So you’re all here because you have a shared love of English – whether that be through reading, writing, performing, or studying the language side of things (or maybe all four!).
As you might expect, our staff are all prolific readers themselves, and the academic team are made up of published writers, poets and linguists. This means you will be supported by, and learning from, people with real-world publishing experience.
During your secondary level studies, you might have read one book a term, or even for the whole year. At university, it’s a little different. Your reading will vary from module to module, but you will typically be reading a book a week, or maybe a shorter play, or a sonnet, or reading an essay about language in different contexts. You’ll then discuss this in small seminar groups, in a relaxed and friendly surrounding.
We aim to introduce you to all that English has to offer, meaning you could encounter everything from Beowulf to Star Wars! This is because we have five key pathways, which students have the opportunity to try during first year. They are:
- English Language and Applied Linguistics
- Drama and Performance
- Creative Writing*
- Literature, 1500 to the Present
- Medieval Languages and Literatures
The idea is that you study modules from each of these areas, potentially discovering skills and interests you didn’t even know you had! You can then continue studying the areas you love the most in your second and third years, further tailoring your degree.
*Joint honours students do not take Creative Writing modules. You can still get creative through working on the Letters Page journal, writing for Impact magazine, joining the Creative Writing society, or writing for our blogs. See the Write, create, perform webpage for more.