MA in English - Modernities (Literature Theory and Culture from the Romantics to the Present) in Cork Ireland | University College Cork

This MA English - Modernities: Literature, Theory & Culture from the Romantics to the Present offers an in-depth exploration of American, British, and Irish literature alongside other cultural expressions, spanning from the 18th century to today. Students engage with key theoretical works examining modernity while being mentored by distinguished scholars. The program exposes participants to cutting-edge critical frameworks for analyzing modernity and modernization, applying these concepts to diverse works created between the 1700s and the present century.

The curriculum also provides exposure to literary and theoretical texts documenting Ireland's modernist journey from the 18th century onward. Course materials span from Jonathan Swift's satirical masterpieces and Romantic works by the Shelleys, through modernist classics by Joyce, Pound, Woolf, and Beckett, to groundbreaking contemporary creators across literature and film. Students will investigate foundational 19th-century theorists like Marx and Nietzsche, while also exploring modern cultural theories including feminist, poststructuralist, and postcolonial approaches. These intellectual engagements equip students to critically examine and better comprehend our contemporary cultural landscape.