MA Environmental Humanities

From Greta Thunberg's school strikes and the role of the environment in politics to the unmissable natural phenomena the planet is currently experiencing, the discipline of environmental humanities has never been more relevant.

This innovative master's programme allows you to approach the natural world through a contemporary - and very human - lens. Using the current climate change crisis as a backdrop, you will draw on themes from history, philosophy, religion, literature and creative writing to explore the role of nature in human thought and understand the extent of environmental crises, past and present.

You will benefit from studying in our community of researcher-practitioners, which includes those who also work in third sector organisations. We also partner with organisations and groups involved in conservation, politics and campaigning and education, allowing you to develop your knowledge and become a professional able to harness the potential of the humanities more broadly for the transformation of public experience.

This programme will rigorously prepare you for a career in which you will be able to fully engage with environmental concerns across sectors, industries and functions. You will learn the history and theory of environmental humanities, undertake a placement and receive training in research skills.

Course content

Two introductory modules will provide you with historical and theoretical background and consider responses to environmental crises from across the humanities. With the optional modules, you will pursue more specialist perspectives on plants, animals, nature in mythology and religion, youth and popular culture, and radical activism. Your special interests will be nurtured throughout the course, through engagement in your seminars, your options and choice of placement and finally your choice of dissertation project where you will turn an original idea or question into a significant engagement with an environmental theme.