English and European Languages MA (Hons)

On this course you can study French and Spanish alongside the history of English literature from the medieval period right up to the present day.

In English literature you start with a basic overview of the subject and move towards choosing modules to suit your own interests.

A range of modules give you the option to study anything from Shakespeare to science fiction, Romantic to contemporary poetry, or Victorian novels to Hollywood films. We are also a world leader in comics studies and offer modules that consider the relationship between graphic novels and canonical literature.

We start by covering topics such as how to analyse a poem and how to read a novel as a literary critic, moving on to historical surveys of literature. We then explore in more detail many of the periods, movements, and topics previously covered. The modules we offer throughout the degree reflect the diverse research specialisms of our staff.

You'll also study modules in each of your languages throughout each year, either as a beginner or at intensive level if you have previously studied the language at Higher/A-Level.

Teaching

We use a wide range of teaching methods, from lectures to small group seminars or tutorials and film screenings.

Most English modules in Levels 1 and 2 have two lectures and one tutorial each week.

This may vary in Levels 3 and 4, where you typically have one lecture and more small working groups or seminars per week.

The language modules in Levels 1 and 2 have four hours of tutorials each week. In Levels 3 and 4 this changes to two hours of language tutorial each week, plus 10 hours of lectures/seminars on European film, culture and society across the year.

In addition to language classes, you must attend regular film screenings or make appropriate alternative arrangements for viewing the films studied on the course.

Assessment

Assessments for the English modules are carried out by coursework and examinations and vary in type and weighting from module to module. Most modules do not have any exams at all, as we find continuous assessment works best to hone our students' skills.

Coursework can consist of:

• essays
• close analysis exercises
• diary or journal entries
• tests
• class presentations
• team projects

Assessments for the language modules can consist of:

• oral presentations and examinations
• written assessments and examinations
• grammar tests
• listening tests
• projects