Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - English Literature and Journalism

A degree in English Literature and Journalism will help students grow from passionate reader into a critical thinker and literary scholar; it will also develop their practical, professional writing skills, shed new light on how the media works, and get them some hands-on experience that employers are really looking for.

On a degree in English Literature and Journalism, students will be introduced to writers who will open doors to contemporary worlds and cultures remote from their own, and also help them to explore more familiar literature in ways that challenge their preconceptions. This means students will study literature written in English by writers from all parts of the globe, whose voices are relevant and important in our modern world. Students will also develop their journalistic skills in exciting ways: they’ll learn the different requirements of writing ‘news’ and ‘features’, while learning how to carry out research, conduct interviews, and structure their writing in order to get published.

Students will be taught by academic staff who bring fresh thinking to accessible, engaging courses. Some are active researchers of international standing who bring their own passion for their discipline into the classroom; others are dynamic teachers with extensive industry experience.

A core Literature module in the first year will equip students to read and interpret both traditional and contemporary literary texts critically as a scholar of English literature. Alongside this they can choose to revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations; or to deepen their understanding of Gothic writing by tracing its origins back to the Romantic era.

In the second year students will focus on period-based literature from the Renaissance onwards and gain an understanding of literary history, from Elizabethan verse and drama, via Augustan poetry and the emergence of the novel in the 18th century, to the radical transformations of the Victorian age, and the emergence of modernity in the twentieth century. Students will also have the opportunity to consider ways of reading that go beyond textual analysis or historical context, such as understanding literature through the political or ideological lens of Marxism, feminism and post-colonial theory.

Students will have the chance to specialise in their final year, tailoring their literary study to reflect their own interests. Themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century.

The study of English Literature will enhance students' ability to analyse and synthesise complex ideas, and to express themselves clearly in both written and spoken English. These skills will be hugely beneficial to their study of Journalism, but this part of the course will extend students' range far beyond just print media. As the course progresses, they’ll discover how journalism varies across video, radio and the internet, hear from inspiring industry guest speakers, and take placements in real newsrooms.