Course description
Key facts
-This course is recognised by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as providing training appropriate for PhD research, and an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised training route through the MA provides1+3 Research Training leading on to social science PhD study.
-The School of Geography is one of the strongest both nationally and internationally – this is reflected in its position in the UK’s top five geography departments in The Times Good University Guide.
-The School was rated 5 in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise and ‘excellent’ in the HEFCE assessment of teaching provision
Course Content
During the autumn and spring semesters, you will study the following core modules (each worth 30 credits):
Semester 1
-Approaches to Landscape
-Critical Human Geography
Semester 2
Research Design
In semester 2, you will also be able to choose an optional module offered by one of the contributing Schools including geography, history, art history, critical theory, architecture, American studies, and sociology.
Please note that all module details are subject to change.
Over the summer period towards the end of the course, you will undertake a dissertation of up to 20,000 words.
You will have two specialist dissertation supervisors, both of whom will be active researchers in their field and who can engage you in terms of your specialist research question.
Course Structure
The MA in Landscape and Culture can be studied on a full-time basis over 1 year or part-time over 2 years.
Modules on this course combine:
-Formal instruction to introduce you to unfamiliar material and provide a common learning foundation
-Seminar-based discussion through which you will develop your own perspectives on key issues
-Workshops in which you will be encouraged to present your own ideas.
-The majority of the teaching proceeds through discussion rather than formal lecture.
-At each stage of the course, you will be integrated within the wider research community within the School of Geography, through informal social events and research workshops and seminars organised by the Cultural and Historical Geography Research Group.
-Each year, a visiting speaker presents a special research seminar to the MA class; speakers in recent years have included Don Mitchell, Wolfgang Natter, John Wylie and Denis Linehan.
-Each taught element module on this carries 30 credits, and is assessed through coursework and presentations. The optional 30 credits can be gained from any Masters level course within the university.
You will complete your 60-credit dissertation over the summer period towards the end of the course.
The dissertation is an extensive piece of independent research in a subject of your choice. You will benefit from the support of two dedicated project supervisors, as well as the generic research skills training offered by the University’s Graduate School.
We also offer a Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape and Culture, which does not require the completion of a dissertation.
