Study of Art and Literature (Research), track Literature

First year

Second year

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Objectives
Programme
Master thesis and requirements for graduation

Objectives

Knowledge and insight

The integrated Research Master programme in the Study of Art and Literature has three main objectives. First, it seeks to provide students with a shared methodological and theoretical basis and to broaden their scope by adding a comparative element. These objectives will be realized in the compulsory team-taught common courses in the program. Second, the program will also allow students to acquire sophisticated knowledge and technical expertise in the area of their specialisation. This objective will be realized in those parts of the programme that are track-specific. And third, the programme wants to train the students as independent researchers. Although obviously this third objective will be part of each section of the programme, it will receive particular and separate attention in the tutorial that will prepare the student for his or her final thesis, the thesis seminar, and the seminar in which the students will be asked to present the results of their thesis and to write a research proposal for future research (a PhD-thesis) in the last semester.

Skills

Graduates of this programme are able

• to independently identify and collect the literature and (historical) sources of the field using traditional and modern techniques;

• to independently study the literature, art works etc., and sources of the field and to judge their quality and reliability;

• to formulate a clear and well-founded thesis and to subdivide it into convenient and manageable parts of the problem;

• to give a clear and well-founded oral and written report of research results meeting the criteria of the field;

• to initiate and conduct a research project under expert supervision at the entrance level of national or international subsequent education.

Also see: http://hum.leiden.edu/students/regulations.

Programme

Structure

Students follow courses within the Research Master Study of Art and Literature, track Literature but also elsewhere in the Faculty of Humanities. Some of the Research Master courses are offered jointly by the Research master’s Study of Art and Literature, track Art History. The two-year programme’s structure is as follows:

First semester

All students take the course in ‘Approaches to Literature’, which provides an overview of literary theories from classical antiquity until present day. In addition, students take two elective courses:

• one elective course is an interdisciplinary Research master course from their period of specialisation (Medieval/Early Modern Studies or Modern/Contemporary Studies)

• one elective course (research seminar) is from the discipline of specialisation, for instance English, German, Dutch, Literature, TCLA, Italian, French etc.
  It is possible to change one of the elective courses for the Research master course ‘Interculturality I’.

Second semester

This semester consists of the course jointly followed by both tracks of the Research master’s Study of Art and Literature ‘Methodological Concepts in Art and Literature’, which builds on the first-semester course on Approaches to literature. In addition, students take two elective courses:

• one elective course is an interdisciplinary Research master course from their period of specialisation (Medieval/Early Modern Studies or Modern/Contemporary Studies)

• one elective course (research seminar) is from the discipline of specialisation, for instance English, German, Dutch, Literature, TCLA, Italian, French etc.
  It is possible to change one of the elective courses to the Research master course ‘Interculturality II’.

Third semester

Students who entered the programme in 2009-2010 can spend their third semester at a university abroad, where they follow elective courses of their own choice, or take elective courses at Leiden University. After consultation of the co-ordinator also elective courses at other Dutch universities are permitted. In addition, all students work on a research proposal for their Research master thesis.

Students who enter the programme in 2010-2011 will in 2011-2012 follow a Colloquium (5 ec) and a Thesis seminar (5 ec).
Then they take one elective (10 ec) from their period of specialisation (Early Modern studies or Modern/Contemporary studies) and one elective MA course from the discipline of specialisation (10 ec).
Or they can follow a special study abroad program/ internship (20 ec).

Fourth semester

During the fourth semester, students which entered the programme in 2009-2010 write their Research Master thesis under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Students who enter the programme in 2010-2011 will have a continuation of the thesis seminar (5 ec) and write their thesis (25 ec) under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Masterthesis and requirements for graduation

The thesis is a written report of research which the student carries out under supervision by a lecturer but with a high degree of independence. In principle, the thesis must be of sufficient quality to be published in an academic journal in the relevant field. The thesis for this master’s corresponds to 30 ec, which generally corresponds to a maximum of 30,000 words including notes, bibliography and appendices.
Besides the masterthesis (30 ec) the student has to have successfully completed the prescribed courses up to 90 ec.

Also see: hum.leiden.edu/students/regulations.