English - Irish Writing & Film

Our MA in Irish Writing and Film is offered by the English Department at University College Cork. This innovative programme will introduce you to an exceptionally rich body of cultural texts whose breadth and diversity continue to generate scholarly debate.

With expert guidance, you will discover the historical and cultural contexts that inform Irish culture up to the present day and engage in debate on a wide range of issues. You will read key texts from the eighteenth century to the present and be encouraged to engage with some of the most influential critical and theoretical models currently being applied in the analysis of Irish literature and film. You will also develop independent research in the field under the expert guidance of our academics, all of whom are themselves authors of important studies of Irish culture.

The writers we cover include the following luminaries: Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, Maria Edgeworth, James Clarence Mangan, Sheridan Le Fanu, James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Elizabeth Bowen, Samuel Beckett, Kate O'Brien, Brian Friel, John McGahern, Éilis Ní Dhuibhne, Anne Enright, Marina Carr, Colm Tóibín, Anna Burns and Melatu Uche Okorie.

We explore the canon of classic Irish films such as Man of Aran (Robert J Flaherty, 1934) and This Other Eden (Muriel Box, 1959), alongside the work of Lenny Abrahamson (Adam & Paul, Room, The Little Stranger) and other notable contemporary Irish filmmakers.

Why Choose this course
This course will provide you with a comprehensive analysis of Irish literature and film while also encouraging your development as an independent and creative researcher and writer.

The MA is taught by a deeply committed team who are actively engaged in research and who have international reputations in the study of Irish culture. We will guide and mentor you in your choice of dissertation topics and provide strong academic support throughout the degree.

The course is unusual in integrating the study of Irish literature and film within a carefully designed academic programme and in teaching the entire history of Irish literature and film from the early eighteenth century to the present within innovatively designed modules. We offer you a unique opportunity to receive expert teaching in Irish culture while advancing new research and developing your own critical voice.

Course Details
The MA in Irish Writing and Film is delivered in two parts and comprises 90 credits total.

Part I: Taught modules (50 credits)
The subject modules and the Literary Research Skills module comprise the taught element of the MA and run from September to March. These modules introduce students to the specific thematic area of their choice. The Literary Research Skills module aims to equip MA students for the development and implementation of their research strategy through the acquisition of a range of research skills.

Part II: Dissertation (40 credits)

The dissertation (15,000-17,000 words) is written between March and the end of August, to be submitted in September. It is supervised by a member(s) of staff, after consultation and agreement. Supervision will take place between March and the end of August.

Part I
EN6009: Contemporary Literary Research: Skills, Methods & Strategies (10 credits)
FX6010: Irish Cinema - History, Contexts, Aesthetics (10 Credits)

Three of the following four modules:

EN6047: Irish Culture - Colonial, Postcolonial Transnational (10 credits)
EN6048: Gender & Sexuality (10 credits)
EN6049: Gothic to Modernism (10 credits)
EN6050: Space & Place in Irish Writing & Film (10 credits)
Note: Subject to the approval of the MA programme co-ordinators, students may substitute one 10-credit module with a 10-credit module from one of our other two English MA programmes: MA English - Modernities: Literature, Theory & Culture from the Romantics to the Present and MA English -Texts & Contexts: Medieval to Renaissance.

Part II
EN6017: Dissertation (40 credits)
For further details and module descriptions, see the Postgraduate College Calendar.

Modules
Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our book of modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

Requirements
To be considered for admission to an MA programme within the School of English, an applicant will normally possess a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) level or higher or equivalent qualification in English or a cognate subject. All candidates must satisfy a Selection Committee who may request applicants to provide letters of reference.

For North American students a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 is expected.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available here.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country here.

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants.

For more information please contact the International Office.

How Do I Apply
1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
Any supplementary items requested for your course.
Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates via link below.

Questions on how to apply?
Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (all applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

-You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
-In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.
-Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
-Please detail your computing/technical/IT skills.
-Please add the name and email addresses of the two referees.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to ensure an early decision on their application.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 15 June

Continuous assessment of written assignments, in-class assignments, seminar participation and presentation, research journal, literature and IT review, and research presentation.

One year full time

Start Date 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
This course will prepare you for a career that demands skills in independent thinking, effective writing, critical and creative approaches to problem-solving, and an understanding of culture in a broad sense.

The MA lays strong foundations for study at higher degree level and on graduation, you can opt to go on to PhD study and to an academic career. Other career paths that emerge from this high-quality and flexible graduate course include journalism, digital media, arts management, marketing and secondary and further education, publishing, and information sciences.

Skills gained as part of this course include effective writing, an ability to undertake independent research, strong communication skills, excellent organisation and creativity, and independent thinking.