COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA English degree at the University of Northampton offers a flexible and engaging curriculum that develops critical thinking, literary analysis, and an appreciation of diverse voices across history and culture. In the first year, students build foundational skills through the compulsory module Reading and Writing our World while choosing from a variety of optional modules such as Identity Under Construction, Contemporary Shakespeares, Digital Culture and Print Media, Decolonising the Bookshelf, Writing the Wild, and American Dreams, American Nightmares: Race, Class and Gender. These modules introduce students to a wide range of perspectives and approaches to literature. In the second year, the compulsory module Literature and the Real World: Critical Concepts anchors the study of literature within real-world contexts, while optional modules like Victorian Visions, Literary Extremes and The American Mainstream, From Fairy Tale to Fantasy: Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Centre and Margins: Postmodernity and After, Writing in the World, and Representing Class: Stories and Conflicts allow students to tailor their studies to their interests. In the final year, students undertake an independent research project through the compulsory English Dissertation and select from advanced optional modules such as Literature and Revolution, Bodies and Performances, Publicity and Privacy, Texts in Transition, and Gothic Words. This structure balances core knowledge with specialization, preparing students for academic and professional success.