MA in Medieval English

The University of Nottingham has a long-standing commitment to the study of Medieval English, and the Hallward Library provides an extensive collection of medieval manuscripts.

This MA course is taught by the School of English in conjunction with the Institute for Medieval Research and offers a comprehensive introduction to Middle English literature and language.

Students are given the opportunity to gain experience in the variety of specialist skills which this discipline embraces, including palaeography, the handling of manuscripts, text-editing, medieval historiography, and an understanding of the cultural contexts of medieval writing.

The MA thus offers an excellent grounding for further research such as MPhil or PhD study. All MA students join lively postgraduate communities in both the School of English and the Institute for Medieval Research.

Other distinctive features of the course include:

• the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary study and discussion
• theoretical grounding in research methodology
• one-to-one tuition with expert members of staff
• the opportunity to develop specialist topics such as verse forms, representations of national identity and Middle Scots literature

In addition, students also benefit from:

• library and IT training
• participation in the school postgraduate seminars
• lectures by visiting academics
• in-sessional support for international students

Course structure

Full-time students normally complete the course within one year; part-time students must take between 24 and 36 months to complete. The MA in Medieval English consists of taught modules totalling 120 credits (which are taken during the autumn and spring semesters) and a 60-credit dissertation module (undertaken over the summer period). Full-time students normally take 60 credits of modules in each semester; part-time students normally take 30 credits.

The course structure below reflects the modules that will be taught and assessed in the academic year 2011/12. The course structures are updated in April of each year to show the course content for the following academic session. If you have any queries concerning the course structure please contact the PG Administrator at english-postgrad@nottingham.ac.uk.

September to June

Students must take all modules in this group:

• Q34330 Middle English Language
• Q34302 Basic Techniques in Medieval English Studies
• Q34329 Research and Career Planning for Medievalists'
• Q34331 Middle English Literature

In the Spring Semester students must take a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 45 credits, choosing from the list of available options, including:

• Q34333 Introduction to Editing Middle English Texts
• Q34D10 The History of the Book
• Q34328 Representations of Arthur
• Q34320 The Makars: Scottish Literature 1375-1513

With the agreement of the MA Convenor, students may take modules offered in other sections of the School of English or by the Institute for Medieval Research.

June to September

• Q34999 Dissertation

Studying in the Medieval Section in the School

Students who join this MA programme join a close community of staff and students.

Assessment

Taught modules are variously assessed by coursework and examination. Finally all students must take a 60-credit dissertation module. Students may choose to write on a new topic or extend their research on a topic already addressed in assessed work for any other module with the proviso that they must not substantially repeat work already assessed. Students will be assigned a tutor to supervise their dissertation, which will normally be written up during the summer months. The dissertation should be between 12,000-15,000 words in length.

Reading List

We expect prospective students on the MA in Medieval English to own copies of the following texts (both of which will be used from the start of the course):

• J.A. Barrow and T. Turville-Petre (eds) (2006), A book of Middle English, 3rd edition, Oxford: Blackwell Press.
• G. Chaucer (1988), The Riverside Chaucer, edited by F.N. Robinson, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Students should also make themselves familiar with the social and political history of the period 1100-1500, both in the British Isles and also in Europe. Log into Hallward Library's online catalogue here to begin to familiarise yourself with what is available.

While we recognise that not all students wishing to work in this area will have a detailed knowledge of Early Middle English or indeed Middle English Literature, we do expect that our students are familiar with Chaucer's major works, especially the Canterbury tales and will be fluent readers of those texts in the original language. The course is not designed to be introductory, but to build on previously acquired expertise: for instance, students are not permitted to use translations of material in Middle English in class or in assessment and they are expected to be familiar with essential issues surrounding the study of medieval material.

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