COURSE CURRICULUM

The English course progresses over three years, gradually building students' critical, creative, and professional skills. In the first year, students complete five core modules (100 credits) that introduce key concepts in literature, language, and writing. These include modules such as Voices of Birmingham, which explores the city’s multicultural identity and equips students with academic skills, Adaptation, which examines how texts are transformed across genres and contexts, and Prose Writing, which develops students’ abilities in reading and creating narrative prose. Key Critical Concepts introduces literary theory and analysis, while Language in Action covers areas such as phonetics, sociolinguistics, and media linguistics. Students also choose at least one optional module such as Literature and Conflict or Craft of Writing to develop their creative voice or explore literature’s engagement with complex themes. In the second year, students take three core modules (60 credits) that deepen their understanding of grammar, sociolinguistics, and literature’s role in environmental and social debates. These are complemented by a core faculty module—either Work Placement, offering professional experience, or Collaborative Practice, focused on interdisciplinary teamwork. An additional 40 credits of optional modules allow students to specialize in areas such as romantic or Victorian literature, creative writing, multiculturalism, gender and identity, screenwriting, or digital storytelling. In the final year, core modules (80 credits) include Applied Sociolinguistics, where students work with external partners to address real-world issues, and a two-part dissertation project that allows for in-depth, independent research. Students also choose at least 40 credits of optional modules in areas like modernism, Shakespeare, the gothic, poetry, nonfiction, podcast writing, or moral philosophy. These modules support a broad range of interests and career paths. Across all three years, the course offers a balance of literary study, language analysis, and creative and professional development, preparing students for a variety of future opportunities.