English Literature BA(Hons) single honours

Year 1 introduces you to classic texts of literature through our module Reading London, which explores how London has been represented in poetry, drama and prose. Here we take the learning outside the classroom and make use of our London location to inspire us! You'll also study popular and world literature, considering subjects such as such as gender, sexuality, class, race, and selfhood. Finally, you'll be introduced to the exciting world of literary theory, studying ideas such as Marxism, feminism and psychoanalysis in relation to a range of classic texts. By the end of this year you will be able to write argumentative, analytical essays, and will have gained a broad understanding of literature in different genres and historical periods.

Year 2 develops your critical voice through an independent research project, where you work closely with a supervisor to develop your own extended essay. A core module on literary theory and the Gothic develops the themes introduced in Year 1. Alongside this, you'll choose to specialise in chosen periods of literature, through period based modules that cover Medieval, Early Modern, Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, and 20th- and 21st-century literature.

Year 3 includes a module on radical writers, looking at how literature has driven political thinking, dissent, and transgression. Here, academic staff will introduce cutting-edge perspectives from their own research, giving you access to the newest ideas in literary studies. Alongside this, you'll write a 10,000 word dissertation on a subject of your choice, supervised by a specialist member of staff. In addition to these core modules you'll choose from a range of option modules, examples of which include Gender and Sexuality, British Black and Asian Writing, Children's Literature, American Countercultures, Special Author, and Imagined Places.