University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2023/24 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > School of Humanities > Environmental Humanities (MA) > Specification
Programme code | 1HUMS002T |
---|---|
Programme type | Postgraduate Taught Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Paul Merchant
|
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Humanities |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full or Part Time |
Programme length |
1 years (full time)
2 years (part time) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
This MA programme provides you with a powerful grounding in the rapidly developing interdisciplinary field of the
environmental humanities, which explores how human cultures and societies have related to the environment, and
how culture can help us respond to ecological crises. Crossing the fields of literature, history, and visual culture,
among others, the programme allows you to develop deep disciplinary knowledge and skills alongside an ability to
recognise the value of interdisciplinary approaches, and to use them to design your own innovative research
projects.
A balance of individual and group work, with frequent feedback from lecturers, tutors and peers, will allow you to
grow in confidence as an interdisciplinary thinker, and to communicate complex ideas in an accessible and
engaging manner, both verbally and in writing. Alongside the mandatory core units ‘Introduction to Environmental
Humanities’ and ‘Themes in Environmental Humanities’, you will be able to choose from a range of relevant optional
units from across the Faculty of Arts. The programme includes input from non-academic partner organisations, and
you will be encouraged to consider working with them as part of your dissertation project, in line with Bristol’s
ambition to be a global civic university.
You will be taught in lectures, seminars and workshops by experts from Bristol’s renowned Centre for
Environmental Humanities, and will also be able to participate in the rich programme of research activities offered
by Bristol’s Cabot Institute for the Environment.
This MA will prepare you for a wide range of careers, from media, publishing, environmental consulting,
environmental law, planning, teaching, politics, local and national government, and business. The core units on our
MA include discussion of potential career pathways and how to prepare for them.
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Seminars, workshops, lectures, field trips, tutorials, group projects, verbal and written feedback from tutors, peer feedback. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Group and individual presentations and podcasts, collaborative written exercises (e.g. annotated bibliographies), individual essays and commentaries, reflective blog posts, and an extended research project. Students will be trained in skills tested in summative assessments prior to undertaking these assignments |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
Seminars, workshops, lectures, field trips, tutorials, group projects, verbal and written feedback from tutors, peer feedback. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Group and individual presentations and podcasts, collaborative written exercises (e.g. annotated bibliographies), individual essays and commentaries, reflective blog posts, and an extended research project. Students will be trained in skills tested in summative assessments prior to undertaking these assignments. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
Seminars, workshops, lectures, field trips, tutorials, group projects, verbal and written feedback from tutors, peer feedback. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Group and individual presentations and podcasts, collaborative written exercises (e.g. annotated bibliographies), individual essays and commentaries, reflective blog posts, and an extended research project. Students will be trained in skills tested in summative assessments prior to undertaking these assignments |
Embedded within the curriculum |
Students will have opportunities to interact with professionals from a wide range of disciplines and specialisms throughout the programme. These will include civil servants, journalists, writers, artists, consultants and community organisers. Input from these professionals will be built into the programme’s mandatory core units. During the programme, students will be taught by experts in a range of academic disciplines, and will have the opportunity to explore possibilities for further study with unit tutors and the Programme Director. |
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Co-curricular opportunities |
Beyond this programme, students will meet regularly at workshops, seminars, bespoke events and socials with Masters students within the Faculty of Arts (e.g. MA Creative Writing, MA Comparative Literatures and Cultures), and inter-Faculty (e.g. MSc Science Communication for a Better Planet, Cabot Institute MScR in Global Challenges). This meta-community of Masters students studying complementary subjects will enhance development of skills in transdisciplinary thinking and practice, providing access to a range of future mentors and employers. |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level M/7 - Masters |
Students will need to successfully complete all six taught units (120 credits), and then the Dissertation unit (60 credits). |
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Level M/7 - Postgraduate Certificate |
Students will need to successfully complete 60 credits of study (e.g. three of the six taught units). |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Diploma |
Students will need to successfully complete 120 credits of study (all six taught units). |
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the postgraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction to Environmental Humanities | HUMSM0010 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Themes in Environmental Humanities | HUMSM0009 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Students must select 40 credit points from the following list of Teaching Block 1 units: | ||||
Environment and History | HISTM0078 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Historians and the Boundaries of the Body | HISTM0104 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Literature and the Environment: Diverse Perspectives | ENGLM0066 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Critical Issues in Contemporary Literature | ENGLM0071 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Romantic Poetry and Poetics | ENGLM3009 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Cultural Heritage of the Built Environment | ARCHM0084 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
History of Science | PHILM0007 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Philosophy of Biology | PHILM0006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Tools and Methods for Innovation | INOVM0024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Students must select one of the following Dissertation units: | ||||
Written Dissertation | HUMSM0008 | 60 | Optional | AYEAR |
Dissertation: Practical and Written Element | HUMSM0011 | 60 | Optional | AYEAR |
Dissertation: Collaborative | HUMSM0012 | 60 | Optional | AYEAR |
Students must select one research skills unit from the following list: | ||||
Research Skills | MODLM0021 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Researching and Writing History | HISTM0055 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Students must select 20 credit points from the following list of Teaching Block 2 units: | ||||
The Nature of Britain: Environmental Histories of an Atlantic Island | HISTM0103 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Oceans & Globalisation: 1700-1945 | HISTM0100 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Animal Planet: Humans and other animals in modernity | ENGLM0056 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Writing in the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Uranium | ENGLM0067 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Museums and Heritage: Critical Perspectives | ARCHM0076 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Philosophy of Science | PHILM0033 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The Public Role of the Humanities | HUMSM0002 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
180 |
The pass mark set by the University for any level 7 unit is 50 out of 100.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
An award with Merit or Distinction is permitted for postgraduate taught masters, diplomas and certificates, where these are specifically named entry-level qualifications. An award with Merit or Distinction is not permitted for exit awards where students are required to exit the programme on academic grounds. An exit award with Merit or Distinction may be permitted where students are prevented by exceptional circumstances from completing the intended award.
The classification of the award in relation to the final programme mark is as follows:
Award with Distinction*: at least 65 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation. **Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
Award with Merit*: at least 60 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 60 out of 100 for the dissertation. Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
* The MA in Law has separate regulations for awarding distinction and merit.
** For the award of Distinction, the Faculty of Engineering requires at least 70 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation.
All taught masters programmes, unless exempted by Senate, must allow the opportunity for students to choose, or be required, to leave at the postgraduate diploma or certificate stage.
To be awarded a postgraduate diploma, students must have successfully completed 120 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 7.
To be awarded a postgraduate certificate, students must have successfully completed 60 credit points, of which 40 must be at level 7.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction to Environmental Humanities | HUMSM0010 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Themes in Environmental Humanities | HUMSM0009 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Students must select 20 credit points from the following list of Teaching Block 1 units: | ||||
Environment and History | HISTM0078 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Historians and the Boundaries of the Body | HISTM0104 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Literature and the Environment: Diverse Perspectives | ENGLM0066 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Critical Issues in Contemporary Literature | ENGLM0071 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Romantic Poetry and Poetics | ENGLM3009 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Cultural Heritage of the Built Environment | ARCHM0084 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
History of Science | PHILM0007 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Philosophy of Biology | PHILM0006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Tools and Methods for Innovation | INOVM0024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Students must select 20 credit points from the following list of Teaching Block 2 units: | ||||
Writing in the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Uranium | ENGLM0067 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Animal Planet: Humans and other animals in modernity | ENGLM0056 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The Nature of Britain: Environmental Histories of an Atlantic Island | HISTM0103 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Oceans & Globalisation: 1700-1945 | HISTM0100 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Museums and Heritage: Critical Perspectives | ARCHM0076 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The Public Role of the Humanities | HUMSM0002 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Philosophy of Science | PHILM0033 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
80 |
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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