MA VICTORIAN STUDIES
EXPLORE THE VICTORIAN ERA THROUGH OUR MA VICTORIAN STUDIES From films and TV dramas to museums and exhibitions to the GCSE classroom, the Victorians have something for everyone. An MA in Victorian Studies could set you up for a future career in research, teaching or the heritage industry, or make you better informed about our own world, which has been shaped by the Victorians in so many ways. At Leeds Trinity we have an international reputation for our research in Victorian Studies, and we are well-known for our conferences, seminars and events on nineteenth-century themes. Our long-running MA programme will enable you to learn from experts and deepen your knowledge of the Victorian era in a supportive environment. Based in the Victorian city of Leeds, you will have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork amidst the rich architecture of the city centre, in art galleries, museums, industrial sites and archives. I hope you’ll join our supportive postgraduate student community and look forward to welcoming you to Leeds Trinity soon. Professor Reverend Jane de Gay, BA (Oxon), MA (Leeds), PGCLTHE (Open), PhD (Open) Professor of English Literature
About Leeds Trinity University A small university with a big reputation, Leeds Trinity University is renowned for teaching excellence and producing highly employable graduates. We’re proud to be known as the University where you’re a name, not a number, thanks to our commitment to ensuring everyone in our community, whatever their faith, feels supported and valued. Leeds Trinity has always been characterised by this sense of community spirit, offering a truly personalised university experience that enables students to flourish. Our reputation for teaching quality and excellence has been developed thanks to a commitment to delivering outstanding teaching, led by research, scholarship and practice. Our teaching staff have extensive professional experience in their fields and many are active researchers, contributing to our increasing reputation for research excellence.
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COURSE OVERVIEW The MA Victorian Studies offers you the chance to explore Victorian life, culture and society, in all their variety and complexity, through studying literature, the arts and social trends. The Leeds Trinity MA Victorian Studies is a genuinely interdisciplinary programme, giving you the opportunity to explore the literature, history, society, thought, arts and culture of the Victorians from a variety of perspectives. The taught elements of the course, delivered through evening teaching sessions, give you the chance to gain skills and knowledge that you will then apply in completing a dissertation on a Victorian topic of your choice. This programme will help you develop the skills in research, analysis and synthesis that you will need to progress to a research degree, as well as detailed knowledge of a range of topics within Victorian Studies. You will have the chance to explore the richness of Victorian literature, considering how it reflected the life of the time including the opportunity to study selected writers (for example, The Brontës or Oscar Wilde) in depth. You can choose to examine trends and developments in Victorian social and political history, and you will have the opportunity to explore a particular aspect of Victorian culture (for example, art, architecture or music) in greater detail. You also have the option of enhancing your employability skills – or developing in your profession – by applying your research in a workplace-based project. The MA Victorian Studies could lead on to a PhD, or to a career in teaching or the heritage industry.
“The MA in Victorian Studies at Leeds Trinity enabled me to develop a subject specialism whilst working as a museum professional. The structure of the course is brilliant and the staff are knowledgeable, engaging, compassionate and gave me outstanding support.”
Ruth Quinn MA Victorian Studies
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COURSE STRUCTURE The modules and delivery structure given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study. The MA Victorian Studies can be studied on a full or part-time basis. Details of delivery of the full-time MA Victorian Studies studied in one year are given below. For the latest information, including course structure, for studying on a part-time basis over two years, visit leedstrinity.ac.uk
Full-time – one-year Semester
Module
Contact hours
Semester One
The Victorians Victorian Literature*
One two-hour evening class per week A one-off three-hour Saturday workshop One two-hour evening class per fortnight
Semester Two
Victorian Culture* Victorian Society*
One two-hour evening class per fortnight One two-hour evening class per fortnight
All year
Professional Development and Practice (optional – taken in place of one module marked*)
Workplace project, as agreed with your employer
Semester Two and Summer
Dissertation
One-to-one meetings with your supervisor, arranged at your convenience A one-off three-hour Saturday workshop
“I completed the MA in Victorian Studies whilst working full-time. The MA was a good basis for me to undertake a PhD and I went on to teach on the MA programme. This has enabled me to travel internationally presenting my research at academic conferences.” Haythem Bastawy Full time author and Artist MA Victorian Studies 4
Modules The Victorians This module will examine the social and political history, together with the literature of the Victorian era, by studying a selection of key themes and texts. The module will introduce you to some fundamental concepts, methods and vocabulary employed in Victorian Studies. The module is taught in weekly evening-classes, plus a Saturday workshop that will help you develop the research skills needed to study the subject at postgraduate level. Victorian Literature This module will engage you in gaining a deeper critical appreciation of Victorian literature by exploring the works of a particular author or group of authors. You will hone your skills in critical analysis and close textual reading, and you will learn to place selected works within the social, cultural and literary contexts of the Victorian age. Authors on offer include, for example, The Brontës, Oscar Wilde, and Robert Browning. This module is taught in six fortnightly sessions plus a one-to-one tutorial and is assessed in an essay of 6,000 words, addressing a research question you will have developed yourself. Victorian Culture This module will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of Victorian culture by exploring a particular aspect of visual, material or sensory culture, such as art, architecture, theatre or music, honing your skills in reading artefacts, applying cultural theories, and using archives, collections and museums. This module is taught in six fortnightly sessions plus a one-to-one tutorial and is assessed in an essay of 6,000 words, addressing a research question you will have developed yourself.
Victorian Society This module will enable you to explore trends and developments across the period, while developing knowledge of a particular trend, e.g. empire, religion, childhood, disability or gender identity. This module is taught in six fortnightly sessions plus a one-to-one tutorial and is assessed in an essay of 6,000 words, addressing a research question you will have developed yourself. Professional Development and Practice This module will give you the opportunity to undertake a specific agreed project in the workplace, in which you apply your research and reading on an aspect of Victorian Studies. In addition to the project, the assessment will comprise a critical reflection. This module is taken in place of either Victorian Literature, Victorian Culture or Victorian Society. Ideal for part-time students taking the MA for professional development purposes. Dissertation Apply the knowledge and skills you have gained by undertaking your own research and writing a 12,000-word dissertation on a specific aspect of the Victorian period, supervised by an expert in your chosen subject area.
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LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT You’ll develop your research, study and essay writing skills throughout the duration of this MA. You will also have the opportunity to apply your knowledge, skills and understanding by undertaking a work-based project that will allow you to apply your knowledge and understanding in workplace-based practice. Demonstrating your ability to present a substantial piece of sustained scholarly writing (dissertation), making an independent contribution to its chosen field will give you transferable skills that could be used in any workplace environment that requires investigation and presenting information, as well as progression into a PhD.
Assessment The emphasis on this course is on honing your skills as a researcher. For The Victorians, you will develop your skills in analysing written or visual texts by completing a short seen-source analysis; you will then develop skills in synthesis by writing a short research report. After this, the main emphasis is on writing sustained research essays on questions you have devised yourself, guided by expert supervision: Victorian Literature, Victorian Culture and Victorian Society each have an essay of 6,000 words; the Dissertation is 12,000-words. The exception to this is the Professional Development and Practice module, which is assessed by a practical project, such as the design and delivery of teaching materials or the design of a museum exhibition, and a reflective report on the project.
Entry requirements Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement. For this course, we normally require a good honours degree with some content relevant to Victorian Studies, e.g. a BA (Hons) in English including modules on 19th-Century Literature or a BA (Hons) in History. However, we also welcome applications from graduates in other disciplines who can demonstrate interest in, and knowledge of, Victorian Studies. Successful applicants will normally be offered a place on the basis of an application form, supporting letter, referees’ reports and an interview. For full details, please visit our website.
How to apply Applications for the MA Victorian Studies are made online via our website. Please visit leedstrinity.ac.uk/postgraduate for the latest course information, including tuition fees, and to access the online application form. For more information about applying, contact our Admissions team at admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk or on 0113 283 7123.
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THE LEEDS CENTRE FOR VICTORIAN STUDIES Leeds Trinity University is home to the internationally acclaimed research centre, the Leeds Centre for Victorian Studies (LCVS). Through the LCVS, you’ll have access to extracurricular opportunities that will deepen your knowledge of the Victorian era and expand your professional networks.
The Visiting Professor
Publications
Each year, we invite a high-profile Victorian Studies scholar to give a public lecture and lead a workshop for our students. The workshops have ranged from introducing study skills – such as how to teach poetry – to career and professionalisation tips. Our Visiting Professors have included Dinah Birch, Hilary Fraser, Bernard Lightman, Herbert ‘Chip’ Tucker, and Miles Taylor.
The LCVS has published over 20 volumes of in-house publications: the Leeds Working Papers, on topics including disability, soundscapes, spirituality, and the metropolis. MA students have had opportunities to contribute to these by writing articles and providing editorial support. Our latest publication is a collection of poems inspired by George Eliot, published by Yaffle Press in 2020.
The Seminar Programme We run five to six seminars a year, including some that are run jointly with the University of Leeds. These feature invited speakers – some local, some national. One of these seminars is the annual Graduate Seminar, at which our MA graduates give presentations based on their dissertation projects.
PhD students As part of the LCVS, you will have the opportunity to meet and learn from PhD students working on topics in Victorian Studies, as well as our community of PhD graduates. The MA has a good track-record of students who have gone on to study for a PhD at Leeds Trinity or elsewhere.
Conferences The LCVS periodically hosts conferences of between one and four days. Past conferences have included the 2016 International Virginia Woolf Conference ‘Virginia Woolf and Heritage’, and a conference on ‘Science and Spiritualism’ in 2019.
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Leeds Trinity University Horsforth Leeds, LS18 5HD 0113 283 7150 hello@leedstrinity.ac.uk Information correct at time of publication, October 2021. Please visit leedstrinity.ac.uk/postgraduate to review our latest course information before you make your application. The information in this booklet is available in alternative formats. Please call 0113 283 7150 or email hello@leedstrinity.ac.uk
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