COURSE CURRICULUM

The English and American Literature program at Kent provides students with the opportunity to engage deeply with advanced literary research and theory while exploring the connections between literature, art, and film. Compulsory modules, such as Advanced Research and Theory, equip students with the analytical and methodological skills needed to conduct sophisticated literary research, while courses like The Verbal and the Visual examine the interplay between textual and visual media, fostering a multidisciplinary perspective. Writing the Self in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Literary Cultures allows students to investigate historical contexts and the ways identity is represented in literature, encouraging critical engagement with literary history and theory. In addition to these core modules, a range of optional courses enables students to tailor their studies to specific interests. These include Empire and After: The Text and the World, which explores postcolonial and global perspectives; Global Modernisms, examining international literary movements; Activism and Adaptation, focusing on the intersection of literature and social change; Post45: American Literature and Culture in the Cold War Era, which considers historical and cultural contexts; and The Novel from Defoe to the Contemporary, tracing the development of the novel over time. Through this combination of core and elective modules, students develop critical thinking, research expertise, and a nuanced understanding of literature in both historical and global contexts.