MA in Writing, Editing and Mediating
University of Groningen
Key Information
Campus location
Groningen, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,314 / per year *
Application deadline
01 May 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* EU/EEA students: €2,314 | non-EU/EEA students: €16,000
Introduction
What makes a text a good or captivating text? How do you recognize repetitions, inconsistencies, faulty logic, and other problems in texts? What does it take to guide a text from writer to reader?
Working with texts in a professional setting involves a special set of skills. The Writing, Editing and Mediating Master's track (often abbreviated to WEM), offers students a choice of courses that focus on non-fiction writing for specific audiences, the history of texts in their various forms (from manuscript to digital book), proof-reading and correcting English texts, and producing texts for publication. Topics addressed include censorship, copyright, scholarly editions, critical theory, and social issues in contemporary literature.
Students on the course typically have a BA in English or in an Anglophone culture (e.g. American Studies). Some students with other humanities qualifications and a sufficient level of academic English are accepted by the admissions board.
The one-year Master's track in Writing, Editing and Mediating (WEM) is a track within the Master's degree in Literary Studies and is run by the Department of English Language and Culture. It is taught and assessed wholly in English.
Why study this program in Groningen?
- Training in writing about literature for non-academic audiences
- Correcting and editing written English of various kinds
- Modules that address issues related to modern publishing
- Teaching in small groups (typically 15-20 students)
- International staff
Student Dissertations & Staff Expertise
Research in the Department covers all areas of English literature and linguistics. Our particular strengths lie in modernism, premodern culture, and language development, and we publish widely on such topics as critical theory, visual culture, travel literature, women's writing, medieval learning, or language acquisition and loss. Our staff members run or participate in a number of international research projects, including the Language Attrition project and the Hakluyt Editorial Project.
Dissertations in the Writing, Editing, and Mediating track should reflect the nature of the WEM courses. Possible topics include:
- the function of literary works in their social contexts;
- an edition of a text;
- theoretical reflection on an aspect of the history of the methods used in writing, editing, translating, and mediating texts;
- an examination of the ways in which literary texts are mediated to a particular social group or groups (e.g. reading groups, book-reviews, school syllabi, censorship);
- any aspect of Book History;
- institutions and practices associated with literary texts (e.g. libraries, copyright, literary prizes);
- ways of disseminating texts involving historical or modern technologies (e.g. internet platforms, e-books).
Curriculum
Courses
- From Manuscript to Printed Book (WEM 3) (10 EC, optional)
- Modern English Language (WEM 2) (10 EC, optional)
- Modern Literature and Mediation (WEM 1) (10 EC, optional)
- The Digital Text: The Book Past and Future (10 EC, optional)
- Interdisciplinary Seminars (Literature) (10 EC, optional)
- Masterlanguage Courses (5 EC, optional)
- Master's Thesis (WEM) (20 EC)
- Translating and Editing (WEM 4) (10 EC, optional)
- Work Placement (WEM) (10 EC, optional)
Curriculum
Courses can vary each year. Recent interdisciplinary courses dealt with European modernism, minority literature, and homosexuality in nineteenth and twentieth-century literature.
Placements are optional. These have to be arranged by the student but they are supervised by the program staff who will also give advice on the kinds of placements that are suitable.
Students can also follow Master's language courses. These courses are jointly organized by the English departments of the universities of the Netherlands and courses take place all over the country. You may follow Master's language courses in consultation with the Board of Examiners of your program.
Program options
- Master's Honours program (honors program)
- Master's placement (specialization)
Study abroad
- Study abroad is unaccommodated
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Job prospects
The WEM Master's track is an ideal stepping stone towards a career in:
- Editing
- Publishing
- Translation
- Journalism
Although the course is taught and assessed in English, many of its skills are generic and students have gone on to work in non-Anglophone settings.