M. Phil in Pop Lit

poetbloggs

Just about to finish my undergrad course and I am looking at options for next year - specifically, I am looking to the M. Phil in Popular Literature. Has anyone any info on the course, what its like, how difficult it is to get in etc.?

Thanks!
pb.

The prospectus is always online:

http://www.tcd.ie/assets/documents/prospectuses/postgraduate_prospectus_2005.pdf#73

You could contact the department/faculty themselves, and they may be able to put you in contact with someone doing the course. Or hell, google M. Phil Popular Lit. and you may get someone who has gone through the course recently.

poetbloggs

Hi -

I have gone down both of those routes already, and I am due to meet the faculty in december (Not back in Dublin till then). I was hoping to find someone who is taking/taken the course on boards to tell me a little about their impressions of it. Failing that, I will find out in September - i hope.

Thanks you your help!
pb.

catspring

I'm doing the M.Phil in Popular Literature at the minute, and I'm deffinately enjoying it. The workload is fairly extensive, but that's to be expected with any course, particularly at post grad level.

The core module this semester has included the likes of Jane Austen, Matthew Lewis, Dickens, and the like. We've also studied the history of literacy (which was really interesting).

I'm doing Cyberculture as my optional module for semester one. It's very different from anything else I've come across previously. We've covered cyberpunk, hypertext/electronic fiction, fandom, and are doing computer games next week. The recommended texts have included William Gibson (various short stories and Neuromancer), many many many critical essays; also, we've watched Blade Runner, are watching Run Lola Run the week after next, and are looking at slash fanfiction this week (for those of you who haven't heard of this it's when fan fiction deals primarily with homosexual relationships between characters in films, etc.). It's very bazaar!

Not sure what else to say about it. I'm enjoying it as I said, but I guess it's a matter of personal taste. if you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

ps. Sorry about the, no doubt numerous, spelling mistakes! It's not one of my strong points.

poetbloggs

Can i ask what course you came from? And the difficulty in gettin into the m.phil course? (My biggest concern is getting into the course - I am looking forward to the work involved. It sounds like it will be hugely interesting)

Thanks again,
pb.

catspring

i did straight english for my undergrad. generally you need a 2:1 or above to get into any masters, but i s'pose it depends on the availablility of places.

good luck!