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EN-3051
Madness, Malady and Melancholia: Literature and Medicine from Genesis to Genomes
This interdisciplinary, transhistorical, and medical humanities module explores representations of health, disease and disorder in literature from Genesis to the present day. By reading texts which might be considered as illness narratives, we will consider how the human experience of pain and illness can be written into text. How do religious and / or scientific contexts affect experience? How do evolving theories of medicine and the body play into the literary world? From ancient and medieval theories of bodily humours and constitutions, towards contemporary understandings of human existence, we will interrogate texts that seek to express the experience of suffering. In a cultural climate that increasingly emphasises the importance of mental health and wellbeing, an understanding of the textualisation of ill-health is more urgent than ever. Using theories of pain and suffering, the course will focus on the subjection and abjection of the body 'disordered', and ask how far reading and writing themselves might be considered to be acts of therapy.
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EN-M007
Special Research Topic 2
This intellectually rich and flexible module enables MA students to shape their own academic pathway by engaging with specialist areas of research aligned with the expertise of our academic staff. The Special Research Topic is designed for those who wish to explore a focused area of interest in depth, supported by staff who are active researchers at the forefront of their fields.
The content of the module varies each year, reflecting staff research and availability, and offers a broad range of literary and theoretical perspectives across periods and genres. Indicative topics might include:
¿ Gender and genre in modern Wales
¿ Angela Carter
¿ Neo-Victorian Gothic writing
¿ Medieval bodies, gender, and sexuality
To foster a strong sense of academic community and intellectual exchange, the module opens and closes with whole-cohort seminars. These sessions provide a space for students and staff to introduce their research interests and to reflect on the wider significance of their studies.
The Special Research Topic encourages originality, independence, and critical sophistication, offering students a chance to develop advanced research skills within a supportive and stimulating environment. It is ideal preparation for a dissertation or further academic research, as well as careers that demand analytical rigour and effective communication.
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ENE1003
Premodern Voices
How did people in premodern times understand themselves and their worlds? `Premodern Literature¿ explores foundational questions about how we read and interpret texts from the distant past: What does it mean to read literature written in a different language, or from a different worldview or moral framework? How do concepts like authorship, audience, and genre function in premodern contexts? In what ways do themes such as gender, power, war, travel, courtly love, identity, and religion emerge in these works? This module introduces you to the rich and diverse world of premodern literature, spanning the medieval and early modern periods (c.1000¿1700). Through close engagement with a range of texts - from epic poetry, devotional texts and courtly romance to drama, metaphysical poetry, and early printed prose - you will explore how literature shaped and reflected the cultural, religious, and political landscapes of the premodern world.
You will also be introduced to some of the key critical tools and contexts necessary for studying premodern literature, including manuscript culture, early print, and the transition from orality to literacy. Close attention will be paid to the development of language, through Old English, Middle English, and early modern English. The module encourages you to think critically about the relationship between literature, language, and history, and to consider how premodern texts continue to resonate with - or challenge - us today.
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ENE1004
Discovering Literature
Discovering Literature is an introductory module designed to provide a broad and engaging foundation in English literary studies. Spanning over a millennium of literary history, from the early medieval period to the present day, this module invites students to explore the richness and diversity of English literature through a chronological and thematic journey. It introduces key texts, authors, and movements that have shaped literary traditions and cultural discourse across time.
The module is structured to guide students through major literary periods, including Old and Middle English literature, the early modern period, Romanticism, nineteenth-century literature, Modernism, Postmodernism, and contemporary writing. Students will encounter a wide range of genres including poetry, drama, prose, and emerging digital forms, and will be introduced to, and encouraged to critique, the literary canon. Discovering Literature equips students with essential critical and technical skills that will underpin their academic development throughout their degree. Students will be introduced to key literary terms, concepts, and analytical methods, including close reading, narrative theory, genre analysis, and critical perspectives including feminism, postcolonialism, and ecocriticism.
Discovering Literature lays the intellectual and methodological groundwork for more specialised study in subsequent years and fosters a lifelong engagement with literary culture.
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HIMD00
Medieval Studies Dissertation
The Medieval Studies dissertation gives you the opportunity to pursue a substantial research project in a subject of your own choosing. Under the supervision of a specialist in the field, and using the materials you created in the Research Folder module, you will develop advanced research skills and expert subject knowledge. The module encourages independent study while supporting you in constructing coherent and persuasive arguments, communicating complex ideas effectively, and engaging critically with medieval scholarship. Completing this dissertation will not only deepen your knowledge of medieval history but also prepare you for postgraduate research or professional applications.
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HIMM01
Introduction to Advanced Medieval Studies 1: Themes, Approaches and Sources
This module introduces you to current themes, approaches and sources in medieval studies, that is, the interdisciplinary study of medieval history and literature. It begins to develop the skills required to conduct MA-level study. Lectures outline general concepts, approaches and key sources with respect to essential themes in medieval studies, such as genre and gender.
Workshops are built around interacting collaboratively with students to develop the necessary skills to implement the approaches discussed within and beyond the module¿s focus themes. Special attention will be given to the discipline¿s increasing interest in historically underrepresented groups and the emergent concept of the `global Middle Ages¿.
