English Literature BA (Hons)

First year

Core modules

• Approaches to Reading and Writing
• Poetry and Society
• Introduction to Drama: Shakespeare

Optional modules

• Introduction to the Novel
• Exploring Creative Writing
• Evolving Language: An Introduction to Histories of Language

Second year

Core module

• Exploration and Innovation: 14th Century to 18th Century Literature

Optional modules

• Text Technologies
• Ways of Reading
• Screen and Literary Adaptations of the Classics
• Sex and Death in Romantic Writings, 1780-1830
• Victorian Literature
• Twentieth Century Literature
• Millennial World Fiction
• Writing Place
• English Language in UK Schools
• Introducing English to Speakers of Other Languages

Third year

Core module

• English Literature Dissertation

Optional modules

• English in the Workplace
• medieval.com
• Modernism and Modernity
• Textual Studies Using Computers
• Radical and Contemporary Adaptations
• Revolutionary Men, Unruly Women: Politics and Gender at the Fin de Siècle, 1880-1900
• Writing Adaptations: Theory & Practice
• Watching Early Modern Drama: Spectatorship and Fandom
• The 21st Century Global Franchise: Adapting the Wizarding World
• Nineteenth-Century American Literature
• Professional Writing Skills
• Perception, Persuasion, Power: Communication and Control
• Powerful Language: Introduction to Rhetoric

Overview

You will be taught by internationally-recognised academics who are friendly, approachable and experts in their fields. You will debate literature from different centuries and different continents in lectures, seminars, workshops and one-to-one tutorials. You will attend guest lectures by exciting writers and thinkers; previous speakers include Simon Armitage, Andrew Davies (screenwriter), Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Andrew Motion and Benjamin Zephaniah. You will learn to write fluently and persuasively, to articulate complex ideas and arguments, to research topics comprehensively and to challenge existing opinions.

The first year expands your knowledge of the major literary genres (poetry, drama, fiction) and develops foundational skills in research, writing and critical analysis. It also introduces you to adaptation studies – an area of study bridging English and other media, including film and television, which you can study in each year of your course at DMU if you choose.

The second year broadens your understanding of the development of English literature through time, with options to continue your study of adaptations or to engage deeply with literary theory.

The third year allows you to choose from an exciting range of options to gain in-depth knowledge of the writers and texts that interest you. You will produce a dissertation on a topic of your choice with the support of a supervisor in one-to-one tutorials. You will also have the opportunity to do a work placement through the module ‘English in the Workplace’ to boost your skills and experience and enhance your CV.

Teaching sessions might be structured around discussion, a film screening or based in a computer lab depending on your module choices. You will complete reading and research in advance and join in conversation with your tutor and your peers. Individual tutorials with module tutors are available in weekly ‘office hours’, at which you can discuss any aspect of your course or get help with assignments. You will experience varied forms of assessment, including essays, presentations, exams, blogs, journals, websites, research reports and creative options.

You will be supported by a personal tutor with access to specialist guidance in writing and study skills from the Centre for Learning and Study Support. Our postgraduate students also run a popular peer mentoring scheme providing friendly and informal advice for undergraduate students in English at DMU. We offer a range of student prizes to reward outstanding academic achievement in English Literature at all levels of the BA degree. 

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays, creative writing options and reports) and an exam for some modules. Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 10 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 27 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.