MA (Culture and Colonialism)

Course details

The MA (Culture and Colonialism) is a multi-disciplinary taught Master of Arts programme, designed for graduates from the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Colonialism’s historical origins lie in the control and exploitation of dependent territories by more dominant nations, but colonialism’s legacies lie beneath today’s headlines about political and cultural conflicts – and their fragile resolutions. The MA engages with an international range of literary, chronological and geographical contexts, from Ireland to India, from Africa to the Middle East. Students are trained in multiple disciplinary perspectives, learning to analyse imperial ascendancies, race and racial theories, nationalist movements, postcolonial experiences, the rise of neo-colonial thought, multiculturalism and interculturalism, and the spread of globalisation and development. The MA (Culture and Colonialism) has a distinguished history in the University. Established since 1994, the programme has continuously re-invented itself in response to changing societal and theoretical political climates while maintaining its primary goal: a critical education in the cultural discourses of power.

Key facts

Entry requirements

NQAI Level 8 at H2.2 in relevant subject area (history, literature, sociology, politics, cultural studies or economics), GPA 3.0 or equivalent international qualification. IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent if applicable. An interview may form part of the selection process.

Course outline

Our teaching staff has been drawn from the departments of English, History, Political Science and Sociology, Economics, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Classics, and is supplemented by Irish and international guest lecturers. Modules/coursework on offer may include:

• Colonialism in 20th-Century Cultural Theory
• Approaches to the Study of Culture and Colonialism
• Decolonization and Neo-Colonialism: The Politics of ‘Development’
• Studies in the History of Colonialism and Imperialism
• Research Seminar
• Literature and Colonialism
• The Political Economy of Global Capitalism
• Cinema and Colonialism
• Travel Literature

Requirements and assessment

Students take six courses spread over two semesters, (as well as an unexamined/assessed research seminar) and complete their degree with the writing of a 15,000-word dissertation. Courses are usually assessed through submission of written assignments.