English Literature and Culture

• We offer a programme in line—in terms of content and quality—with leading British and North American universities. 
• Our programme is tailored to your needs, with small classrooms that facilitate plenty of interaction with your lecturers and fellow classmates.
• With a range of electives you can design your programme to meet your ambitions and interests.
• Over the past decade, our BA and MA courses have been rated as the best in The Netherlands in the  Keuzegids  university rankings.
• Our academic staff have a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Their research contributes to pressing debates in society and their findings are brought into the classroom to shape education.
• Our student body is composed of domestic and international students. This year's cohort, for instance, had 40% international students from countries such as Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Romania, the USA, India, China and others.
• We foster independent thinking and always strive to provide the care and support needed for each student to fulfil their potential.
• Our learning community celebrates diversity in ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and neurotypes.

The course titles of the literature tutorials, above, are recent examples. Courses vary each year. For detailed information about compulsory and optional courses, please visit Ocasys.

For information about the variety of areas in which students can write their dissertations, click the Research tab below.

As part of the programme, students can opt to complete a 10-credit work placement (an internship). At the Faculty of Arts, students are responsible for finding a placement for themselves and having it approved by the placement coordinator for their programme.
Students can also follow Masterlanguage courses. These courses are jointly organised by the English departments of the universities of the Netherlands and take place all over the country. More information about them can be found on the Masterlanguage website .

After graduating from the MA English Literature and Culture programme, you will be equipped with academic and professional skills that will prepare you for further study at PhD level and for the job market. You will have developed the ability to:

• Think independently.
• Present in a professional setting.
• Work as a part of a team.
• Undertake individual research projects.
• Communicate professionally for a range of different audiences, from a generalist popular audience to academic specialists.

All of these skills are highly sought after by employers.

Your degree in English Literature and Culture is the perfect preparation for your future career. As an MA English graduate, you will not only have obtained a broad and detailed understanding of the language, its history and cultural contexts, but will have acquired specialist skills that are highly sought after by numerous institutions and companies. Our graduates think critically, are self-motivated, disciplined, reflective and have an excellent style of communication.

The department can supervise a broad range of literature dissertations dealing with texts written on topics from Old English, Middle English, Early Modern and Modern literature. Dissertations can focus on literatures written in English from various parts of the world, including, for example, American and African writing. Dissertations dealing with recent authors, canonical authors, popular authors and lesser-known works are equally welcome. Dissertations may be supervised by any appropriate member of staff. You can find out more about the research of staff members on our research and staff pages.

Examples of recent thesis topics:

Medieval

• Battle Kennings in Old English Poetry.
• The Use of Archery-related Language in Anglo-Saxon Literature.
• The Representation of Turks in Late-Medieval and Early Modern Europe.
• Homosexuality in Late Medieval English Literature: Langland, Chaucer, Gower and the Gawain Poet.
• Saints, Satan and Stylistics: Stylistic Features in Medieval Miracle Plays.

Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries

• The Mother's Portrayal in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century English Popular Literature.
• Representations of Queen Elizabeth I in Seventeenth-Century Histories.
• Self-Reflection in Jane Austen’s Novels.
• The Symbolic-allegorical and the Supernatural Interpretations of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner .
• Changing Attitudes towards Imperialism and Its Ideology During the Age of New Imperialism.

Twentieth Century and Contemporary

• Fantasy Fiction Medievalism: Carnivalesque Laughter between the (Post)Modern and Premodern.
• The Media of Cyberpunk: An Analysis of Postmodern Science Fiction.
• Travel as a Metaphor for Story and History in Tolkien’s Fiction.
• Fairy Tales for Teenagers: The Lost Potential of Young Adult Dystopian Fiction.
• Representations of Madness in Contemporary Women’s Memoirs.