Undergraduate study

Overview

• A unique opportunity to study two major national literary traditions and cultures
• The opportunity for specialised study of literature balanced by breadth
• The opportunity to take modules in creative writing and film
• A wide choice of exchange programmes in Europe, Canada and the US

English and American Literatures is a Single Honours degree course that allows students to specialise in English language literary studies while acquiring knowledge of two distinctive, internally complex national cultures in the modern period.

Students will study in two parts of the School of Humanities which share high reputations for research-based teaching, a distinctive and friendly ethos and high rates of student approval. As a student in English and American Literatures, you are part of a vibrant critical and creative community. Our staff are active researchers in a wide range of topics in literature, film and cultural theory; they are published novelists, poets and short-story writers. There are regular programmes of visiting academic speakers, novelists and poets, open to all students. Recent visitors have included Gwendoline Riley, Paul Muldoon, Jackie Kay, Roger McGough, and Carol Ann Duffy.

English and American Literatures has achieved among the best results for any cohort at Keele - in some years more than a quarter of our students achieved first class degrees.

You may access the full Programme Specification for English and American Literatures here  English and American Literature, Undergraduate

Course Content

In the first year, students will be introduced to transatlantic literary relations and the separate literary traditions of Britain and America in four core modules, which will develop and enhance powers of literary analysis and general study skills. In the second year students develop further understanding of each national culture, and there are opportunities to study abroad. In the third year, students choose from a wide range of more specialised modules offered by the two subjects and have the option of undertaking an independent study project in creative writing and/or dissertations in English and in American Literature across both semesters. Dissertation work provides exciting opportunities for independent research, while being supported by an expert supervisor.

First year

Autumn Semester core modules

Reading Literature, which introduces various aspects of literary study, enabling you to get to grips with a range of primary texts (including films) and also to develop a variety of skills.

Starting Out: An Introduction to American Literature surveys a wide variety of topics and periods in American cultural history, and equips you with a range of literary and analytical skills.

Spring Semester core modules

Transatlantic Gothic: Studies in 19th-Century English and American Literatures explores the development of one genre in two different national traditions and introduces you to some theoretical concepts.

Becoming a Critic extends the work you did on Reading Literature in the first semester, developing a knowledge of different literary modes and historical contexts, as well as an understanding of critical methods and skills.

Electives
The Unreliable Truth: Studies in 20th-century English and American Literatures
Telling Tales
New York, New York (includes film)
Playing Parts: Studying Drama and Poetry
The American Past - Explorations in US History
American Politics
Reading Film
Approaches to Film
A Beginner's Guide to Contemporary America
Poetry through Practice
Fiction through Practice

Second year 

For English literature, you will take two core modules from among the following (these modules are also available as electives):

Romanticisms
Victorian Performances
Post-war British Fiction and Poetry
The Age of Shakespeare and Donne

Additional elective modules include:

Creative Writing : Poetry and Prose
French Cinema
The Drawn Sword: Literature and the English Civil War
20th-Century Novels into Films
Satire
Aspects of the Novel 1730-1940
Lyrics and the Popular Song
Contemporary Poetry
Elizabeth I: Fiction, Fact and Fantasy
Medieval Literature

For American Literature, you will take two core modules from the following, which are additionally available as electives:

The Romance of Fiction: History and Society in 19th-century American Literature
From Modernity to Counter-culture: American Literature and Social Criticism in the 20th Century
The Detective and the American City
Burning Crosses: Religion and American Culture
Hooray for Hollywood: Approaches to American Film
Alfred Hitchcock's America

Or, you can study either for one or two semesters as an exchange student with one of our partners abroad.

Third year 

For English literature, you can opt to take up to six special subject modules from the following selection (two in each semester):

Contemporary British Fiction
The Canadian Metropolis
Dickens, Collins and Detection
Dreams and Visions
Joyce’s Ulysses
Literature, Culture and Politics in the 1980s
Shakespearean Stages: Making and Remaking the Plays of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Milton
Postcolonial and World Literature in English
Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory
Romantic Voices
Sex, Scandal and Society: Eighteenth-Century Writing
Shakespeare on Film
The Two Cultures of the Arts and the Sciences
Writingscapes

You can also take one of two Independent Study Projects, which are taught in both semesters and counts as two modules:

Crative Writing Portfolio
Dissertation in English

For American literature in the Autumn Semester you can take up to four of the following modules (two in each semester):

Film Noir: The Dark Side of America
Writing Slavery
High Culture: Drink, Drugs and the American Dream
Contemporary American Fiction
Silence, Strength and Sentiment: Gender and Sexuality in 19th-Century American Writing
Words and Pictures: the Contemporary American Graphic Novel

You also have an opportunity to write a dissertation on an American or comparative literary topic.

Codes and Combinations

Students are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) (BA Hons).

Single Honours and Foundation Course available:

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching is conducted by means of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops and one-to-one consultations.  A variety of assessment methods will be encountered: essays, seminar participation, reports, book reviews, assessed oral presentations (group and individual),  examinations and Blackboard quizzes.

Programme specifications (new window)

Skills and Careers

As a result of studying this degree, students will acquire a range of subject-specific and generic, transferable skills. In addition to a comprehensive knowledge of English and American literary cultures of the modern period, students will be skilled in textual analysis, interpretation and evaluation, and will also have acquired advanced communication and writing skills, the ability to research and interpret a variety of sources of information, and time-management skills. Both subject areas enjoy close, collaborative links with the Careers Service. Graduates from both courses have achieved high levels of success in entering challenging and rewarding careers, in spheres such as publishing, journalism, teaching, retail management, and the media.

English & American Literatures destinations for graduates who completed their undergraduate course in 2011:

Of those who responded:

Want to work in?

Many students are excited by careers that utilise the academic knowledge and skills developed on their degree:

• Journalist
• Secondary School Teacher
• Arts Administrator
• Marketing Executive
• Editorial Assistant
• Advertising Copywriter
• Broadcaster Research
• Public Relations Officer

What else?

For those who do not wish to pursue a career directly related to their degree, here are some career ideas to open up options:

• Chartered Accountant
• Solicitor
• Acadmic Librarian
• Event Organiser
• Information Systems Manager
• Museum Curator

Visit our Careers pages (new window)

UK/EU Admissions
Tel: 01782 734005
Email: admissions.ukeu@keele.ac.uk

International Admissions
Tel: +44(0) 1782 733274
Email: international@keele.ac.uk

Course Information
Tel: 01782 733010
Email: j.a.braddick@keele.ac.uk