English Literature

Do you know your Austen from your Orwell? Your Conrad from your Woolf? Whether you’re a self-proclaimed bookworm, practising poet or budding academic, this English literature degree provides the tools you need to take the first step in your literary career.

Over the course of three years, you’ll delve into the world of words, studying literature through the lens of diverse theoretical perspectives, including Marxism, feminism and structuralism. You’ll critically analyse literature from a wide range of genres – from Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, to Irish literature and contemporary poetry.

If you are looking for a course with an interdisciplinary focus, studying English Literature at Salford means that you will also have the chance to choose from modules which specialise in language, film adaptation, and creative writing, giving you the opportunity to tailor your studies to the areas of literature that interest you most. You will also become part of The Northern School of Writing at Salford, a community of students, writers and researchers bringing together students from across our artistic disciplines working to enrich lives with literature and support independent publishers.

You will:

• Learn from internationally renowned researchers who are also committed and enthusiastic teachers

• Develop your ability to critically analyse pieces of literature and present written arguments with clarity and persuasion

• Gain the skillsets and knowledge needed to take the first step in your professional literary career

Course Modules

Year one
During your first year, you will complete four modules:

• Critical Skills in the Twenty-First Century

• Discovering Literature

• Five Novels

• Popular Fictions

Year two
During your second year, you will complete two core modules:

• The Romantic Period: the Sublime and the Gothic

• Victorian Literature: Progress and Panic

You will also choose four optional modules which may include those listed below:

• Environmental Nightmares, World Futures

• Literature, Adaptation and the Screen

• 21st Century Women’s Writing

• Introduction to Children’s Literature

• Analysing Media Texts

• The Female Gothic

• Page to Stage: Drama Texts in Translation

• Work Placement Module

• Writing Poetry in the 21st Century

Year three
During your third year, you will complete two core modules:

• Modernism

• Postmodernism

You will also choose four optional modules which may include those listed below:

• Dissertation

• Teaching Masterclass

• Biography: Tradition and Innovation

• Visual Text

• Rebels, Villains and Discontented Minds

• Post/Colonial African Literature

• British Theatre Post-1950

• Alternative Ulster

You will be assessed through a combination of exams and coursework such as essays, presentations, podcasts, blogs, or portfolios. Most modules incorporate some form of assessment at a relatively early stage of the course to allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses prior to undertaking your final exam, essay or project. As part of the core modules on this course, you will undertake three exams.