Course content

Great novels, poems, plays or short stories do not come out of nowhere. They are shaped by and reflect the historical and social circumstances of the times in which they were written and in many cases they make vital contributions to our understanding of those times. Keele has a strong tradition of studying literary texts within their historical contexts and this programme provides the perfect combination if you want to deepen your understanding of the times in which works of literature were produced. History at Keele has internationally recognised expertise in world history from 400AD to the present day and English has strengths in medieval literature, early modern literature, eighteenth and nineteenth century British and American literature, modernism, and post-war and contemporary literature. English at Keele is a thriving and passionate community of academics, students, and researchers committed to the study of literature. One of our great strengths is the flexibility for students to pursue their own areas of interest, and alongside the study of traditional literary forms we explore connections with other disciplines such as film and screen studies, history, cultural studies, and the medical humanities. 

Teaching 

English offers teaching in tutorial groups (about twenty students but sometimes fewer) in all three years. Tutorials, which are held in the Chancellor's Building in the heart of the campus, are supplemented by lectures in rooms nearby equipped with appropriate audio-visual aids. Staff, all experts in their fields, teach modules carefully designed by individuals or by teams. As well as teaching tutorials in small groups, they all offer students consultation hours at which they can discuss their progress and plan the development of their work. Students are regularly asked to comment on the delivery of programmes and they are invited to attend planning meetings. English has an active Student Staff Voice Committee, and places a high value on good communications with students, both formal and informal. Our undergraduate history programmes are broad and innovative, ranging from the medieval past to recent developments in events and culture. We also have a lively community of postgraduate and postgraduate research students.

Extra curricular opportunities 

There are so many opportunities at Keele to enhance your studies with extra-curricular activities, that will help you get ahead when you graduate. These include taking part in Keele Hall Writing events, joining societies, studying abroad, learning a language and paid for work in roles such as a Student Ambassador. 

Course structure

Our degree courses are organised into modules. Each module is usually a self-contained unit of study and each is usually assessed separately with the award of credits on the basis of 1 credit = 10 hours of student effort. An outline of the structure of the programme is provided in the tables below.

There are three types of module delivered as part of this programme. They are:

• Compulsory modules: a module that you are required to study on this course;
• Optional modules: these allow you some limited choice of what to study from a list of modules;
• Elective modules: a free choice of modules that count towards the overall credit requirement but not the number of subject-related credits.

History - A summary of the total credit requirements per year is as follows, with a minimum of 90 subject credits (compulsory plus optional) required for each year across both of your Principal Subjects.

Module credit requirements for History
Year	Compulsory	Optional		Electives
		Min	Max	Min	Max
1	45	0	30	0	30
2	15	30	60	0	30
3*	0	45	75	0	30

English Literature- A summary of the total credit requirements per year is as follows, with a minimum of 90 subject credits (compulsory plus optional) required for each year across both of your Principal Subjects. This document has information about English Literature modules only; please also see the document for your other subject.

 

Module credit requirements for English Literature
Year	Compulsory	Optional		Electives
		Min	Max	Min	Max
1	30	15	45	0	30
2	0	45	75	0	30
3*	0	45	75	0	30

 

* in year 3 there is the option to choose to specialise in one of your subjects, taking a minimum of 90 credits in this subject rather than taking modules from both subjects

Year 1 (Level 4)

English Literature Year 1 (Level 4)

In Year 1 (Level 4), Combined Honours students take one compulsory module in each semester, plus one optional module, giving a minimum total of 45 credits in English modules. Students can choose to take further modules, which can but need not include English Literature optional modules.

Compulsory modules	Credits	Optional modules	Credits
Reading Literature	15	Telling Tales	15
Composition	15	Starting Out	15
		New York, New York	15
		Poetry through Practice	15
		Playing Parts	15
		Fiction through Practice	15
		Transatlantic Gothic	15

History Year 1 (Level 4)

Compulsory modules	Credits	Optional modules	Credits
Defining Moments in History, c.1000-2000	30	Modern History	15
EITHER Medieval Europe OR Princes and Peoples: European Hisorty c.1490-1700	15	History, Media and Memory	15
		Anglo-Saxon England	15
		American Past (AMS)	15

Year 2 (Level 5)

English Literature Year 2 (Level 5)

In Year 2 (Level 5), Combined Honours students take a minimum of 45 credits in English Literature approved optional modules. Students can choose further modules, which can but need not include English Literature optional modules.

Optional modules	Credits
Romanticisms	15
Writing Genre and Mode	15
Victorian Performances	15
Twentieth-Century British Fiction and Poetry	15
Revolution and Restoration	15
Medieval Literature	15
The Renaissance	15
Creative Writing: Poetry and Prose	15
Work Placement	15

History Year 2 (Level 5)

Compulsory modules	Credits	Optional modules	Credits
Sources and Debates	15	State & Empire in Britain, c.1530- c.1720	15
		Castle and Cloister in Medieval Europe, c. 900-1250	15
		Right-Wing Movements in Interwar-Europe 1918-1938	15
		Imperialism & Empire	15
		Power in the Modern World	15
		Natural Cultures: Humans and their Environments since 1700	15
		The History of the Camp: From the GULAG to The Jungle	15
		New World in Chains*	15
		History of the US in C20*	15
		Saints and Society in Medieval Britain c.1530-1720	15
		Rebels, Bandits and Outcasts in Colonial American History (1607-1776)	15
		Company and Crown In India, 1818-1928	15

*These modules have a module code starting ‘AMS-‘

Year 3 (Level 6)

English Literature Year 3 (Level 6)

In Year 3 (Level 6), students take either the English Literature Dissertation module, Creative Writing portfolio (or the dissertation module in their other subject), studied in both semesters and worth 30 credits. Students can choose further modules, which can but need not include English Literature optional modules.

Optional  modules	Credits	Optional  modules	Credits
Dissertation in English Literature (ISP)	30	Film Noir	15
Creative Writing Portfolio (ISP)	30	Freedom and Death	15
Literature and Society	15	Writing at the Borders	15
Postcolonial and World Literature in English	15	Tristram Shandy	15
High Culture: Drink, Drugs, and the American Dream	15	Words and Pictures	15
That womb where you imprison’d were	15	High Culture	15
Violence and Death in Shakespeare's Threatre	15
The Alcohol Question	15
Writingscapes	15
Gender and Power in Restoration Literature	15
Postmodernism	15
Words and Pictures: The Contemporary American Graphic Novel	15
Modernist Manifestos and Magazines	15

History Year 3 (Level 6)

 

Compulsory modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
None
Optional modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
Dissertation for History – ISP	HIS-30103	30	1-2
Religion, Rebellion and the Raj: The Partition of India I	HIS-30094	15	1
Negotiating Nationalisms and Partitions: The Partition of India II	HIS-30095	15	2
From Sawbones to Social Hero? Doctors and medicine 1808-1886	HIS-30101	15	2
'Eyes on the Prize: The Struggle for Civil Rights in America	AMS-30035	15	1
The Whole United States is Southern!  The Modern South and America	AMS-30041	15	2
Spirituality and Social Change in the Eleventh Century I	HIS-30096	15	1
Spirituality and Social Change in the Eleventh Century II	HIS-30097	15	2
Sickness and Suffering? Health, Illness and Medicine, 1628-1808	HIS-30100	15	1
Urban Lives in Modern Europe, 1890-1914	HIS-30118	15	1
Urban Lives in Modern Europe, 1914-1939	HIS-30119	15	2
Violence and Power in Antebellum America	AMS-30043	15	1
Violence and Power in Civil War America	AMS-30042	15	2
The English Civil War, c.1640-46	HIS-30086	15	1
The World Turned Upside Down:  the English Revolution, c.1646-53	HIS-30087	15	2
The Making of Contemporary Africa, I	HIS-30110	15	1
The Making of Contemporary Africa, II	HIS-30113	15	2
Gender and Sexuality in Georgian Britain	HIS-30127	15	1
Gender and Sexuality in Victorian Britain	HIS-30126	15	2
Crisis, Rupture and Opportunity:  German 'Modernity', 1900-1933, I	HIS-30128	15	1
Crisis, Rupture and Opportunity:  German 'Modernity',  1900-1933, II	HIS-30129	15	2
The Making of Middle Britain: A Northumbrian Nativity	HIS-30134	15	1
The Making of Middle Britain: The Mercian Moment	HIS-30135	15	2

If you choose to specialise in English Literature in your final year you will study the following modules:

Compulsory modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
Dissertation in English Literature	ENG-30057	30	1-2
Optional modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
Literature and Society	ENG-30084	15	2
Creative Writing Portfolio	ENG-30069	30	1-2
Writingscapes	ENG-30072	15	1
Postmodernism	ENG-30053	15	1
Postcolonial and World Literature in English	ENG-30056	15	1
The Alcohol Question	ENG-30073	15	2
That womb where you imprison’d were	ENG-30076	15	2
Gender and Power in Restoration Literature	ENG-30077	15	1
Violence and Death in Shakespeare’s Theatre	ENG-30083	15	2
Modernist Manifestos and Magazines	ENG-30078	15	1
Freedom and Death	ENG-30079	15	2
Writing at the Borders	ENG-30080	15	2
Tristram Shandy	ENG-30082	15	1
Words and Pictures	AMS-30030	15	1
Film Noir	AMS-30037	15	1
High Culture	AMS-30038	15	2

Students may choose to study elective modules which are offered as part of other programmes in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and across the University. These include:

• Modules in other subjects closely related to English Literature such as American Studies, Film Studies or History.
• Modules in other subjects in which they may have a particular interest such as Media, Culture and Creative Practice.
• Modules designed to help students for whom it is not their first language to improve their use of English for Academic Purposes.
• Modern foreign languages modules at different levels in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin).
• Free standing modules related to the development of graduate attributes, student volunteering, and studying abroad as part of the University’s exchange programme.

 

If you choose to specialise in History in your final year you may study the following modules:

Year 3 (Level 6)

Compulsory modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
Dissertation for History – ISP	HIS-30103	30	1-2
Optional modules	Module Code	Credits	Semester
Religion, Rebellion and the Raj: The Partition of India I	HIS-30094	15	1
Negotiating Nationalisms and Partitions: The Partition of India II	HIS-30095	15	2
Spirituality and Social Change in the Eleventh Century I	HIS-30096	15	1
Spirituality and Social Change in the Eleventh Century II	HIS-30097	15	2
Sickness and Suffering? Health, Illness and Medicine, 1628-1808	HIS-30100	15	1
Urban Lives in Modern Europe, 1890-1914	HIS-30118	15	1
Urban Lives in Modern Europe, 1914-1939	HIS-30119	15	2
Violence and Power in Antebellum America	AMS-30043	15	1
Violence and Power in Civil War America	AMS-30042	15	2
The English Civil War, c.1640-46	HIS-30086	15	1
The World Turned Upside Down:  the English Revolution, c.1646-53	HIS-30087	15	2
The Making of Contemporary Africa, I	HIS-30110	15	1
The Making of Contemporary Africa, II	HIS-30113	15	2
Gender and Sexuality in Georgian Britain	HIS-30127	15	1
Gender and Sexuality in Victorian Britain	HIS-30126	15	2
Crisis, Rupture and Opportunity:  German 'Modernity', 1900-1933, I	HIS-30128	15	1
Crisis, Rupture and Opportunity:  German 'Modernity',  1900-1933, II	HIS-30129	15	2
The Making of Middle Britain: A Northumbrian Nativity	HIS-30134	15	1
The Making of Middle Britain: The Mercian Moment	HIS-30135	15	2

For further information on the content of modules currently offered, including the list of elective modules, please visit: www.keele.ac.uk/recordsandexams/az

The module details given above are indicative and will give you a good idea of the range of subjects that we teach. We regularly review our teaching to ensure that the modules we offer are up-to-date; therefore, the modules available to study are liable to change.

Entry requirements

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the likely offer or range of offers which would be made to candidates along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate’s application. Read more about our undergraduate entry requirements for United Kingdom, European Union and International students.

A Level requirements

• A Level requirement CCC
• A level English Language, English Literature, English Literature and Language combined or Drama and Theatre Studies (AQA)

GCSE requirements

• English at C (or 4)

BTEC

• BTEC requirements MMM
• To include a BTEC level 3 qualification in Performing Arts or Advanced Practice in Early Years Education. 

International Baccalaureate

• 26 points to include Higher Level English at 6 or above.

Access to HE Diploma requirements

• Obtain Access to HE Diploma with 96 UCAS Tariff points including a minimum of 15 L evel 3 credits at Distinction. You must have taken sufficient English credits, please contact us for advice.

Not got the grades?

If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, Foundation Year offers an alternative route to study for this degree.

PREPARATION PROGRAMMES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this course have the opportunity to study an International Foundation Year programme.

These courses are designed to prepare international students to enter into Keele University undergraduate degrees.

Fees and funding

Going to university can be a daunting as well as an exciting experience. It can be difficult to understand the true costs of being a student, as well as the financial support that is available to help you meet those costs.

We can help you to manage your funds, create a budget and ensure that you receive any funding for which you may be eligible. We also offer financial support such as the Keele University Hardship Fund and emergency loans.

For more information visit our money, advice and guidance section.

Career prospects

96% of Keele graduates were in a job or further study within six months of graduating (DLHE, 2017)

A degree in English Literature and History will enable you to develop a wide range of skills. You will be able to communicate complex ideas effectively to different kinds of audience, producing persuasive arguments informed by careful research.

Our graduates have gone on to work in teaching, journalism, media, the civil service, the heritage and museum sector, local government and management.
Around a quarter of our graduates go on to take higher degrees and the degree opens the doors to many other higher education opportunities with many choosing to stay at Keele.

If you are thinking of travelling the world after graduation or teaching abroad, Keele’s Language Centre offers a variety of language courses. You may graduate with an enhanced degree with foreign language competency or an internationally recognised qualification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Recent employers

• Apple
• Primary, Secondary and Higher Education
• Barclays
• NHS
• Marks and Spencer
• HSBC
• Santander
• Memiah
• Vodafone
• Home Office
• National Railway Museum
• Prospero Teaching
• Capita
• Cooperative Bank
• Higher Education
• RBS
• Local Government
• Tesco

Jobs that a graduate of this course could go on to do:

• Academic Librarian
• Advertising Copywriter
• Editorial Assistant
• Journalist
• Public Relations Officer
• School Teacher
• History Teacher
• Academic Librarian
• Archivist
• Museum Curator
• Heritage Manager
• Researcher
• Information Officer
• Records Manager

Regardless of which career you pursue after Keele, employers will want evidence of the range of skills and personal qualities you possess and which are required for the job. Your degree is clearly important in this respect but don’t forget the extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility, jobs and voluntary work you may have been engaged in while studying at Keele. These activities allow you to demonstrate the skills and personal qualities required by employers and will be vital in your attempts to secure graduate employment.

It is estimated that 60% of jobs are open to graduates of any discipline. This demonstrates the flexibility of many graduate employers when setting out their academic requirements and that students are not necessarily restricted to careers related to their degree.

Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.