Children's Literature and Culture
Master
In Bedford
Description
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Type
Master
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Location
Bedford
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Duration
3 Years
To develop students' Masters level skills in literary and historical analysis, including: The critical interpretation of primary and secondary texts for and about children. The ability to relate these texts to their historical contexts. The confidence to engage in theoretical debates in the field.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
About this course
Applicants should possess a good Honours degree, normally in a related discipline.
Applicants may be required to undertake interviews as part of the application process.
We welcome applications from students with ethnically diverse backgrounds, students returning to education and international students. We also support widening participation and encourage applicants with non-standard qualifications.
If English is a second language, an IELTS score of 6.0 or greater, or a TOEFL score of 650 or greater, or an approved equivalent must be supplied.
Reviews
Course programme
MA Children's Literature and Culture
Mode: part-time
This MA offers a uniquely inter-disciplinary approach to the study of childhood, children's literature and culture, drawing as it does upon the expertise of staff in English, History and Education.
The course uses contemporary and traditional texts which can either feed into a related career or be studies purely for enjoyment of the subject. The programme is taught by a committed and research active course team.
The programme offers taught modules that include: Representations of Gender in Children's Literature, Twentieth Century Childhoods Fin de Siecle and Millennial Narrative of Childhood.
The modules are designed to investigate the historically contingent nature of childhood as a cultural space from the nineteenth century to the present day. The role played by classic, popular and media texts for and about children in constituting the child and children's culture is also explored.
Why choose this course?
- For research purposes, you will have access to a number of rare and valuable archives relating to the history of childhood, including the Hockliffe Collection, one of the one important collections of 18th- and 19th-century children's books in Britain, and the Bedford PE College archive, an important multimedia collection of photographs, documents and books dating back toe 1903
- All the staff on the team are involved in research into the history of childhood, children's oral culture, and young adult and cross over fiction
- The newly refurbished Bedford campus has state-of-the-art facilities, including a new library and theatre
Career Opportunities
This course is likely to enhance the career opportunities of those seeking entry to, or currently working in, professions associated with children, such as primary and secondary teaching, children's book publishing, librarianship and youth work.
Teaching/learning methods and strategies
In addition to the three taught modules named above, students undertake a compulsory Research methods module and a dissertation (double weighting). Teaching for each module takes place in a two hour session taught on one evening per week. It is expected that students will undertake a significant amount of self-directed study.
Assessment
Assessment on all taught modules is via a seminar paper and an extended written essay.
Children's Literature and Culture