COURSE CURRICULUM

The Welsh and English Literature BA program at Cardiff University provides an integrated study of Welsh language, literature, and culture alongside English literature across historical periods, genres, and thematic areas. In the first year, students develop foundational skills in Welsh, tailored to first or second language backgrounds, and core English literature modules enhance critical reading, writing, research, and employability skills. Year two builds on these foundations, with a core Welsh module offering work experience in a Welsh-speaking environment and optional modules exploring language, literature, and culture. English literature students select modules from thematic and period-based baskets, covering topics such as medieval and Victorian literature, contemporary culture, race, colonialism, film, visual culture, and environmental literature. In the final year, students undertake independent research in Welsh through an extended essay or longer project, alongside optional modules in translation, language, and contemporary literature. In English literature, a core module allows in-depth study of a single text with public-facing outcomes, supported by optional modules examining literary research, historical and contemporary topics, and specialized themes such as Gothic literature, activist poetry, utopian and dystopian texts, and visual culture. Throughout the program, students develop high-level linguistic and analytical skills, critical thinking, and employability, preparing them for careers in education, media, translation, cultural industries, and other sectors while engaging with Welsh and English literary traditions in both academic and professional contexts.