M.Phil. in Criticism and Culture
Overview
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| Claude Heath, Blue Face, 1999 |
The M.Phil. in Criticism and Culture is an innovative nine-month course of literary study with an interdisciplinary and comparative focus, running from October until the end of June. It aims to provide an introduction to and training in different aspects of contemporary literary criticism and literary and cultural theory. You will be encouraged to develop a critical and methodological framework, and to pursue questions relating to literary and cultural production alongside your individual research project. Within a flexible framework, you will be able to study particular areas in depth or explore topics broadly relevant to your intended research. Each student works closely with a member of the Faculty on his or her chosen dissertation topic while participating in collaborative seminars and classes.
The three-term course will consist of a changing program of seminars, combined with a reading group and a dissertation group bringing students together for collaborative exchange. You will write papers in the first two terms, followed by a final dissertation on the research topic of your choice. You will be able to construct an individual program tailored to your research interests, in close consultation with an advisor who will usually also serve as your dissertation supervisor for the third and final term. All M.Phil. students are strongly encouraged to attend the English Faculty's graduate research seminars, which consist of presentations by outside speakers, faculty, and graduate students. You will also have the chance to attend lectures in other fields in the Humanities and to explore the interdisciplinary possibilities of graduate study at Cambridge. In addition, you will be able to draw on the University's language-learning facilities and exceptional library resources and special collections.
The M.Phil. in Criticism and Culture is designed to provide a gateway
to a wide range of different research areas, including areas that are
historically based. You will be able to take courses and subjects from
other M.Phils. in English, as well as from M.Phils in certain other faculties
(see below). Registration for the Ph.D. on topics that fall within the
purview of the Criticism and Culture Graduate Subject Committee will normally
require students to have completed either the M.Phil. in Criticism and
Culture or one of the English Faculty's other M.Phils at an appropriate
level, or the equivalent at another university.
The Course
Seminars run throughout the first two terms, Michaelmas and Lent. You will be able to choose two courses per term from a changing selection (usually three or four courses) on offer each term, depending on the research interests and availability of academic staff. At least one course would normally be drawn from the list of courses specific to the Criticism and Culture M.Phil.. In either term (timetable and availability permitting) qualified students may opt to take one of their courses from another M.Phil. in English or from an M.Phil. in certain other faculties. M.Phils currently offered in English are Medieval and Renaissance Literature, 18th Century and Romantic Studies , and American Literature. M.Phils. with which English has exchange arrangements at present include European Literature (Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages [MML]), History of Art and Architecture, and the History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (Faculty of History and Philosophy of Science [HPS]).
Michaelmas Term 2011
Dr M. Hrebeniak
‘Polis is this’: Space, Community, Biology, 1955-75
Dr P. Gopal
Colonialism and the Question of ‘Freedom’
Dr I. Patterson
Reading Difficult Poems
Lent Term 2012
Dr R. Macfarlane
The Post-Pastoral: Approaches to Nature since 1940
Dr A. Houen
Sacrifice in Film and Literature since WWII
Prof. D. Trotter
Naturalism in Literature and Film
Alongside your course-work, you will participate in a group providing a forum for intellectual exchange and professional training. In the first term, this will take the form
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| Photo courtesy of Kettle's Yard |
of a faculty-facilitated reading group exploring relevant critical and
theoretical issues. In the second term, you will have the chance to present
your dissertation proposal in a pre-dissertation workshop. In the third
term, you will take part in a peer-led dissertation-writing group.
Course requirements include a 5,000 word paper for one course at the
end of each term, and a 12-15,000 word dissertation in the third term. Any courses
you take in other faculties will be assessed by the requirements for that
course in the host faculty. To prepare for your dissertation, you will
produce a detailed bibliography by the end of the first term, and a detailed
dissertation prospectus by the end of the second term, to be approved
by your advisor.
In addition to familiarizing yourself with the resources of the University
Library and electronic resources for research, you will have the opportunity
to participate in the broader intellectual life of the Cambridge research
community. As well as graduate research seminars and reading groups in
the English Faculty, you may attend University lectures in English and
other Humanities faculties. Interdisciplinary seminars and reading groups
take place at the Centre for Research
in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH). You are also
encouraged to make use of the University's language-learning facilities.
Faculty Members: Criticism and Culture
The interests of those teaching the Criticism and Culture M.Phil. span, for instance, philosophy and literature, visual culture, post-colonial and commonwealth literature, psychoanalysis and literature, critical theory, Marxist literary theory, and performance theory. Many faculty members also have period-specific interests that range from Medieval and Renaissance literature to twentieth-century and contemporary writing. Members of the Faculty available to teach on this M.Phil. are listed below.You may want to consult the full list of Members of the English Faculty for the interests of faculty and to contact potential supervisors in relation to your research interests.
Faculty Members:
Entry Requirements and Application Procedures
You may find it helpful to find out about funding for home students or funding for overseas students before you apply. You should also consult our guide for prospective graduates. All graduate students in Cambridge are members of a College as well as of a Faculty of the University, and those applying through the Board of Graduate Studies for a place on the course will find themselves invited to list a number of Colleges in order of preference. It is a good idea to consult the prospectuses of a number of Colleges before you apply.
Applications which which can be made via the Board of Graduate website, are first considered by the Faculty. Potential supervisors are then consulted. Successful applications are then offered to the Colleges of the student's choice, and may be then passed on to the second or third choice. Since this can be a lengthy process it is very much in the interests of applicants to apply in good time (and before the deadline for applications of January 20th).
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| Photo courtesy of the Freud Museum |
Applicants for funding should be aware that many funding bodies require a firm acceptance from the University before they will consider your application. If you hope to have a decision from the University in time to apply for funding, you should apply well before the January 20th deadline. You may find it helpful in drawing up your funding application to have had some discussion with the person assigned to be your supervisor.deadline. You may find it helpful in drawing up your funding application to have had some discussion with the person assigned to be your supervisor.
Applicants should normally have a first-class honours degree or high II.i , or its overseas/international equivalent (e.g. minimum 3.7 GPA). Applicants whose first degrees are in other disciplines are always considered, provided they can give an account of how their interest in literary study has developed. We welcome qualified UK, EU, and overseas applicants (those for whom English is not a first language will be required by the Board of Graduate Studies to provide evidence of linguistic proficiency).
Applicants should include specific proposals for advanced study or research (of around 500 words). A piece of written work, of 5,000 - 7,500 words, should accompany a formal application. Applicants may submit any work they like, but it is worth choosing work which is recent and which relates to your proposed area of study, if this is available. Many applicants submit their undergraduate dissertation or similar extended piece of work. In reaching decisions about applications the Degree Committee takes particular account of:
- The applicant's academic record and references
- Their suitability for the proposed course (including knowledge of foreign languages)
- The applicant's research proposal, which should suggest a realistic program of work for a 15,000 word dissertation.
- Whether a suitable supervisor can be found for the proposed research
- The written work which a candidate submits in support of their application
Enquiries should be addressed to:
The Director of Graduate Studies,
Degree Committee of the Faculty of English,
University of Cambridge
9 West Road
Cambridge
UK
CB3 9DP