COURSE CURRICULUM

In your first year, you will start by merging your two subjects, English Literature and History, right from the beginning. The focus will be on understanding the historical span of English Literature, exploring how literature and history interconnect and enrich each other. You'll delve into the history of the English language, studying its origins in medieval multilingual societies and its development through colonialism and resistance. You'll also be able to explore topics from different historical periods, including medieval, early modern, or modern history, with opportunities to explore specialized subjects like witchcraft. Additionally, you might choose to take modules from other humanities subjects, such as languages or American studies, to broaden your understanding.In the compulsory modules for your first year, you’ll start with Reading Literature in History, where you'll develop your skills in reading and interpreting literature in a historical context. You'll then move on to Slow Reading, which builds on your close reading skills by engaging deeply with a long text, considering various critical perspectives and theoretical frameworks. Finally, the Writing Across Borders module will examine how the English language has crossed geographical, linguistic, and social boundaries, with a focus on its spread through colonialism, translation, and political control. This module will also explore how writers from various regions have used English in unique ways to express their cultural identities and histories.In your second year, you'll have the opportunity to deepen your exploration of both literature and history by choosing from a wide array of modules. You'll explore various periods in history, from the Romans to the contemporary world, while in literature, you can study works from the medieval period to the present day. You’ll also be able to experiment with creative writing or other professional writing skills, like journalism or publishing. Some modules will allow you to examine historical periods from both a literary and historical perspective, helping you make connections between the two disciplines.One compulsory module in your second year, History's Stories, will focus on developing your employability skills by teaching you how to present and write about historical research. You'll explore non-traditional forms of research dissemination, like blogs, social media, and digital technologies, while also developing practical skills like report writing and content creation.In your third year, you’ll continue to explore both English literature and history by choosing from a wide range of specialist modules. These might include topics as varied as medieval monsters, women writers of the Renaissance, or contemporary feminist literature. You’ll also have the option of completing a dissertation, either in literature or history, depending on which area you wish to pursue in more depth. The balance between your history and literature studies will be entirely up to you, reflecting your developing interests and the directions your academic journey has taken.