Theatre Studies and English Literature

The Theatre Studies and English Literature BA aims to prepare articulate, discerning and critically aware scholars in the field of theatre, performance, English literature and the related cultural contexts. The course has been designed to develop your understanding and knowledge of English Literature and Theatre to an advanced level. The degree will develop your general analytical skills and critical thinking, whilst also bringing your written and spoken academic English to a sophisticated level. You will have the opportunity to examine literary, theatrical, performance and critical texts of all periods, from the Early Modern to the present day. The course takes in a wide range of writers, thinkers and performers, thus giving you a detailed and coherent sense of the fields of literature and theatre. The course will also offer you the opportunity to develop your study of theatre texts through performance. As a consequence, visits to the many theatre and performances spaces that London offers will play a central role in your student experience. As a distinctive feature of this course, you will consider the wider historical and political contexts in which literary, theatre and performance works have been produced and received. You will also learn to relate texts both to intellectual history, contemporary cultural debates and to work in other arts and media. To this end, the course makes extensive use of London to enhance the learning environment. You will be asked to visit its theatres, performances spaces, galleries, museums, and to take part in its active and vibrant cultural debates. The course will also give you the opportunity to consider theoretical approaches to performance and literary analysis in detail. You will develop advanced skills in: reading and interpreting literary, theatrical and performance texts in their cultural contexts; analysing the specific genres and forms of a variety of significant creative works; relating the acts of