MA Queer Studies Programme Specification 2024-25

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1	ACADEMIC QUALITY TEAM
2	Programme Specifications 2024-25
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6	Programme Title			MA Queer Studies
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8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:			2024			Award type			MA
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10	What level is this qualification?			Level 7			Length of programme			1 year (or 2 years part-time)
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12	Mode of study (Full / Part Time)			Full-time (or part-time)
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14	Will the programme use standard University semester dates?			Yes			For York Online programmes, will standard dates for such programmes be used?			N/A
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16	Awarding institution			University of York			Board of Studies for the programme			MA English
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18	Lead department			English and Related Literature			Other contributing departments			Language and Linguistic Science, History, History of Art, Music (School of Arts and Creative Technologies), Centre for Women's Studies. The following colleagues from outside the Department of English and Related Literature have been involved in the design and development of the programme: Richard Ogden (Language and Linguistic Science), James Boaden (History of Art), Tess Wingard (Centre for Medieval Studies), Pete Dale (Music), and Rachel Cowgill (Music).
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20	Language of study and assessment			English			Language(s) of assessment			English
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22	Is this a campus-based or online programme?			Campus-based
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24	Partner organisations
25	If there are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme, please outline the nature of their involvement. You may wish to refer to the Policy on Collaborative Provision
26	We will partner with the Queer Britain museum in London (queerbritain.org.uk). Marta Lomza, Head of Collections/Curator, will deliver a workshop and lead a tour of the collections. This will form part of the core module, 'Queer Studies Across Disciplines' (semester one).
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28	Reference points
29	Please state relevant reference points consulted in the design of this programme (for example, relevant documentation setting out PSRB requirements; the University's Frameworks for Programme Design (UG or PGT); QAA Subject Benchmark Statements; QAA Qualifications and Credit Frameworks).
30	The programme has been developed in line with the Taught Postgraduate Programme Design Policy Statement and the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for English. The programme's academic credit arrangements (two 20-credit modules in semester one, two 20-credit modules in semester two, and an 80-credit dissertation) align with QAA's Credit Framework for England and other MA programmes across the faculty. The structure, length, design, and proposed delivery of the programme meet all relevant criteria in the Taught Postgraduate Programme Design Policy Statement, with particular strengths in relation to to point 3.1.5: ‘When designing programmes, departments / schools should consider and be able to articulate how the programme reflects and embeds University strategic priorities. These may potentially include: Inclusivity (the University has developed a toolkit and guidance on inclusive learning), Employability, and Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching.
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32	Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
33	Will this programme involve any exemptions from the University Policy and Procedures on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning? If so, please specify and give a rationale
34	No exceptions to the standard policy and procedures.
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36	Exceptions to Regulations
37	Please detail any exceptions to University Award Regulations and Frameworks that need to be approved (or are already approved) for this programme. This should include any that have been approved for related programmes and should be extended to this programme.
38	N/A
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40	Internal Transfers
41	Please use the boxes below to specify if transfers into / out of the programme from / to other programmes within the University are possible by indicating yes or no and listing any restrictions. These boxes can also be used to highlight any common transfer routes which it would be useful for students to know.
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43		Transfers in:	We would consider transfers from any MA programme in the Faculty. We would expect to receive transfer requests from: MA in Culture and Thought after 1945 MA in Eighteenth Century Studies MA in English Literary Studies MA in Film and Literature MA in Global Literature and Culture MA in Literature of the Romantic Period, 1775-1832 MA in Medical History and Humanities MA in Medieval Literatures and Languages MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture MA in Poetry and Poetics MA in Renaissance Literature, 1500-1700 MA in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies MA in Victorian Literature and Culture				Transfers out:	We would consider transfers to any MA programme in the Faculty.
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45	Statement of Purpose
46	Please briefly outline the overall aims of the programme. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
47	The MA in Queer Studies offers students the opportunity to explore LGBTQIA+ identities, communities, and cultures from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Students on this exciting new programme will encounter primary materials from across the Arts and Humanities—which may include literary texts, auto/biographies, films and documentaries, visual artworks, manifestos and zines, and sound recordings and songs—along with cutting-edge theory and criticism. Throughout the programme, students will benefit from research-led teaching by internationally recognised experts in queer studies, while also being guided and supported in their own original research. In semester one, students will take the interdisciplinary core module ‘Queer Studies Across Disciplines’ and a second module selected from a diverse range of options. In semester two, students will take two option modules, one of which may include the team-taught literary module ‘Queer(ing) Literature Across Time’. The 80-credit dissertation, the pinnacle of the programme, allows students to conduct an independent research project in an area (or areas) of queer studies, building on the critical and theoretical skills that they have developed in seminars and workshops. The MA in Queer Studies will equip students with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to excel at MA level and beyond. Throughout the year, our MA programmes are supported by a rich schedule of research seminars, conferences, and reading groups, and postgraduate students are invited to play an important role in the thriving research culture of the faculty. Postgraduate life is channelled through the Humanities Research Centre, a vibrant interdisciplinary hub that enables students to form close social and intellectual bonds.
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49	If there are additional awards associated with the programme upon which students can register, please specify the Statement of Purpose for that programme. This will be most relevant for PGT programmes with exit awards that are also available as entry points. Use additional rows to include more than one additional award. Do not include years in industry / abroad (for which there are separate boxes).
50	Exit Award Title			Is the exit award also available as an entry point?	Outcomes: what will the student be able to do on exit with this award?				Specify the module diet that the student will need to complete to obtain this exit award
51	Postgraduate Certificate in Queer Studies			Exit award only	Graduates will be able to analyse creative work by and about LGBTQIA+ identities, communities, and cultures closely and critically, interpreting a diverse range of primary materials with reference to the social, political, legal, and cultural contexts in which they were produced, disseminated, and received; identify, understand, and evaluate key arguments and trends in queer studies; critically evaluate methodological tools and approaches across disciplinary boundaries, and then draw together and develop approaches based on their own academic interests; synthesise information from a range of primary and secondary materials, carefully evaluating and selecting materials to produce controlled, convincing, and creative argumentation; engage in verbal discussion of complex texts, artworks, and theories; direct their own development, bringing new knowledge and transferable skills to bear upon a range of contexts including, but not limited to, careers in the cultural sector.				Students must obtain 60 credits in order to obtain the certificate. They will complete the MA core module (20 credits) and at least two taught option modules (20 credits each) and assessment requirements for each of those modules. Students achieving a certificate will have engaged with Postgraduate Life in Practice but will not have completed the module in full, so no credits will be awarded.
52	Postgraduate Diploma in Queer Studies			Exit award only	Graduates will be able to analyse creative work by and about LGBTQIA+ identities, communities, and cultures closely and critically, interpreting a diverse range of primary materials with reference to the social, political, legal, and cultural contexts in which they were produced, disseminated, and received; identify, understand, and evaluate key arguments and trends in queer studies; critically evaluate methodological tools and approaches across disciplinary boundaries, and then draw together and develop approaches based on their own academic interests; synthesise information from a range of primary and secondary materials, carefully evaluating and selecting materials to produce controlled, convincing, and creative argumentation; engage in verbal discussion of complex texts, artworks, and theories; direct their own development, bringing new knowledge and transferable skills to bear upon a range of contexts including, but not limited to, careers in the cultural sector.				Students must obtain 120 credits in order to receive the diploma. 80 credits are gained from the core module and three option modules, 20 credits are gained from the completion of Postgraduate Life in Practice (the dissertation proposal will be replaced by a proposal for the Diploma Long Essay), and 20 credits are gained from the Diploma Long Essay (ENG00042M).
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54	Programme Learning Outcomes
55	What are the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) for the programme? (Normally a minimum of 6, maximum of 8). Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme and represent the outcomes that students progressively develop in the programme and achieve at graduation. PLOs should be worded to follow the stem 'Graduates will be able to...'
56	1	Analyse creative work by and about LGBTQIA+ identities, communities, and cultures closely and critically, interpreting a diverse range of primary materials with reference to the social, political, legal, and cultural contexts in which they were produced, disseminated, and received.
57	2	Evaluate arguments and trends in queer studies, building on existing scholarship to pursue new lines of critical and theoretical enquiry.
58	3	Critically evaluate methodological tools and approaches across disciplinary boundaries, and then draw together and develop approaches based on their own academic interests and research priorities.
59	4	Synthesise information from a range of primary and secondary materials, carefully evaluating and selecting materials to produce controlled, convincing, and creative argumentation.
60	5	Engage in verbal discussion of complex texts, artworks, and theories, demonstrating versatility, rigour, and confidence in the reception, appreciation, and articulation of high-level ideas and perspectives.
61	6	Direct their own development, bringing new knowledge and transferable skills to bear upon a range of contexts including, but not limited to, further academic study and careers in the cultural sector.
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63	Diverse entry routes
64	Detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme. For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity.
65	While the expectation is that the majority of students taking this MA programme will have completed a BA in an Arts and Humanities subject (ideally with English as one of its elements, as English and Related Literature will be the 'parent' department), the programme is designed to help students from other entry routes transition successfully into postgraduate life. Along with the cross-faculty core module, the opportunity to take modules from other departments enables candidates to feel confident in interdisciplinary thinking: to explore, for instance, art history, women’s studies, language and linguistic science, or music. The training elements of the MA provide a portfolio of skills in design, research-question setting and scoping that will enable students to apply core analytical and writing techniques in unfamiliar disciplinary settings. The training module is especially useful to mature returners, candidates from other disciplines, and candidates unfamiliar with the protocols of British academic study. Postgraduate Life in Practice (PLP) begins in its opening weeks with a series of lectures devoted to research skills and to graduate-level writing, making sure students new to the discipline gain a grounding in its key elements. These elements include library orientation, research through digital platforms, bibliographical skills, academic integrity, and writing and argumentation. The opening weeks lead up to a “draft swap” workshop on the student’s writing, allowing questions to be raised and addressed at an early stage, followed by an essay the following week. Submission of this essay is a summative task for the module, but the essay is not given a mark so that students can use it as a lower-stakes stepping stone to research and writing for the assessed essays in their core and option modules. Students receive written feedback on the essay from their supervisor, and can discuss it further with the supervisor in advance of submitting their first essays. This core focus on writing and research skills at the beginning of their graduate training is intended to help all students to transition to MA-level work. Students will also be encouraged to access support from the Writing Centre and the Royal Literary Fund Fellow.
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67	Inclusion
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69	Please confirm by ticking the box on the right that the design, content and delivery of the programme will support students from all backgrounds to succeed. This refers to the University's duties under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to refer to the optional Inclusive Learning self-assessment tools to support reflection on this issue.										TRUE
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71	Employability
72	Please give a brief overview - no more than 5 sentences - of how the programmes helps develop students' employability. Your Faculty Employability Manager can help reflection on this issue. This statement will be used by Marketing as the basis for external content with respect to employability.
73	This MA provides an excellent grounding for students wishing to pursue further academic study and careers in academia, education, and the cultural sector. Our proposed partnership with the Queer Britain museum will encourage students to consider careers in museum curatorship and management. The advanced academic, writing, and research skills that students will gain through this MA are prized on the job market. Students on this programme will be supported by the employability-linked sessions run by the HRC, and they will have access to careers sessions in areas related to their career aims. Over the course of the programme, as outlined in the PLOs, the students’ employability is enhanced by the development of transferable skills including independent working, time management, efficient organisation, critical reasoning, effective argumentation, and written and verbal communication.
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76	[For Undergraduate and Integrated Masters Programmes Only]
77	Are you offering any variations of this programme, such as additional years abroad or industry?
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79	Year abroad			FALSE		Will the year abroad programme be available directly via UCAS; for students to transfer in having entered the main programme; or both?				One year course
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81	Year in industry			FALSE		Will the year in industry programme be available directly via UCAS; for students to transfer in having entered the main programme; or both?				One year course
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83	Year in enterprise			FALSE
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85	Placement year			FALSE
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88	Description of Structure
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90	Part-Time Structure (Normally PGT Only): For part-time variants of programmes, please use the box below to specify which modules will be taken in year 1 and which will be taken in year 2 (and so on if more than 2 years).
91	Year One, semester 1: Core (20 credits) & PLP (20 credits); Year One, semester 2: Option (20 credits); Year Two, semester 1: Option (20 credits) & Start Dissertation; Year Two, semester 2: Option (20 credits) & Continuing with dissertation; Summer vacation: complete dissertation (of 80 credits overall)
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95	Can a York Language Elective module be taken ab initio (ie beginner level) in Stage 1?										No
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97	Are students on this programme permitted to take elective modules (in place of any of their option module choices; subject to limits set out in the UG and PGT programme design policies)?										Students can take modules as electives in: Archeology Centre of Women's Studies Centre of Medieval Studies History History of Art Sociology Politics
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99	Module List & Programme Structure
100	Please use the following tables to indicate the programme structure by listing the modules on the programme. There are separate tables for each stage of the programme. For PGT programme or other programmes that only have one stage, simply use the first table and leave the rest blank. As far as possible, please order modules by semester. Additional rows can be added as needed (copy and paste an existing row to retain formatting). Note: It is suggested that optional modules that are grouped (e.g. where students have to select from lists grouped by term or theme) be listed under a generic title for the group under the 'title of module' column, with titles of individual specific modules in that group in the 'further title' column. Where modules are grouped, it is not necessary to complete each row against every column for every module in the group if the information is the same for all modules in that group.