Renaissance and seventeenth-century studies have long been a special strength at Leeds: past members of the department include the distinguished Shakespeareans G. Wilson Knight and Inga-Stina Ewbank. Currently eight members of staff work wholly or partially in these fields, and research is supported by the excellent collections of rare books and manuscripts in? the Brotherton Library, as well as a full range of microform and electronic materials. Staff research ranges widely across poetry, prose, and drama, including Shakespeare: special interests include gender and sexuality, religion, Ben Jonson, John Dryden, the court masque, travel writing, rhetoric, and science. Members of staff have also been very active as editors of scholarly editions, and Leeds is one of the departments (with Cambridge and Chicago) from which the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson is being produced (scheduled for publication in 2009). For full research details, see the biographical notes on the members of staff who specialise in this area.

Undergraduate Study

At undergraduate level, there are three core modules, Shakespeare, Renaissance Literature and Civil War and Restoration Literature, and a good selection of popular options is always available. For a full list of available option modules, see the Modules section.

Postgraduate Study

The one-year offers a core module 'Reading the Renaissance' and a selection of options addressing politics, gender, religion, classicism and nationhood. One special purpose of the MA is to give a good practical grounding for students intending to proceed to doctoral research. Applications for PhD and MPhil study are welcome in all areas of Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature.