
Overview
This MA explores not just 19th-century Gothic cultures but, more generally, the fears, wonders, and dark imagination of the Victorian era. Through a rich and fascinating range of historical, literary and folkloric texts, themes and approaches, you'll probe the darker side of the Victorian age.
The course gives you access to a wealth of online resources and digitised archival material relating to Victorian culture and draws on local literary and cultural resources, such as the Conan Doyle Collection (Lancelyn Green Bequest) in Portsmouth’s Central Library. You'll have the freedom and scope to pursue your own areas of interest and research via an individual research project and 15,000-word dissertation.
What you'll experience
On this course you'll:
- Be taught by experts from both the history and English departments at the University of Portsmouth
- Develop your research skills, critical thinking and literary analysis
- Work through 2 core content modules, focussed on the cultural tensions between Victorian anxieties (crime, poverty, slums, and degeneration) and Victorian enchantment (stage magic, spiritualism and the occult, the development of Victorian celebrity culture, the struggle of intellect to break from folkloric magic and supernatural superstition in a ‘modern’ age)
- Use our Library’s wealth of online archival material including London Low Life, Victorian Popular Culture, The Old Bailey Online, The Charles Booth Archive, and the British Library Newspaper Archive
- Have opportunities to undertake research in the Charles Dickens Collection and Arthur Conan Doyle Collection (Lancelyn Green Bequest), both housed in the Portsmouth Central Library, Portsmouth
- Get to study any topic of interest within the broad scope of the Victorian Gothic and the history of Victorian culture
- Be able to base your studies around more recent Neo-Victorian re-imaginings of the nineteenth century in their research projects, exploring areas such as crime or supernatural fictions, or steampunk culture
- Get to take optional field trips
Careers and opportunities
As well as giving you greater expertise in the field of Victorian Gothic literature, this course also enhances your knowledge and skill in other areas. During this course, you'll:
- develop the skillset required to work in the heritage industry, the arts and media
- develop a strong grounding for pursuing more advanced levels of academic study, including PhDs and careers in academia
- have the opportunity to gain experience in event organisation, voluntary work, management and promotion, such as for local cultural events, for example, Portsmouth DarkFest
- improve your broader academic skills, such as the ability to analyse, assess, synthesise and evaluate
- develop your archival and research skills, as well as data analysis and interpretation abilities
- improve your oral and written communication, time and workload management, and other transferable skills
Get more details
Visit official programme websiteProgramme Structure
Courses include:
- Victorian Anxieties
- Theory, Skills and Approaches
- Victorian Enchantments
- Independent Project
- Dissertation
Check out the full curriculum
Visit official programme websiteKey information
Duration
- Full-time
- 12 months
- Part-time
- 24 months
Start dates & application deadlines
September, January
Language
Credits
Delivered
Disciplines
History Art History Literature View 10 other Masters in Art History in United KingdomExplore more key information
Visit official programme websiteAcademic requirements
English requirements
Other requirements
General requirements
- A good second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in History, English, or a relevant subject, or a master's degree in an appropriate subject. Exceptionally, equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications will be considered.
- Applicants may be subject to interview.
Make sure you meet all requirements
Visit official programme websiteTuition Fee
https://www.port.ac.uk/study/masters-and-postgraduate-taught/fees-and-funding
Funding
Studyportals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based.
Double-check all fees
Visit official programme websiteGetting a Student Visa
This is an online programme. You can attend from the comfort of your chair! So you don't need a student visa!
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