BA English Literature

Program Overview

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Studying English Literature at Essex will revolutionise the way you think about literature. We’ll challenge you to reflect on how literature shapes, and is shaped by, the world. Drawing on key texts and ideas, you’ll develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills that will help you make your own mark. Our BA English Literature is truly global and politically engaged, offering a wide range of module choices from different places, cultures and historical periods. You will study everything from foundational texts and authors, including The Epic of Gilgamesh , Dante and Ovid, through to the most challenging contemporary texts from the last decade. You’ll ask and answer important questions. What did love, death and race mean in the Renaissance? What is the legacy of slavery in the Americas and how is this reflected in different genres of writing? How did suffragettes change the world and its literature? Whether it’s dystopian fiction, the Caribbean origins of zombie narratives or the issue of human and non-human rights in a digital age, we’ll ensure you pursue your interests to the fullest and that you’ll be supported by experts in the field. You have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of optional modules across different topics and areas of specialism, including:

• Early Modern (16th and 17th century) literature
• 18th and 19th century literature, including: Romantic, Gothic, naturalist, realist and sentimental writing
• 20th and 21st century literature, including: Modernism, Postmodernism, science fiction and postcolonial literature
• United States, Caribbean and Transatlantic literature
• Poetic, contemporary, experimental, avant-garde and political writing

At Essex, we believe in radical, challenging and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of literature and while we take note of conventions, we’re not bound by them. And while we’ve had Nobel prize-winners and Oscar winners among our staff we don’t rest on our laurels. So, in our Department you can study modules which examine a variety of genres, including travel writing, the podcast, and autobiography among others, and work across different media, including books, newspapers, plays and film. From the English Civil War to dystopian literature and film, our modules not only span momentous historical, political and social worldwide events, but also examine the alternative worlds that literature has produced. Literature at Essex Why we're great.

• You can respond both critically and artistically to your studies in our unique literary conservatoire.
• You can study a modules across our wider department.
• Our literature and creative writing courses are taught by leading academics and writers.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course. Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

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Placement year

When you arrive at Essex, you can decide whether you would like to combine your course with a placement year. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

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Our expert staff

At Essex, we have an impressive literary legacy. Our history comprises staff (and students) who have been Nobel Prize winners, Booker Prize winners, and Pulitzer Prize winners. Our Department are committed to unlocking creative personal responses to literature. This distinctive environment is possible because we are a community of award-winning novelists, poets and playwrights, as well as leading literature specialists. Our academic staff specialise in a range of areas including modernism, comparative and world literature, Shakespeare, the Renaissance, travel writing, nature writing, translated literature, cultural geography, Irish and Scottish writing, U.S. and Caribbean literature, and the history of reading.

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Specialist facilities

• Meet fellow readers at the student-run Literature Society or at the department’s Myth Reading Group
• Hear writers talk about their craft and learn from leading literature specialists at the Essex Book Festival
• Write for our student media platform Rebel
• View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre
• Learn from leading writers and literature specialists at weekly research seminars
• Our Research Laboratory allows you to collaborate with professionals, improvising and experimenting with new work which is being tried and tested

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Your future

A good literature degree opens many doors. The number of careers that lead from courses in literature is almost as large as the number of graduates, but two particular areas in which our graduates have had recent success are publishing and the theatre. One of our former students is now in charge of editorial at a large publishing house, and another has just taken over running one of the country’s major theatres. Our recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of desirable roles including:

• The Civil Service
• Journalism and broadcasting
• Marketing
• Museum and library work
• Commerce and finance
• Teaching

We also work with the university's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities. * Non-specialist higher education institutions with a survey population of at least 500. "I enjoyed the range of literary styles and periods we were taught. My main interest has always been Modernist literature, but my undergraduate course allowed me to discover a passion for ancient texts and philosophy which I hadn't been able to explore at school and Sixth Form. In the first and second year of my BA course, the compulsory modules allowed me to scope out the areas of literature that I enjoyed, and others that I wasn't so interested in. In the third year, this gave me the ability to know exactly which topics I excelled in, and I was able to choose the modules I truly loved. Despite the pressure, the third year of my BA was my favourite; I particularly enjoyed the Cityscapes of Modernism, Decorum and Decay, and The Symbolic Imagination modules." Sian Bunney, BA English Literature 2014.

Program Outline

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 Year 2 Final Year Which writers re-worked Homer’s Odyssey? Or borrowed ideas from Dante’s Inferno? Examine how key literary texts and genres have been used by successive generations of writers up until the present day. Shift from classical text to a more modern example, studying the long cultural traditions that exist. View Origins and Transformations in Literature and Drama on our Module Directory How do you read a text closely? What is involved in close reading? With emphasis on you to active do the close reading, learn how this approach can contribute to your appreciation of meaning and significance in a diverse range of texts. View Text Up Close: Reading for Criticism on our Module Directory COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LT109-4-SP or LT137-4-SP or LT171-4-SP (15 CREDITS) This interdisciplinary module serves several functions. Firstly, you will develop an understanding of your degree in the context of the wider world and specifically the graduate jobs market. You will come to understand the employability and career-development opportunities that are available to you during and after your time at Essex, and you will begin the life-long process of continuous professional development with a firm grounding in the practical skills and reflective practice involved. The module is divided into two parts: career-development learning; and Speaker Weeks, when a member of staff will interview guest speakers about their careers in fields that are allied to the arts and humanities. These will cover a range of career areas that may be of interest to humanities graduates in general: from media, arts, journalism, education, publishing, to entrepreneurship in related areas. These weeks are intended to be inspiring but also full of practical tips and ideas, with an emphasis on showing how careers develop over time, and what pathways students can explore to get to where they want to be; as well as what kinds of extra-curricular activities students can engage in now to open more doors professionally before and after graduation. In the career-development learning part of the module, you will cover topics such as the Graduate Labour market, the Humanities graduate, self-reflection and personal development, and how to research and apply effectively for jobs. Skills such as CV writing and interview technique will be covered. Two-hour interactive lecture/seminars will introduce students to careers resources and ideas, but will also include discussion and group work. View The Humanities Graduate: Future Pathways on our Module Directory COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LT151-4-AU or LT161-4-AU (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 06: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) A century of religious, philosophical and political turmoil, the Renaissance was also the age of the great flourishing of the English stage and English verse. In this module you will study Renaissance love poetry and learn about the sonnet, court literature, and the circulation of manuscripts. You will learn about the great writers of the canon, and some less familiar figures too, such as the female writers, who appropriated literary forms conventionally associated with men, and turned them to their own ends. Moving from the focus on “love”, to the darker theme of “death”, some of the most extraordinary literature of this time is engaged with the religious turmoil and culture of martyrdom associated with the Reformation. Finally, bringing these themes together, this module also explores Renaissance innovation in the theatre, and the revenge play, in which love, desire and death are intermingled and intertwined to horrifying effect. View Love and Death in the Renaissance on our Module Directory View Black Lives Represented: Writing, Art, Politics and Society on our Module Directory How can texts be read and interpreted using the thinking of Marx? What about Freud or de Saussure? Or Derrida and Said? Study literature, theatre, and film using these key thinkers. Analyse their approaches both historically and institutionally, and understand the importance of theoretical and methodological material to your studies. View Criticism: Practice and Theory on our Module Directory COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LT267-5-SP or TH205-5-SP (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LT215-5-SP or LT212-5-SP (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 01: OPTIOL Final year Literature option (English) (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 02: OPTIOL Final year Literature option (English) (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Final year option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) What fascinates you? Pursue a topic that you are enthusiastic about and have chosen, with support and guidance from our expert academic staff. Gain invaluable training for future graduate work, as you learn how to sustain a written argument over 10,000 words. View Independent Literature Project on our Module Directory

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Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

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Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

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Teaching

• Teaching will mainly take the form of lectures and classes of about 20 students
• Innovative ways of engaging with texts include editing 16th century sonnets and archival research
• A typical timetable involves a one-hour lecture and a one-hour class for each of your modules every week

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Assessment

• Your final mark for each module is determined half by coursework and half by examination
• A mark for class participation is included in your coursework mark