English Literature and Creative Writing (Q86)

This degree offers a stimulating and wide-ranging introduction to English literature and creative writing. You’ll have the opportunity to study and interpret literature from different historical periods and diverse cultural settings – including translations – and to develop your writing skills in several genres, including fiction, poetry, life writing, and scriptwriting for film, radio and stage. The emphasis is very much on practice through guided activities to develop a habit for writing, which will involve producing several pieces of creative writing in the forms studied.

Key features of the course

• Learn how to analyse a wide range of texts, including fiction, poetry and drama

• Develop and reflect on your own writing and editorial practice in several genres

• Learn the skills of complex argument and critical commentary, which are highly valued in the workplace

• Introduces the world of publishing and the requirements of professional presentation

Course Modules

This English literature and creative writing degree has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.

In Stage 1, you’ll encounter a variety of different times and places and engage with some fascinating people, artworks, ideas, and stories. This broad foundation will help you develop the skills and confident, open approach you need to tackle more specialist modules at Stages 2 and 3.

In Stage 2, you’ll be introduced to the creative process, develop your fiction, poetry and life writing skills, and learn about publishing. You’ll also choose between looking at whether literature matters by drawing on a range of literary texts and finding out how writers of fiction have put together their stories.

At Stage 3, you’ll develop your writing ability, learning how to sustain longer, more complex works of fiction, life writing and poetry. You'll also learn how to write dramatic scripts for different media. This final stage gives you a choice between two periods in English literature to focus on.