COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA Drama and English Literature course combines the study of theatre, film, and literature, providing students with a strong interdisciplinary foundation. In the first year, students engage with core modules such as Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies and Reading Literature, while optional modules allow exploration of film, early film histories, theatre histories, literary theory, and medieval literature. This early exposure develops analytical, interpretive, and practical skills, preparing students to tailor their studies in later years. In the second year, the focus shifts to more advanced topics, with mandatory modules like Theatres of Modernity complemented by optional studies in contemporary British cinema, screen culture, post-Thatcher theatre, performance practices, and documentary film. Students gain deeper insight into both historical and contemporary performance and screen practices, as well as the social and cultural contexts of performance. In the final year, students have opportunities to specialize through optional modules including Love American Style, Climate Change and Culture Wars, American Hauntings, and James Baldwin in Context, alongside practical options like docufiction filmmaking, applied theatre in prisons, and writing for performance. The course culminates with a dissertation in Drama or Film, enabling students to conduct independent research. Across all three years, the program develops critical, creative, and practical skills suitable for careers in theatre, media, publishing, and related creative industries, while benefiting from Manchester’s rich cultural and literary environment.