National and Transnational Studies: Literature, Culture, Language

Overview

This two year (four semester) M.A. programme National and Transnational Studies: Literature, Culture, Language at the University of Münster offers:

• A specialisation in anglophone literatures and cultures from around the world, and in English linguistics, combined with an interdisciplinary orientation towards other modern languages and literatures, history, and social anthropology. The programme also draws on scholarship from other fields such as sociology or political science.

• Reflections on nationalism and nationality as cultural (rather than merely political) phenomena: How are nationalism and nationality constructed through literature, language and other forms of cultural expression?  (with topics including theories of nationalism, tradition and memory, national aesthetics, canon formation, and varieties of English)

• Explorations of complex cultural dynamics beyond national frameworks in an increasingly globalised world (with topics including colonialism & postcolonialism, migration & diasporas, transculturalism, English as a world language and the sociolinguistics of globalization)

• Studies in a wide range of literature, cultures and varieties of English(e.g. British Isles, North America, Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific)

• Advanced understanding of theoretical approaches from literary and cultural studies as well as sociolinguistics, including reflections on selected approaches from the social sciences (e.g. social anthropology, sociology, political science)

• Courses on anglophone literatures and cultures (incl. film and media), English linguistics, and subjects  from related disciplines (e.g. other languages and literatures, history, social anthropology)

• Combination of taught courses and independent research

• International orientation reflected in the possibility of spending one semester abroad. The compulsory module "Work Experience" can likewise be completed abroad

• Course language: EnglishDue to the interdisciplinary orientation and the integrated External Module students can participate in thematically relevant courses in other departments and disciplines, where the language of instruction may also be in other languages (e.g. German, Spanish).