MA in Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies - Specialisation in Literary Studies (Research)

Radboud University

Whether you prefer ancient Greek dramas, medieval Dutch poetry, contemporary American literature, or are more interested in general literary theory, this Master’s is suited to students wishing to contribute to literary scholarships. You will learn how to make new discoveries that will contribute to a better understanding of literary texts and how they function within society.

What will you learn?

The Master’s in Literary Studies will teach you how to approach historical and contemporary literary texts from an international perspective, as well as how to examine the current societal significance of literature. By the end of the programme, you’ll be able to discuss literary texts and scholarly approaches with other scholars at the highest academic level.

At Radboud University, we believe that to fully understand literature, you need to broaden your scope. You’ll gain insight into methods and theories in both literary studies and the humanities in general. You’ll become familiar with a wide range of literary traditions, critical approaches and theoretical debates. This will enhance your own research. In order to expand your horizon as a literary scholar, you’ll spend a semester conducting research and taking courses abroad.

Career prospects

During the Master’s programme you will gain a broad perspective on the humanities in general because of the collaboration between the specialisations of Historical Studies, Literary Studies, and Art and Visual Culture. Through your personal Master’s research, you will also have concentrated on a very specific phenomenon in your own field. This combination of broad and specific focus will open a lot of doors for you. Our research programme has produced graduates that are appreciated by employees for their research skills as well as their insightfulness and analytical skills, and who have not only learned how to delve into large quantity of data and master it but also how to place their results in a larger context.

In short, at the end of the programme you’ll:

• Have acquired heuristic research skills at an advanced level.
• Have gained general knowledge of leading perspectives, theories, concepts, and paradigm shifts in the humanities and advanced knowledge specifically for own field.
• Be able to engage in the public debates regarding issues in the humanities.
• Have acquired English academic writing skills and have practiced writing a publishable scholarly article and a proposal for a PhD project.
• Have started to build up a professional international network.