English Literature

Why choose this course

• Our BA English Literature course is taught by published researchers, writers, and poets, our Writer in Residence and Poet in Residence.

• Our Professional Training placements are award-winning, and prepare students for a wide range of roles in industry

• The library is open 24/7 in term time, and students studying a degree in English literature can access our podcast and publishing rooms.

• The course benefits from excellent pastoral care with small class sizes, sector-leading staff to student ratio and an individualised approach.

• We focus on employability, preparing our students for careers in journalism, publishing, marketing, media, communications, education, and copywriting.

We’re preparing you for the future by integrating AI into every course, building digital skills, confidence and creativity that employers value in tomorrow’s workplace.

What you will study
On our English Literature BA course, you’ll study vital and influential works of literature, reading and discussing contemporary works as well as classics in a wide range of genres and cultures from around the world.

The course will introduce you to thought-provoking critical and theoretical approaches to literature. You’ll discover a range of perspectives, such as postcolonialism, psychoanalysis, and gender studies, that will enhance your understanding of literary works in relation to important societal challenges.

You will study classic works like those of Shakespeare and George Eliot, as well as writing by contemporary authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri.

Genres you’ll study include travel writing, 19th-century theatre and fiction, science-fiction, contemporary global literatures, medieval literature, romantic literature, early modern and modernist literatures.

You can tailor your course with a number of specialist optional modules on specific periods and themes, from the early modern to the contemporary, and from children’s literature to American fiction.

Unusually for an English literature course, we also offer you the opportunity to take a Professional Training placement, enabling you to apply your skills in an industry-relevant context, such as marketing, publishing, social media and communications roles.

Course Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.