Course content

Is your imagination captured by the literature of the Renaissance and the Victorians, or the opportunity to know more about postcolonialism or postmodernism? As an English Literature student at Keele, you'll be encouraged to delve deep into a range of literary works, which may include authors such as Emily Bronte, Aphra Behn, Tsitsi Dangarembga and J M Coetzee.

Our intellectually stimulating and engaging approach to exploring novels, poetry, drama, graphic novels and other types of literature produce intelligent, perceptive, socially aware and compassionate individuals who are able to make a real impact. English Literature at Keele is a vibrant community of staff and students who are passionate in their belief that literature and culture are vital to understand the world around us.

You'll tackle a range of issues and unprecedented challenges of our cultural moment, which could include decolonisation, sustainability and the environment, gender and sexuality, migration, political extremism, or the role of literature as an arbiter of truth in an era of information overload and fake news. We are committed to enabling you to tailor your degree. Alongside the compulsory English Literature modules, you are given the flexibility to choose optional modules which not only align with your literary interest, but also your career aspirations. We enable you to embed an interdisciplinary approach to your studies, by offering you the opportunity to explore modules outside of the English Literature curriculum, including those from areas such as Creative Writing, Film, History, Media, Education and Modern Languages.

Studying English Literature at Keele enables you to develop key skills in reading, writing and critical thinking. Taught by expert lecturers, you will explore and interpret literary texts that will challenge your views, advance your tastes, prompt your creativity, and give you the opportunity to become a versatile graduate. Through a range of activities and assessments, our diverse course will equip you with a wide array of attributes that employers are looking for, including problem solving, creativity, emotional intelligence, and digital literacy. You will pursue your passions, grow in confidence, and gain a unique set of transferable skills that will be invaluable for your future career in a variety of sectors.

Enhancing Your Employability

Opportunities to enhance your employability are at the heart of our English programmes - we want you to graduate not only as a confident literary critic, but also with a highly-desirable set of skills. Our second-year optional module "Work Placement in the Humanities" allows you to engage with potential future employers whilst being supported by academic and career advisors to design and complete a programme of work in partnership with the workplace. Previous work placements have included charities, museums, schools and archives. We also recognise that as your knowledge and appreciation develops, so will your career aspirations. Our Careers and Employability advisors run excellent workshops and offer tailored, individual guidance throughout the course.

Learn a Language and Study Abroad Opportunities

Studying English at Keele also gives you the chance to learn a language. Whether you are a complete beginner or already have a foundation of knowledge we offer a flexible and guided route to enhancing your skills. We currently offer British Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Upon successful completion of a series of elective language modules, you will have the opportunity to gain an enhanced degree title. You may also look to study abroad at one of our partner institutions enabling you to broaden your knowledge while experiencing a new culture. Our Global Opportunities team will support you throughout the process, ensuring you are able to get the most out of your international experience. Recent English Literature students have studied in Canada, Australia and the USA. Keele University is partnered with many institutions across the world enabling you to further develop your appreciation and awareness of other cultures and societies. 

It is also possible to undertake an International Year between Year 2 and Year 3. You will have the opportunity to spend the two semesters of the international year at one partner university or one semester at one university and the second semester at another. On successful completion of all modules across the year, you will graduate with a degree title ‘with International Year’.

Related courses 

• Education and English Literature
• English Literature and Creative Writing
• English Literature and Film Studies
• English Literature and History
• English Literature and Philosophy
• English Literature and Psychology

Our teaching

Teaching and Assessment Methods

Your typical week will involve attending lectures that develop your subject knowledge, participating in seminars that give you the chance to discuss in smaller groups exciting books and ideas, and following a guided course of reading. Your learning will be supported by additional activities including workshops, particularly for creative writers, individual tutor meetings, study skills sessions, film screenings in the Media building cinema, and online discussion threads. You’ll have the support of a personal tutor, one of our academic staff who helps to guide your learning.

We build your skills in researched essays, as well as other forms of critical and creative writing and practice. As well as essays, assessments include group and individual presentations, dissertations, book reviews and reflective diaries, creative portfolios, and digital outputs such as blog posts and podcasts. You’ll develop a range of diverse, essential skills to work independently and as part of a team and will widen your employment prospects.

Our Facilities

Our campus Library has an outstanding collection of books for English Literature students, it provides a quiet place to study, and is renowned for its special collections, including one of the oldest children’s books in the world! You will have access to the best and latest resources on the texts you study through our extensive electronic collections, which includes major databases that allow you to immerse yourself in the subject and acquire digital skills. The David Bruce Centre for American Studies is home to an undergraduate resource centre, and our Creative Writing Room is a dedicated space for students who have chosen to produce new literary works as well as analyse existing ones.

Foundation year

You may choose to study this course via foundation year.

If you’re returning to education following a break, wish to study a new subject or don’t have the grades or sufficient equivalent experience for direct entry to this course, a foundation year may be a good option for you.

Following successful completion (including any additional progression requirements) of the foundation year you can progress on to this course.

The foundation year offers September starts across all subjects, and January starts across all science, humanities, social sciences and business routes.

The January intake excludes the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree with Foundation Year and other health-related foundation Year degree

For more details visit our foundation year webpages.

Foundation year

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 (HESA, 2017)

You’ll graduate with a wide range of skills – in research, oral and written communication, presentation – as well as excellent opportunities for the future. Some careers may require further study or training, but you might work as a teacher, journalist, editor, librarian, advertising copywriter, solicitor, arts administrator or writer. You could go into marketing, research, broadcasting, publishing, the compiling of dictionaries, or teaching English as a foreign language.

If you are thinking of travelling the world after graduation, teaching or working 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). For further information, visit our Language Centre - keele.ac.uk/lc

Previous employers

Our graduates have gone on to work at:

• Apple
• Primary, Secondary and Higher Education
• Barclays
• NHS
• Debenhams
• Marks and Spencer
• HSBC
• Santander
• Prospero Teaching
• Local Government
• Memiah
• Vodafone

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

• Academic Librarian
• Advertising Copywriter
• Editorial Assistant
• Journalist
• Public Relations Officer
• School Teacher

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.

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