English and American Literature (Taught)

Immerse yourself in a range of literatures and cultures from Britain to the Americas and across the world. You will study literary histories from the birth of the novel to our contemporary moment and take opportunities to think comparatively across periods and places.

You will study how narratives and concepts circulate globally, how different literary forms evolve over time, and how text and image relate to one another in cultural history.

There are opportunities to explore in depth the literature and culture of the Cold War, the development of postcolonial writing, and the importance of literature in political activism.

Join an intellectual community of motivated, curious students to pursue the questions that are important to you. Learn through debate and dialogue in small group seminars, participate in one-to-one supervisions, attend fascinating lectures, deliver research presentations and read independently.

You will be guided throughout by our expert academic staff and benefit from their world-leading research in literature and culture from the eighteenth century to the present, including American Studies and Global Modernisms.

As a Master’s student, you’ll have the freedom to follow your interests and conduct your own independent research, leading to a dissertation. You will learn how to plan and deliver a large-scale project, acquiring writing, organization and research skills that will prepare you for your future career or for a PhD.

Stage 1

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

Advanced Research and Theory

The Verbal and the Visual: Dialogues between Theory, Literature, Art and Film

Writing the Self in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Literary Cultures

Optional modules may include the following:

Empire and After: The Text and the World

Global Modernisms

Activism and Adaptation

Post45: American Literature and Culture in the Cold War Era

The Novel from Defoe to the Contemporary

Full module information is available on our course webpage.

https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/222/english-and-american-literature