English Studies (Literature, Linguistics, Culture)

Sukurta: 24 November 2020

	Faculty Faculty of Philology
	Scope of studies and length 120 ECTS credits, 2 years
	Qualification awarded Master in Humanities
	Application deadline* 1 May / 1 July
	Language English
	Tuition fee per year 5 538 € EU/EFTA students can apply for a state-funded places
	Start of studies 1 September
	City Vilnius

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The English Studies programme provides an excellent opportunity for students to acquire a specialist qualification in English Literature, Cultural studies and Linguistics. It is a broadly interdisciplinary programme concerned with both the theoretical and empirical analysis of the role of the English language, culture and literature in modern society. The programme consists of three equally balanced blocks of general and subject-specific courses in linguistics, literature and culture.

The programme is designed to not only develop the students’ subject-specific competencies, but also to provide them with the skills necessary to specialise in other fields.

Studies are closely related to the individualisation and differentiation of the study process, with the development of social skills, principles of study content integration, and the application of relevant modern methods of teaching and learning.

Programme structure

Subjects of study	Credits
Semester 1 Autumn
Compulsory Courses	20.0
Cultural Studies	5.0
Semantics	10.0
The Victorian Novel and its Contemporary Transformations	5.0
Optional Courses	10.0
Authorship and 'the Author Question' in Literary Discourse	5.0
Current Approaches to Language Testing and Assessment	5.0
Discourse Analysis	5.0
English Phonology	5.0
Linguistic Pragmatics	5.0
Linguistic Typology	10.0
Media Discourse I/III p.	5.0
Media Discourse (Medialisation of Political Discourse) III/III p.	10.0
Postcolonial Studies and Literature	5.0
Theme of Madness in Literature	5.0
Theory of Language for Specific Purposes	5.0
Trends in Contemporary Linguistics	5.0
Semester 2 Spring
Compulsory Courses	20.0
British Cultural Studies	5.0
Methods of Scientific Research	5.0
20th Century English Novel: from Modernism to Postpostmodernism	10.0
Optional Courses	10.0
Brick, Stone and Water: The Body and the City	5.0
Cognitive Linguistics	5.0
Corpus Linguistics and Phraseology	10.0
Current Practices in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning	5.0
English Morphology and Syntax	5.0
Lost in AI Translation: Writing and Translating with Artificial Intelligence	5.0
Media Discourse II/III p.	10.0
Media Genre Typology and Production of Media Texts	5.0
Psycholinguistics	5.0
20th Century Anglo-American Poetry: Authors, Movements and Modes	5.0
Semester 3 Autumn
Compulsory Courses	20.0
Effective Scientific Discourse	5.0
Literature and the Anthropocene	10.0
Master's Thesis Seminar	5.0
Optional Courses	10.0
variant LINGUISTICS (you can choose subjects from any variant, regardless of your study program)	10.0
Academic Writing	5.0
Applied Linguistics (and a research project)	10.0
Baltic Onomastics	5.0
Contrastive Grammar	5.0
Contrastive Grammar	5.0
Contrastive Grammar of Lithuanian and Italian	5.0
Contrastive Grammar of the Baltic Languages	5.0
Critical Discourse Analysis	5.0
Current Approaches to Language Testing and Assessment	5.0
Digital Resources of the Baltic Languages	5.0
Etymology	5.0
Grammar Theory	5.0
Issues in Lexical Typology	5.0
Language and Culture	5.0
Language and Gender: From Grammar to Politics	5.0
Legal Argumentation	5.0
Linguistic Pragmatics	5.0
Linguistic Typology	10.0
Linguistic Typology (and a research project)	10.0
Media Discourse I/III p.	5.0
Media Discourse III/III p.	10.0
Media Discourse (Medialisation of Political Discourse) III/III p.	10.0
Prussian Studies	5.0
Research on Old Lithuanian and Latvian Texts	5.0
Sociolinguistics	10.0
Terminology	5.0
Trends in Contemporary Linguistics (and a research project)	10.0
variant LITERATURE AND CULTURE (you can choose subjects from any variant, regardless of your study program)	10.0
Ancient Metamorphoses in Modern Literature	5.0
Authorship and 'the Author Question' in Literary Discourse	5.0
Cultural Representations of Gender and Family	5.0
Editing Culture Texts	5.0
Experiential Learning and Applied Project	5.0
Experiential Learning and Research Project in Gender Studies	5.0
Hermeneutical Theory of Culture	5.0
Intertextuality: theory and practice	5.0
Islam and Christian Culture	5.0
James Joyce	5.0
Language and Thinking	5.0
Linguocultural Studies	5.0
Lithuanian Literature and Cultures of Memory	5.0
Methods in Literary Studies	5.0
Narratives of place and migration in the NBS region	5.0
Phenomenology I: The Basics of Phenomenology	5.0
Postcolonial Studies and Literature	5.0
Psychoanalytical Criticism of Art	5.0
The Arts of the Muses in Antiquity	5.0
The Great Shift? The Revival of Classical Antiquity in Italian Literature	5.0
Theme of Madness in Literature	5.0
variant TRANSLATION (you can choose subjects from any variant, regardless of your study program)	10.0
Computer-Aided Translation	5.0
Practical Rhetoric	5.0
Translation of Literary Texts II/II p.	5.0
Translation of Lithuanian Literature into English	5.0
Semester 4 Spring
Compulsory Courses	30.0
Master Final Thesis (Study field: Philology by language)	30.0

Key Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

Be able to analyse, synthesise and critically evaluate the trends in linguistics, culture and literature in the social and research environments.
Be able to solve theoretical and practical issues critically and logically, generate ideas and suggest new solutions to problems, as well as to efficiently communicate and cooperate when working individually or in a team.
Learn to apply digital information technologies in their research (data collection and analysis).
Be able to predict problem-solving strategies and suggest possible solutions.
Develop their independent research skills including@ to study literature, to analyse and synthesise theoretical frameworks, to collect and classify empirical data, and to conduct medium and large-scale research projects.
Be able to compare the trends in literature, language and thought of different cultural epochs and social groups.
Be able to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in a future professional career or in further research activities.

Programme Specific Requirements

Completed university bachelor’s degree in humanities or social sciences and no less than 15 ECTS credits in Linguistics, Literature and/or Culture Studies course units.
English language proficiency (at a level no lower than C1 following CEFR), certified by one of the international exams:
• IELTS: 7+;
• TOEFL: 587+ (paper based) or 94+ (iBT internet-based test);
• Pearson PTE Academic: 76+;
• LanguageCert IESOL: C1;
• Duolingo English test: 130+;
Or other document certifying the English language proficiency at a level no lower than C1 following CEFR.

In addition, all applicants have to fulfil the general admission requirements.

Why Study at Vilnius University?

Global outlook: 2000+ international students from 90 different countries.
Ranked among the top 500 universities worldwide (QS).
A European Union diploma.

What comes after?

An academic career (research in literature, culture and linguistics, and the teaching of literary and language courses at higher education institutions).
Other diverse areas (editing, translation, lexicography, proofreading and publishing activities, work in literary archives and museums, and work in various other public institutions and organisations), in which the practical application of the acquired knowledge is required.
The qualifications acquired by the graduates of the programme can also be applied in broader areas, including employment in publishing houses specialising in literature for the general public, a career in the media focused on scientific, professional and cultural issues, as well as employment as translators of fictional and scientific texts.

When I reflect on my time at Vilnius University, I can confidently say that it has helped me become a better teacher in many ways. Through the linguistics seminars, I was challenged to explore areas I had not considered in detail before, and the literature and culture seminars provided me with new perspectives, enabling me to take a closer and more critical look at literary texts and cultural phenomena. In my role as a teacher, I have been able to revise my teaching practice using these new values and develop a greater sense of confidence. In particular, I have been able to create more critical assessments and formulate new discussion topics for my students, providing them with fresh and interesting ideas to engage with. I believe that these are the ripples of studying at Vilnius University, and I am grateful for the knowledge and skills that I gained during my time there.

Zehra Yilmaz, English teacher in Turkey, English studies graduate

Faculty of Philology

Scholarships

Arqus European University Alliance

"I joined the MA in English Studies at VU with the general goal of deepening my knowledge in literature and English, and the specific goal of becoming a better writer. In practical terms, the program gave me what I needed to hone skills complimentary to automation and technology in general, not substitute to it (we can't compete with machines). Thanks to this, I have shaped my path into an area of increasing relevance and opportunity – marketing and communications. Creativity can't be replaced, and as a comprehensive study on how creativity works, this MA helped me adapt my skill set to the job market, and much more."

Santiago Jurkšaitis, Content editor at Panalpina, Prague, Czech Republic