The MLitt in Renaissance Studies is an instructional Master’s programme taught jointly by members of staff drawn from the Universities of Strathclyde, Stirling, and Glasgow under the aegis of the Scottish Institute of Northern Renaissance Studies (SINRS).

The MLitt degree is jointly awarded by the Universities of Strathclyde and Stirling.

The programme is aimed at those who are interested in the literary and broader cultural aspects of the Renaissance and who wish to acquire a more specialised knowledge of this field. A primary objective is to investigate factors that contribute to the distinctiveness of the cultural productions of Northern Europe, including Scotland.

The programme tutors have specialist expertise across a range of areas within the early modern period and many have international reputations at the cutting edge of Renaissance Studies.

Programme Objectives

The programme aims to:

Introduce you to key areas of critical debate in Renaissance Studies by comparing different canonical accounts of the period.
Explore the distinctiveness of northern Renaissance culture, including Scotland.
Develop a critical understanding of the variety of genres, media and signifying practices employed by Renaissance writers and visual artists.
Equip you with the technical skills necessary for conducting research in this field, presenting information and constructing scholarly arguments.

This programme is taught under the aegis of the Scottish Institute for Northern Renaissance Studies (SINRS), with the degree jointly awarded by the Universities of Strathclyde and Stirling.

Owing to its Scottish location, SINRS approaches the Renaissance from a particular geographical and intellectual perspective. A primary objective is to investigate factors that contribute to the distinctiveness of the cultural productions of Northern Europe including Scotland. SINRS was also set up to exploit the unrivalled resources that Scotland has to offer in this area. The National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the University libraries of Glasgow and Stirling, as well as the Scottish art galleries; all have exceptionally rich holdings in the Early Modern period. In addition SINRS provides a focal point for a variety of research projects, seminars and symposia.

Entrance Requirements

An upper second class or first class Single or Combined Honours degree in English Literature or a cognate discipline (e.g. Linguistics, History, Art History, Intellectual History, Languages) from a UK university or an equivalent qualification. Applicants with other qualifications or appropriate experience may be admitted on the recommendation of the Programme Director.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum 6 in each skill) or TOEFL 577/233/90 (Paper/Computer/Internet).

Structure and Content

The programme comprises three compulsory modules, (two core modules, and a Research Skills module) and two further modules selected from a range of specialised optional modules.

In the first semester full-time students take two 10-week core modules which run concurrently:

Questioning the Paradigms of Renaissance Studies: An introductory survey of key debates and divergent strands within Renaissance Studies, tracing the most influential historico-theoretical attempts by modern scholars to model the Renaissance moment. This module is primarily intended to create a framework within which you can locate your optional modules and your individual research for the dissertation.
Forms, Practices and Contexts of Renaissance Cultural Production: A survey of the variety of genres, media and signifying practices used by Renaissance writers and artists which also considers the social and institutional functioning of ‘literary’ texts in relation to different sites of cultural production, e.g. education, patronage, theatre and the marketplace.

In the first and second semester you will take a 10-week Research Skills module to develop generic research skills and to introduce you to specialised, discipline-specific skills.

The generic skills to be developed are:

Skills in locating and assessing information
IT skills (both in locating information, and in communicating and presenting work)
Time management skills
Writing and planning skills
Oral presentation skills

The discipline-specific skills to be introduced are:

Palaeography and Manuscript Culture: Reading and describing manuscripts of the period 1500 – 1700
Bibliography and Print Culture: Hand-press printing techniques of the period 1500 – 1700

In addition to this you will take two five-week optional modules from a broad menu of modules including:

- Alternative Shakespeares
- Renaissance Bodies
- Emblem Books and Renaissance Imagery
- Milton: Radicalism and Tradition

Please note that not all these optional modules may be offered in each academic year.

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