English Literature BA (Hons)

Discover the power of words, from the earliest times to the present day, as you delve deep into new worlds.

Course overview

You will study an exciting variety of novels, poems and plays. You might find yourself looking for the psychological undercurrents in a fantasy novel, applying feminist theory to a Renaissance courtly sonnet, studying the motif of the vampire in Gothic horror or exploring the treatment of love in the comedies of Shakespeare. There's the chance to write a dissertation on a topic of your choosing. You will develop key skills for the future: our students learn how to frame a convincing argument, express it in discussion, analyse writing in all styles and work effectively independently.

Why study this course with us?

At Chester, we offer an engaging and supportive atmosphere in which ideas about literature are shared. Your contact hours will include individual tutorials with lecturers, seminars with other students and a tutor, and lectures attended by your whole year. Group discussion is at the heart of the degree, and we do everything we can to make the study of literature exciting, varied and dynamic. We offer a wide range of assessment: as well as writing essays and sitting exams, you can gain marks for private study projects, oral presentations and creative writing depending on the options you choose. You can opt to study film as well as literature, or to link literature to wider issues like crime, fashion and science. You can customize your degree as you progress, so by the third year you might be taking several optional modules as well as working on a dissertation project which you have created and where you work individually with a lecturer. Our hard work in designing and teaching the course is reflected in the most recent National Student Survey (2017) where 93% of our students were satisfied with their teaching, which is well above the national average for the subject.

Teaching methods

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials. As a student of literature, you will be expected to read widely – not only the set texts, but also background reading.

Assessment

Assessment methods vary, and may include: coursework essays, seminar papers, oral presentations, resource-based learning exercises, portfolios, learning diaries, and a small number of formal examinations.

Job prospects

A single honours degree in English Literature brings many transferable skills including written and oral communication, textual analysis, presentation, teamwork, time management and independence. Our graduates have followed careers in a wide variety of fields including teaching, journalism, marketing, and librarianship, or advanced to postgraduate study on our MA and MRes programmes.