In your second year, you’ll write creatively in
many forms including theatre and script-writing, autobiography and biography,
travel writing, and literary adaptation. You will hone your skills as a writer
in weekly workshops with tutors and peers. You’ll also study the writers who've
shaped our literary canon, taking core modules in Romantic and Victorian
literature, and selecting from a range of specialist creative, literary and
work-based learning options. You’ll also have the opportunity to take specialist
modules in other subjects in the School.
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Romanticism (ENG5001)
In this module literary Romanticism, in its rich and problematic diversity, is introduced and explored through a consideration of imaginative conceptions of the individual in writing between 1790 and 1830. The study ranges through a selection of texts in verse – lyric and narrative – and prose - essayistic, theoretical and fictional.
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Gothic Fictions, Villains, Virgins and Vampires (ENG5002)
This module looks at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, then moves to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, on to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, through to the decadence of the 1890s.
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The Impact of Publishing (ENG5004)
The module will provide an introduction to some of the key concepts in publishing history. It will look at the ways that knowledge has been captured, stored, retrieved, disseminated, policed and suppressed. It will consider how the development of different writing and printing technologies changed the understanding of the self and the self in relation to the world. It will discuss the creation, production, publication, distribution and reception of texts within their cultural, economic and technological contexts.
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Professional Writing for Different Media (ENG5005)
In the context of this module, Professional Writing refers to commercial content for a variety of media outlets including advertising and marketing, as well as other ‘businesses’ which students have imagined and created themselves. Students will experiment with creative formats such as posters, reviews, reports, ‘copy’, interviews, the op-ed (opinion-editorial). The module is taught through lecture, seminars, and workshops where students are asked to submit and feedback to peers and tutors on a regular basis.
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Victorian Literature and Culture (ENG5009)
This module aims to introduce students to the Victorian period through an examination of literature read in conjunction with a range of other contemporary cultural documents including scientific, sociological, psychological, political economic and aesthetic texts.
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Dramatic Writing for Stage, Screen and Beyond (ENG5011)
This course explores a wide range of dramatic writing and dramatic writing theory, integrating critical reading with creative writing projects. Class time will be spent discussing published authors/texts/productions, writing/reading theories, compositional processes, practical exercises, and student work.
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Burning Issues: Interdisciplinary Writing Project (ENG5012)
This module asks students to engage with the 'burning issues' of our times, by thinking outside of their own discipline and engaging with research taking place in other departments, schools and faculties around the university, or even the country and the world. Students select a topic from outside their discipline and then, through research and communication with experts in the chosen field, devise a writing project to communicate and explore their chosen issue. The module is taught through lecture, seminars, and workshops where students are asked to submit and feedback to peers and tutors on a regular basis.
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Hurt Minds': Madness and Mental Illness in Literature (ENG5013)
This module considers changing attitudes towards, and a variety of theories of, the mind, examining how different cultures have understood ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ mental states. It will look at how the experience and treatment of mental illness has been represented in fiction. The mind is at its most fascinating when it behaves outside of expected social norms. By considering a variety of literary texts over several centuries, this module explores shifts in the definition, understanding, evaluation, and management of exceptional mental states.
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Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities (SSC500)
This module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).
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American Novel (ENG5003MX)
This module will explore the development of the novel in America from its beginnings in the eighteenth century through to the twentieth century. As part of this module, students will consider changes in the novel form with particular reference to America’s literary history.
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Brave New Worlds: Ethnography of/on Online and Digital Worlds (ANT5008MX)
This module teaches students how to use ethnographic methods to make sense of the internet, which we now increasingly inhabit. Students learn how to navigate and analyse platforms such as Facebook or TikTok. They study how these technologies transform our relationships, identities, and ideas of truth. The module also examines the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of digital worlds (e.g. Second life).
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Working with Literature (ENG5015)
While remaining focused on English and English and Creative Writing projects, this module will provide students with the opportunity to apply their literary and creative skills in a ‘work-facing’ environment.
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Shakespeare and the Early Modern Stage (ENG5016)
This module provides an introduction to many aspects of Shakespeare’s plays with emphasis on the practice and practicalities of playwriting for the early modern stage and on Shakespeare’s plays in performance. Students will also be introduced to a range of critical approaches to the plays, from Shakespeare’s contemporaries to the present day.