cultural Studies, to include five topics such as the following: Marxism; Hermeneutics; Psychoanalysis; Russian Formalism; Structuralism; Feminism and Gender Studies; Postcolonial Theories; Poststructuralism; New Sociologies of Culture. Historical and conceptual analysis will prepare the ground for informed application and critical employment of theoretical approaches to literary and cultural phenomena.

15 credits

Semester two:

Dissertation in Modern Languages & Cultures

The dissertation undertaken by all students on the Masters Degree is designed to deepen further subject knowledge; to provide a broader range of opportunities to apply relevant research methodologies to selected primary and secondary materials; and to hone critical evaluation and language skills on a topic on an aspect of the modern languages and cultures offered by SLC. The topic will be agreed with the dissertation supervisor. Students will be expected to put into practice theories, strategies, methods and techniques with which they will have become acquainted while studying the relevant preparatory modules. The dissertation helps students to foster the development of intellectual qualities and organisational skills essential for higher-level research and by these means if appropriate they will be well-placed to prepare a cogent, fresh and rigorous MPhil/ PhD proposal and to obtain financial support for further study.

60 credits

Approaches to Literary and Cultural Studies (Critical Theory) II

A historical and critical survey, of major theoretical approaches to Literary and Cultural Studies, to include five topics such as the following: Marxism; Hermeneutics; Psychoanalysis; Russian Formalism; Structuralism; Feminism and Gender Studies; Postcolonial Theories; Poststructuralism; New Sociologies of Culture. Historical and conceptual analysis will prepare the ground for informed application and critical employment of theoretical approaches to literary and cultural phenomena.

15 credits

Semester one:

Directed Reading

The aim of this module is to respond with maximum flexibility to the interests and requirements of individual students of the MA in Modern Languages and Cultures programme. Its purpose is to enable students to engage with topics such as literature, linguistics, cultural studies, politics, society, migration or gender studies, as appropriate to their interests, and through a programme of consultation and/or seminars, as appropriate to the number of students. Students will examine issues in one or more languages, cultures or societies depending on their background and interests. Languages/cultures that can be studied or contrasted include those of the Francophone world; Hispanic and Lusophone world (inc. Spain, Portugal, Catalonia, Latin America) the Germanic world; and the Russian and Slavonic world (inc. Czech Republic, Russia and the former USSR) and Luxembourg.
In consultation with an appropriate member of staff (the module supervisor), students will identify an aspect of their chosen field of interest, and work with the intended supervisor to devise a study plan and an exhaustive bibliography in their chosen area. The method of assessment will be agreed between the student and the supervisor, as appropriate for the level of study. The normal length of the essay will be 4,000 words, but this can be divided up into two 2,000 word essays per semester.

15 credits

Semester two:

Directed Reading

The aim of this module is to respond with maximum flexibility to the interests and requirements of individual students of the MA in Modern Languages and Cultures programme. Its purpose is to enable students to engage with topics such as literature, linguistics, cultural studies, politics, society, migration or gender studies, as appropriate to their interests, and through a programme of consultation and/or seminars, as appropriate to the number of students. Students will examine issues in one or more languages, cultures or societies depending on their background and interests. Languages/cultures that can be studied or contrasted include those of the Francophone world; Hispanic and Lusophone world (inc. Spain, Portugal, Catalonia, Latin America) the Germanic world; and the Russian and Slavonic world (inc. Czech Republic, Russia and the former USSR) and Luxembourg.
In consultation with an appropriate member of staff (the module supervisor), students will identify an aspect of their chosen field of interest, and work with the intended supervisor to devise a study plan and an exhaustive bibliography in their chosen area. The method of assessment will be agreed between the student and the supervisor, as appropriate for the level of study. The normal length of the essay will be 4,000 words, but this can be divided up into two 2,000 word essays per semester.

15 credits

Dissertation

The aim of this module is to give students on the MA programmes in the School of Languages and Cultures the opportunity to research a topic in the field of study to their specific MA programme (to be agreed with the dissertation supervisor). The dissertation is designed to deepen further subject knowledge, to provide a broader range of opportunities to apply relevant research methodologies to selected primary and secondary materials, and to hone critical evaluation and language skills on a topic on an aspect of the area studies offered by SLC. Students will be expected to put into practice theories, strategies, methods and techniques already studied in the relevant preparatory modules; they may also link their dissertation to a work-placement or work-based project, in which case the dissertation approach may be more practice-oriented, drawing on theories.

The normal length of the dissertation will be 12,000 words, but may increase to an upper limit of 14,000 words depending on the dissertation type.

Problem-solving and example classes will cover important issues related to starting and developing a dissertation. Regular, focused classes will support students in the application of knowledge and skills learnt in the module Research Methods in Modern Languages and Cultures to their specific dissertation topic (such as narrowing down focus through literature review, adopting appropriate methodologies and the development of original insights.)

Individual tutorials will support the students' individual research.

60 credits

Translating Cultural Research into Public Media Content

Our academic research on culture can be - and often is - 'translated' into compelling media formats, for wider public consumption. You will learn from staff who have turned their own research stories into broadcast programming, digital and visual formats for general readers, online podcasts, and much more. We shall combine theory and practice. Through lectures, we will draw on scholarship in the public humanities, public history, and/or about engaged research. We shall theorise what we mean by 'public' audiences and consider different conceptions of non-specialist communication. We will think critically about academia's relationship to society. Then, prompted by examples from our academics' work, you will develop your own media pitches about your own cultural research that is not otherwise available to broader audiences in English.

15 credits

Social Approaches to Multilingualism

This module provides students with an overview of key topics in multilingualism, with an emphasis on the ways in which issues of language are linked to broader socio-political practices and debates. It allows students to gain insights into how theories of nationalism and globalisation may be applied to the analysis of texts and images in multilingual settings - with a particular focus on those in which Romance and/or Germanic languages play a central role - and it shows how debates about language are bound up with struggles over social equality and reactions to social transformations.

15 credits