Course overview

English Language and Literature at Nottingham provides students with a thorough understanding of the historical range of English literature and the development of the language. It offers an account of the nature and uses of English in context, and the themes, principles, techniques, values and significance of literary works in their contexts. The course aims to equip students with communicative, analytical and critical skills.

Year one

You are introduced to a broad range of disciplines within English studies, including some drama and medieval studies alongside your core areas of English literature and modern English language. You can also choose from a range of subsidiary modules offered by other Departments.

Year two

At this point, you will begin to specialise in language and literature, taking core modules in both these areas. The language core modules are Investigating English Language and Language Change; the literature core modules are Invention and Tradition and one from a choice of six literary period modules. For your remaining two modules for this year, you can take two further literary period modules; or, if you enjoyed your first-year studies in drama or medieval studies, you may choose to continue in one of these areas, alongside one further literary period module.

Year three

Of the six modules taken in your final year, two will be in language and two in literature. You may choose these from a wide range of specialist modules: the options on offer vary from year to year, but they normally include single-author studies, genre studies and period studies in literature and topics in language such as sociolinguistics or English language teaching. The fifth module is a compulsory dissertation on a topic of your choice in the area of language and/or literature. The final module may be chosen from any area of the School provided that you have already taken any necessary prerequisites - so, if you chose to continue with drama or medieval studies in your second year, you might follow this with a third-year optional module in one of these areas. Or you can simply choose another language or literature module.

By the end of the course

You will have developed vital skills including creative thinking, critical analysis and personal insight, developing and sustaining a reasoned argument, initiative, leadership skills, time management, and communication skills.

Website

School of English Studies