English Literature and Culture

Program Summary

The MA in English Literature and Culture offers an ideal mix of core modules on mainstream literary topics and a great opportunity for students to develop and pursue their own interests. It is based on the Bachelor of English Literature and Culture program at the University of Mainz, but also welcomes applicants for English Literature programs elsewhere in Germany, Europe and other parts of the world.

By engaging with the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and other English-speaking regions around the world, the major in English literature and culture sees its primary competence in encouraging students to understand the inner workings of literary texts and the contexts in which they appear. To this end, students are expected to receive basic training in the subject of English literature which includes the study of literary styles, genres, literary history, literary and cultural theories before embarking on this course. On this basis, the MA of Literature and Culture in the English Language will help them to develop interest in less traditional areas such as popular culture, media studies, and experimental aesthetics, all supported by a variety of theoretical methods. The core curriculum of the program guarantees orderly progress and development while the sheer number of elective subjects allow students to define their own specialties. The final thesis, written under the supervision of one of our internationally experienced professors, provides evidence of our students' evolution into independent researchers at the end of the two-year course.

The Department of English Language Literature and Culture at the University of Mainz provides expertise and advice from experienced staff as well as a wide range of programs and activities in addition to maintaining exchanges with a group of international partner universities.