The Aberystwyth MA in Medieval Welsh Literature

The Aberystwyth University’s MA in Medieval Welsh Literature offers you an exciting opportunity to engage with the Welsh language and literature of the medieval period through historical, social and intellectual approaches. You will study a rich array of Welsh texts and cultural phenomena by engaging with three core modules – The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, Welsh Language I and Welsh Language II – and two further modules from a fascinating selection which you can view

By studying the central canon of Welsh texts, you will develop a sound knowledge of the language, culture and thought of the middle and medieval periods in Wales. You will read and appreciate the most important of Middle Welsh texts in the original language, and you will discuss the narrative techniques, characterisation, themes and structure of these tremendously important texts. You will also encounter important texts from neighbouring cultures and traditions, such as Anglo-Saxon, Irish and Late Latin, so that you may fully contextualise the central literary artefacts of your study.

In addition to the subject-specific knowledge, this study programme is constructed in such a way to develop you personally, and equip you with a strong compliment of skills that you can draw upon in many postgraduate employment situations.

Upon completion of this degree, you will have mastered the diverse skills needed for evidence-handling, such as locating, gathering, selecting, organising and synthesising large bodies of evidence into a coherent and compelling interpretation. You will also have mastered the highly creative nature of the source texts and their authors, and you will have responded with imagination, insight and creativity. Together, your analytical rigour and creative independence will make you an attractive prospect for employers in a range of fields.

This qualification is specifically intended for students from outside Wales (or for Welsh students who have not previously studied the Welsh language and its literature). The minimum requirement for a taught Masters course is an upper second class honours degree (2:1). Prospective Masters students should ensure that they have arranged with referees for their references to be available as required.

Overview

The MA in Medieval Welsh Literature will develop you as an academic, a linguist and an enthusiast of the wonderful canon of language and literature. You will become sensitive to different literary modes and genres, and their characteristics. You will immerse yourself in the historical, social and intellectual contexts of the subject. You will become adaptable in your study methods, recognising the variety of analytic techniques. You will become an interconnective thinker, recognising integration and interrelation of texts, times and cultures, and you will become rigorous in your execution of academic methods and conventions.

The MA in Medieval Welsh Literature is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters. In part one, you will study a core modules worth 60 credits and direct your own study (in agreement with your tutor) by choosing a further 60 credits’ worth from a range of option modules. In part two, you will demonstrate your learning in a written dissertation of less than 20,000 words, worth an additional 60 credits. The full descriptions relating to all the study modules can be found here.

This course is designed for you to give you a solid grounding in Welsh language and medieval literature, but with sufficient space for you to direct your own study by choosing from a range of fascinating modules, including the Englynion Cycles, Arthurian Literature and Medieval Welsh law. All modules are designed to develop your specialist knowledge and practical abilities together, so the study topics are presented and assessed alongside training in the use of IT, relevant analysis methodologies and the conventions of thesis presentation.

Though the subject is highly specific, the skills you will learn are deployable across a range of employment situations. This MA demands a balance of creative flair and analytical thoroughness. In the highly demanding employment market, you will have proven yourself sensitive to nature of creative processes, materials and sources. Alongside this, you will have shown your ability to review, select and arrange a diverse group of sources into a coherent whole. This analytical rigour, allied with creative insight, will give you the edge in applications, interviews and employment situations, especially in industries which value creativity, research skills and discursive competence.

Upon graduation from the MA in Medieval Welsh Literature, you will have demonstrated personal motivation, academic professionalism and linguistic mastery of this broad and fascinating subject. Your broad cache of sharpened skills will ensure you are well prepared for immediate advancement into further study or employment.

Fact File

Duration:	One year full-time. The academic year is divided into three semesters, but this course is administered in two parts: Part One runs from October to May; Part Two runs from June to September.
Contact Time:	Approximately 10-14 hours a week in the first two semesters. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment:	The taught part of the course (Part 1) is delivered and assessed through lectures, tutorials and essay projects. Successful completion of your portfolio (Part 2) leads to the award of an MA.
Entry Requirements:	BA honours degree (2:1) in a related subject at undergraduate level and accompanying references. We will consider applicants with other experience which gives an equivalent basis for entry.
English Language Requirements:	If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test. Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency. For further information please see our English Language requirements page.
Course Fees:	Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.

At a Glance

Part One: Option Modules

Part Two

Semester One

Candidates must take the following core modules:

WEM0110

Welsh Language 1

Semester Two

Candidates must take the following core modules:

WEM0220

Welsh Language 2

Semester Three

WEM2060

Dissertation

WEM0300

The Four Branches Of The Mabinogi

WEM0330

The Four Branches Of The Mabinogi

Candidates must choose 60 credits from the following:

IRM1100

Comparative Celtic Literature

Candidates must choose 60 credits from the following:

RM1130

Comparative Celtic Literature

Click on any module code to find out: what the module covers; how it’s taught and delivered; how it’s assessed.

WEM0400

The Earliest Welsh Poetry

WEM0430

The Earliest Welsh Poetry

The Englynion Cycles

The Englynion Cycles

Arthurian Literature

Arthurian Literature

Medieval Welsh Law

Medieval Welsh Law

Dafydd Ap Gwilym

Dafydd Ap Gwilym

Career Development

Qualification: MA in Welsh Medieval Literature

This degree will suit you:

If you wish to study Welsh language and literature at an advanced academic level;
If you desire a strengthen your critical and scholarly abilities through engagement with Welsh texts;
If you wish to explore your enthusiasm for this exciting and highly satisfying subject;
If you aim to foster transferable skills and engage in professional and personal development for entering employment.

Employability

Every element of the Aberystwyth Master’s in Welsh Medieval Literature enhances your employability. Alongside the development of your subject-specific knowledge and experience, an especially noteworthy strength of this course is the emphasis on personal development. As an emerging language specialist, your strengthened research and critical faculties will make you a strong candidate for any post where ideas and topics need research, analysis, discussion, expansion and classification.

The very nature of a literature course requires you to develop thoughtful responses to a range of texts, authors and contexts. You will develop confidence in thinking which is both thorough and creative, and demonstrates your initiative, self-motivation, flexibility and independence of mind along the way. The organisational skills you will learn on this course will help you direct your individual flair, bringing a balance of skills that prospective employers will find attractive.

Employers in every industry value such skills, and the pattern of creativity, research, analysis and discussion in this course will stand you in excellent stead for entry into the competitive jobs market.

Personal, Professional and Project-Management Skills

The Master’s dissertation requires you to work independently and to pursue your own individual dissertation topic. You will access to the support and expertise of the Welsh department staff, but you are required to cultivate a professional work ethic to deliver this extremely demanding academic dissertation. The project management skills you will gain in preparing this project are entirely transferrable to almost any work context that Master’s graduates apply for.

Studying for this Master’s degree will allow you to sharpen up all your research and analysis disciplines, your professional work ethos and your presentation and communication skills. A host of employers look for accuracy, thoroughness, an eye for detail and the ability to find and prove connections across broad subject matter, and you certainly will have proven yourself, simply by graduating from this prestigious MA course.

Student Profile

Name: Sebastian Rider Bezerra

From: United States of America

Course: MA in Medieval Welsh Literature

In the US, if someone wants to study Celtic Studies, there are really only three schools named; Harvard, Cambridge, and Aberystwyth. The reason I chose Aberystwyth over the others was the fact that only Aberystwyth University included teaching Modern Welsh and the opportunity to speak that language as part of the Masters course.

I have found my transition from Undergraduate to Postgraduate study quite smooth as I spent most of my final year undergraduate in the US doing graduate-level work. The bigger contrast in the last year, I think, is the contrast between the British and American academic systems.

The lecturers on this course are brilliant, and from the first day there was a conscious effort made to shape the curriculum to fit the interests of the incoming postgraduate students. The course gives a great chance to work with real experts in the field in a welcoming and closely-knit department. The quality of teaching on Welsh at Aberystwyth is as high as you’d expect from the cultural heart of Wales.