English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) BA (Hons)

The Craft Of Writing

Take your first steps into the world of creative writing in this vibrant, practice-led module which will support you in honing your craft. Delivered by published writers at the forefront of their expertise, you will explore what it means to become a writer in the forms of poetry, prose fiction and script.

Module code: ENGL40519

The Story Of English Literature

Module code: ENGL40516

Children's Literature

Are you sitting comfortably…? Children’s literature is a varied field, and this survey module gives you an insight into a range of fiction for children, from the Victorian era to the present day. Themes explored include the changing notions of ‘the child’, the status of the natural world in children’s literature, the tension between dependence and independence, the negotiation of national identity in culture, and stages of psychological development in the child protagonist. So, stay sharp but prepare to enjoy once more all those curious discoveries, time-slips, enchanted objects and half-hidden magical lands – the wardrobe is still there, waiting for you to explore

Module code: ENGL40521

Co-Create: Collaborative Project

Put your voice centre-stage, reach a larger audience, and learn to work with other creatives and academics in this module which aims to provide as authentic an experience as possible of working in the creative and literary world.

Module code: ENGL40518

Gothic Fiction

Shapes shifting in shadows, ghostly voices, nightmarish imaginings – Gothic fiction is filled with details that unsettle. Read a collection of texts from the last couple of hundred years to the present day and explore the darkest literary imaginings. The Gothic just won’t die: it rises afresh with each generation of writers, and it calls to you now to add your own critical or creative piece to its long tale of terror! Warning: may contain vampires.

Module code: ENGL50556

Magical Realism: From Flying Carpets To Urban Angels

Levitation by means of hot chocolate, a man turning to gold in modern-day Soho, a quiet girl who remembers past lives, a mermaid with a grudge, a boy who can hear the thoughts of 1001 other children… Dazzling details of ordinary enchantments fill the pages of magical realist fiction. Feel the boundaries of your sense of reality shift under the mesmerising effect of this style of writing, which merges the fantastical with the everyday. Respond by creating your own critical or creative work.

Module code: ENGL50555

The Writing Profession

Gain experience in real-world publishing in the exciting, practice-led module which walks you through the editorial process from first draft to final publication. Work on live, authentic projects and learn what it takes to publish either your own work or the work of others.

Module code: ENGL50560

Global Voices

This module studies the literary treatment of global identities through the perspective of the legacy of European colonialism. Focussing on themes such as cultural identity, class, gender, race and immigration, you’ll read the vibrant works of some of the most significant writers on the international literary stage. The history of Empire in formerly colonised countries is fundamental to our study, but the main focus here is the role that literature and culture can play in resisting the shadows cast by that legacy, forging the construction of new identities in an increasingly globalised world.

Module code: ENGL50558

Writing Society: Social Realism, Crime And Narrative

This vibrant creative-critical module introduces you a diverse range of vital historical and contemporary texts exploring key themes surrounding social realism and crime writing exploring social anxieties. Hone your writing and critical skills in a series of fast-paced seminar-workshops and prepare yourself for a career as a working writer by presenting on your own work and influences.

Module code: ENGL50554

The Classics: Shakespeare To Modernism

This module will develop your ability to respond intellectually to the writing of European modernity. Beginning with Early Modern writing such as Shakespeare and culminating with the work of the Modernists, the module surveys the period of literary modernity, thinking about the ways in which literary development intersects with an increasingly globalised, modernised world. From Shakespeare, through the birth of the novel to Modernism, this module charts the course of radical artistic change.

Module code: ENGL50569

Wild Words: Anthropocene Literatures

How is contemporary writing responding to ecological issues? How might we analyse literature in ways that connect to contemporary debates about humanity and our impact upon the environment? Through the study of recently published literature the module guides you towards your own critical and/or creative literary responses to issues such as climate change and altered perceptions of humanity.

Module code: ENGL50568

Negotiated Project - English & Creative Writing

This final year Negotiated Project is designed entirely around students’ career aspirations. Having studied English and Creative Writing, there are many directions in which you could continue when you leave. The form and scope of your final project will be limited only by the time and word-count constraints of a university course. Whether you want to start to write a novel or critique a Shakespeare play, produce a podcast or a documentary script, or put on a literary event this project will allow you the freedom to do so, with the support of a supervisor from the English and Creative Writing team.

Module code: ENGL60526