The University of Gdansk 

Specialization: Literary Studies

 

MA studies (four semesters) conducted in English in the English Institute, University of Gdansk

Aims

Our students will obtain a good knowledge of British and Irish prose, poetry, and drama. They will develop their English-language skills, as all classes are conducted in English. All written work is also in English. These studies will also enable teachers of English to raise their qualifications.

Time and place of studies

Classes are held from Monday through Friday in the English Institute, University of Gdansk

 

Fields of Study

 

Students will take courses in three thematic areas: British and Irish fiction; British and Irish poetry; and British and Irish drama. The subjects studied in these courses will vary from year to year. A list of planned topics is given below. The courses do not aim to cover the whole of British and Irish literature, but are intended to deal with specific topics in depth.

 

In addition, students will take courses in literary theory, in the theory of theatre (with elements of performance studies), and in the study of multimedia artistic products in a cultural context (e.g. film, TV).

 

Requirements for acceptance

 

Candidates must have successfully completed BA studies in the field of English language and literature or American studies. They must also possess an appropriate level of English-language skills.

 

Programme of Studies 

 

Each of the three thematic courses (fiction, poetry, and drama) is made up of 120 hours of lectures and tutorials/seminars. Other courses have the following loads: Literary Theory – 90 hours; Theory of the Theatre (with Elements of Performance Studies) – 30 hours; Multimedia Artistic Products in a Cultural Context (Film/TV/Theatre) – 105 hours.

 

In addition, students will take 180 hours of courses in practical English-language skills.

 

Courses 

 

1. British and Irish Fiction:
     Possible topics:  
   1. Twentieth-century fiction
   2. Fin-de-siècle prose writing
   3. The development of the short story in Britain and Ireland
   4. The modernist novel in Britain and Ireland
   5. War fiction
   6. The contemporary British and Irish novel
   7. Feminist fiction
   8. The genres of popular literature
   9. Historiography and the historical novel
   10. International fiction in English (e.g. Indian and African fiction in English)
   11. Children’s fiction
2. British and Irish Drama:
   Possible Topics
   
   1. Romantic and Victorian drama
   2. Twentieth-century Irish drama
   3. Shakespeare and his contemporaries
   4. British drama since 1956
   5. Twentieth-century drama and poetry
   6. Twentieth-century experimental drama
   7. Women’s theatre 
3. British and Irish Poetry
     Possible Topics –  
   
   1. Orientalism in British Romantic poetry
   2. Orality and literacy: the beginnings of writing and poetic structure
   3. The poetry of the First and Second World Wars
   4. The Modernist revolution in English-language poetry
   5. British and Irish poetry since 1945
   6. Twentieth-century women’s poetry
   7. Interwar British poetry (1918-1939)
   8. The epic: From Beowulf to Paradise Lost
   9. Erotic verse
   10. Religious poetry  
4. Twentieth-century Literary Theory
   

   This course is divided into two equal components (each of 60 hours). It aims to examine the main literary theories of the twentieth century. The two components are:

   1. The positivist turn and formalist-structural studies
   2. The poststructural turn – e.g. pragmatics, cultural studies, deconstruction, feminist literary studies, gender studies, and queer studies.

   This course is taught by lecture and seminar. Students will be expected to give presentations.

5. Theory of Theatre (with Elements of Performance Studies)
   
   

   Theory of Theatre aims to enable students to “read” theatrical performances. The course will demonstrate various ways of talking about the theatre and of describing theatrical performances. It will also examine the function of language (“stage speech”) and also ways of producing meaning on stage. The questions of stage time and space will also be discussed, as will their role in creating theatrical meaning.

6. Multimedia Artistic Products in a Cultural Context
   

   This course will examine multimedia artistic products, such as films, TV programmes, and stage plays. It will consider issues connected with the translation of verbal texts into multimedia ones (for example, the screen adaptation of literary texts). The course aims to combine theoretical approaches to its topic with practical analyses of multimedia products. Film studies and history form a central element of this course.

MA Seminar

The MA seminar aims to prepare students to complete their MA dissertation (a substantial dissertation written in English) in the course of two academic years.

Start of classes

The projected date for the start of classes is 1 October 2008.

Teaching Staff/Faculty

• Professor dr hab. Jerzy Limon
• Dr hab. Joanna Burzynska (Prof. UG)
• Professor dr hab. Jerzy Limon
• Dr hab. Joanna Burzynska (Prof. UG)
• Dr hab. David Malcolm (Prof. UG)
• Dr hab. Jadwiga W?grodzka
• Dr Maria Fengler
• Dr Miroslawa Modrzewska
• Dr Stanislaw Modrzewski
• Dr Malgorzata Schulz
• Dr Jean Ward
• Dr Tomasz Wisniewski