Why choose this course?
-
no. 13 in the UK for English (2023 Guardian League Table)
-
Continual updating of content to reflect sought after skills
-
Global literature approach from different eras and cultures
Are you a passionate reader who enjoys writing? On this course you'll grow from a passionate reader into a critical thinker and literary scholar; you'll develop your practical and professional writing skills, look behind the scenes at how the media works, and get some hands-on experience that employers are really looking for. You'll be equipped to use your skills powerfully across a whole range of modern-day media.
We'll introduce you to writers who will open doors to contemporary worlds and cultures, remote from your own, and help you explore more familiar literature in ways that challenge your preconceptions. This means you'll study literature written in English by writers from all parts of the globe, whose voices are relevant and important in our modern world. You'll also develop your journalistic skills in exciting ways: you'll learn the different requirements of writing 'news' and 'features', while learning how to carry out research, conduct interviews, and structure your writing in order to get published.
You'll be taught by academic staff who bring fresh thinking to our 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.
Whatever your taste in literature, there will be something to interest and provoke you. From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Jane Eyre, from Paradise Lost to Zadie Smith's Swing Time, you'll broaden your literary horizons and hone your critical thinking.
Applying for this course is easy. Simply add us to your UCAS account by using the institution and course code mentioned in 'Key information.' There is no interview for this course. We're just interested to hear why you want to study this subject at degree level. If you haven't done either or both of these subjects before, that's fine. You'll likely have hobbies or extracurricular experience that show what skills you already have that you can bring to the University.
What's the course about?
You'll follow a flexible programme of study, which introduces you to the methods and approaches of different disciplines, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting.
You'll benefit from an intensive, engaging degree designed to improve your confidence and communication skills supported by a community of practitioners and theorists. This combined degree not only develops the skills of research, literary scholarship and storytelling but also equips you to use these skills powerfully across a whole range of modern-day media platforms.
In your first year, a core literature module will equip you to read and interpret both traditional and contemporary literary texts critically, as a scholar of English literature. Alongside this you can choose to revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations; or deepen your understanding of Gothic writing by tracing its origins back to the Romantic era. In the first year of your journalism studies, you will be introduced to three key skills–research, writing and interviewing and think about the ethical dilemma journalists face every day.
In your second year, you'll 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. You'll 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. In journalism, you will learn the skills of broadcast radio, how to find news, create a magazine and study some of the great journalism campaigns from Watergate to the Black Lives Matter campaigns. You can choose a work experience module, Literature at Work, which explores English in the classroom and aspects of the literary heritage industry. The module is centred around a six-week work placement where you'll gain valuable transferable skills. Our students have worked as school classroom assistants, in publishing houses or attractions such as London's Charles Dickens Museum and Dr Johnson's House.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you'll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you'd rather go straight to your final year, that's absolutely fine too. You'll decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.
In your third year, you'll have the chance to specialise, tailoring your literary study to reflect your 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. Your study of English Literature will enhance your ability to analyse and synthesise complex ideas, and to express yourself clearly in both written and spoken English. In your final year of journalism, you will have the opportunity of doing work experience within journalism or a related field, studying international reporting, creating your own journalistic website, and building a journalism portfolio. Through our pitch-to-a-professional scheme, you may get the chance to try out your ideas on a professional journalist and meet industry practitioners through our series of talks by people working in the communications industry, some of whom are former graduates of UH.
To see all your modules, see the 'What will I study?' section below.
'Media Matters' Guest Lecture series
Each year the School of Humanities hosts the Media Matters Guest Lecture Series featuring a range of industry professionals, giving talks on their experience in the industry. These lectures are recorded by our final year students and available on our Media Hub. Some of our previous speakers have included:
- Lewis Wiltshire, Head of Sport, Twitter UK
- Tobi Rachel Akingbade, showbusiness journalist who studied journalism and other media subjects at UH
- Ren Behan, Food blogger and journalist
- Terry Mitchinson, Welwyn Hatfield Times Editor
- Uche Amako, UH journalism alum and sportswriter.
Your main campus is de Havilland
You'll share this campus with students from business, law, sport, education, and humanities subjects. The student housing is close to our Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool and climbing wall. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner in our on-campus restaurant or bar (in the newly built Enterprise Hub) on days you don't feel like cooking. You can also use the common room to play pool, video games or just to hang out with friends. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
