MA Classical Studies — Dissertation Reflections

On September 21st, I submitted my MA dissertation entitled: Mythological Apotheosis: An Examination into the Transformation of Greek Mythology, through the ‘Magical Girl’ Genre of Japanese Manga and Anime, and its Adaption for Consumption by Modern Audiences to the Open University for marking.

On Monday 30th October, I got my official pass mark.

It’s been a weird couple of months, moving between OMVGs this is the best (academic) thing I’ve ever written to I’m gonna fail miserably. I knew I’d, technically, passed the MA by the sheer act of completing the two year course and submitting my dissertation, the question was how well.

The weird thing for me is I basically chose Classics on a bipolar micro-high long before I knew the UEA had an MA in Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies was even a thing. The MA was technically free due to funding from SFE and I had a precious resource: time. It also happens that, mid-way through my first year, there was a sudden, unexpected and global micro-apocalypse: the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where the OU excels is as an online university. it wasn’t always like this but it has moved through the decades from being a correspondence university to one completely online (though it does maintain a physical campus in Milton Keynes). Everything from the syllabi to the tutorials are online, you can even secure a loan against your loan in which the OU pays your fees and you when reimburse them when your payment comes in from SFE.

Prior to this degree, I had three years of Classics under my belt, both at A Level and BA level so it wasn’t the most bonkers thing I’d ever done. (Woot bipolar fun time!) I also had my strengths in religion and mythology, as well as a basic overview on the history of the period between ancient Greece and the end of the Roman Empire, as well as a little extra which blended nicely with my BA degree and the courses I did on the early days of the Church and the Holy Roman Empire.

I had an idea for my dissertation form the get-go (I play a lot of computer games) and while it evolved, the fundamental rubric remained almost identical: how have Greek myths evolved for modern media.

© 2022 Asha Bardon

Yesterday my cettificate arrived and it was quite unexpected, I knew it was coming but had no idea when as I didn’t book a place at any of the graduation ceremonies mainly because I didn’t want to travel to Ely and would rather have the important people surround me when I graduate the UEA in 2023/4. I took issue with my BA ceremony, for personal reasons as the one person I wanted to be there didn’t come, and I wasn’t allowed to really celebrate it.

I enjoyed my time at the OU and, in some ways, it was the perfect time due to COVID, but I didn’t really mesh with my subject. I don’t speak Greek and know basic and liturgical Latin. I am, honestly, having so much more fun at the UEA that I know I made the right decision, even as I’m plowing all my reserves into paying my £4225 a year fees.

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, and all that…

I like where I am on this journey, I hold the second highest academic qualification on the planet and it was very much a dry run for my current studies and my planned Ph.d. I’m better prepared now and I’m doing a subject I genuinely love studying. I still have a year and a half to go but I’ve now completed over half of the taught course, meaning I can now focus on my dissertation and my Ph.d application with more than enough time to do so which cannot be a bad thing.