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English Language & Literature

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BA

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Full Time

| UCAS code: Q300
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
English is the world's primary language of international communication and our Department therefore has a special responsibility not only to provide skills in the use of the English language at the analytical level but also to develop the process of thinking itself through a critical examination of its literatures. We pride ourselves not only on the range and diversity of the modules we offer, from medieval literature to modern poetry and women's writing, but also on the diversity of the approaches we employ, from contemporary literary theory to close textual examination and historical scholarship. We aim to offer the best of teaching on the classic English texts together with open and imaginative approaches to newer and less familiar developments in the discipline.

Your first year modules provide a basis for modules taken in your second and final years. Second year modules are chosen within a banding system, designed for a balanced structure of study, whilst in the third year a wide choice is available, allowing you to specialise in your particular interests. Your close study of English literature will encourage and develop a clear critical thinking and succinct expression of ideas that are concrete and valuable assets in today's job market.


ABOUT THE Department of English

CAREERS
English is a flexible and adaptable subject that equips you with a wide range of transferable skills appropriate to many different occupations. Graduates in English possess skills in written and spoken communication, independent thought and judgement, critical thinking and research, all of which are highly valued by employers. Applicants may be interested in a career in journalism, publishing and the creative industries, or in education and research. Many graduates also go into general management, consultancy and the public services. Recent graduates have found employment as…. • Lecturer, King’s College London • Librarian, London Borough of Barnet • Marketing Executive, Ensphere • Charity Fundraiser, Gogen • Content Editor, Thomson Reuters UK Professional • Corporate Affairs Intern, Cadbury Plc • English Teacher, St Giles College • Graduate Management Trainee, Sotheby’s • Junior Script Reader, Altered Image • National Events Executive, Fundraising & Marketing, cancer research uK • Recruitment Consultant, Michael Page International • Website Administrator, Walkopedia.ne

TEACHING STYLE
The department attaches great importance to the personal attention it gives to each student. All modules involve seminars, and on a typical module your time is equally divided between these and more formal lectures. We have an effective personal tutor system and a staff-student committee. The department has an international reputation for the quality of its scholarship and all members of staff are actively involved in research. Tutors aim to connect research and teaching, both in the classroom and at the many extra research seminars, poetry readings and literary events held in the department. Individual staff members are frequently called upon to contribute their specialist knowledge to newspapers and other media. The Arden Shakespeare is edited from King’s, and there are major recent publications on medieval literature and visual culture, early modern drama, 18th-century and Romantic cultural history, Victorian literature and culture, urbanism, 19th and 20th-century American literature, Australian literature and postcolonial literature and textual editing.

STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMES & ASSESSMENT
Your final degree classification is determined by the marks you obtain in each of the three years of the degree. Second- and third-year modules may be chosen from a wide range of options. The department makes use of a variety of assessment methods including both essays and examinations.

LOCATION
More than any other capital, London is a city of words, and to study English at its centre is to be reminded continually of the power of language to shape our sense of history and of place. Within 20 minutes’ walk of the Department of English at King’s Strand Campus are Shakespeare’s Globe and the site of the Tabard Inn, where Chaucer’s pilgrims started out on their journey. Even closer at hand are the Inns of Court, Covent Garden, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (London’s oldest working theatre) and countless other sites and buildings with literary associations.