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English Literature BA(Hons)

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Intro

At 91¶¶Òõ, our English Literature degree offers a fresh, modern approach while honouring the rich history of writing. 

You will dive into classic topics like Shakespeare and Victorian sexualities, but also explore contemporary issues like Black British literature, identity, and diversity. Our course takes a multidisciplinary, decolonised approach, connecting literature to philosophy, art history, to media, and making it relevant to today’s world.  

You will have the freedom to explore your literary passions, from poetry and novels to comics, gaming, and social media, with opportunities for placements and live projects.

At the end of year 1 you can choose a specialist pathway or carry on with the broader English Literature degree.

  • English Literature with Sexuality and Gender BA(Hons)
  • English Literature with Comics and Graphic Novels BA(Hons)

Both of these pathways are new for 2025 and in the final stages of development. 

Our graduates leave us with vital employability skills in critical thinking, project management, and communication.

Key facts

Location 91¶¶Òõ: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code Q320

Full-time 3 years

What are my next steps?

Open days are the best way to find out about your course, the campus where you'll be based, and get a feel for the 91¶¶Òõ.

Book your place: Moulsecoomb campus open day 14 June

Or if you're ready,

Open days are the best way to find out about your course, the campus where you'll be based, and get a feel for the 91¶¶Òõ.

Book your place: Moulsecoomb campus open day 14 June

Access our digital prospectus for 2026

The lecturers on the course are fantastic and always offer up exciting and interesting ways of reading a text.

Ben Thurland, English Literature BA(Hons)

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-level or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBB–BCC (120–104 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

A-levels must include at least one of English literature, English language, English language and literature, sociology or psychology.

International Baccalaureate
26 points, with three subjects at Higher level.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Humanities, history or politics courses preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at 91¶¶Òõ and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3. 

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Contextual admissions

At 91¶¶Òõ, we understand that not everyone has the same opportunities, and some may face extra challenges to meet grade requirements. Every 91¶¶Òõ applicant is treated as an individual and we value creativity, persistence, resourcefulness and big ideas alongside grades.

If you meet our contextual admissions criteria and the subject-specific A-level and/or GCSE requirements for this course, your offer from us will be at least two grades or 16 UCAS tariff points lower than the standard for your course. Find out about contextual admissions at 91¶¶Òõ.

With a contextual offer, you may also qualify for extra financial support through our 91¶¶Òõ Boost cost of living package. Find out about the 91¶¶Òõ Boost.

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Course content

Top reasons to choose this course

  • Opportunity to choose a specialism and study for an award of English Literature with Sexuality and Gender, or Comics and Graphic Novels.
  • Staff are active researchers and writers who bring their expertise to your learning.

  • Option modules in the second and third years enable you to tailor your degree to your specific career ambitions.

  • Scrivener talks give you the chance to speak to a professional writer about their work.

  • Extracurricular activities such as the Performance and Community Research and Enterprise Group and the student-led Creative Writing Society.

  • Our focus on employability, including a placement, ensures you will graduate with a strong skillset.
  • Develop valuable transferable skills as a critical thinker, independent researcher with excellent presentation, written and oral communication skills.
  • Excellent student support and a warm and encouraging community. 

  • Weekly roundup of writing competitions and opportunities to encourage you to promote your work and consider future careers.

  • Professional feedback on any aspect of your writing from our resident Royal Literary Fund Fellow.

Year 1 

The content and structure of the course reflects its aims and ethos, providing a core grounding in approaches, theories, genres and periods in the first two years, followed by opportunities for pursuing individual research and practice interests in the third year.

Your degree includes core literature modules and further option modules through which you will be able to forge a personal pathway. For example you might take creative or writing modules at each level to provide a distinctive creative strand through the degree, which can then be supplemented in your dissertation. Students may also take one option from outside literature in years 2 and 3, with choice across the fields of linguistics, media and language.

You’ll develop presentation skills through seminar groups, which foster and enable a debating culture.

Modules

  • Textual Encounters: Reading, Writing, Thinking

    How do texts make meaning? How can we understand the relationships between readers, writers, and texts? This module introduces questions crucial to the study of literature and culture through examining reading, writing and thinking as dynamic and dialogic cultural practices. You'll develop the skills necessary to become an effective writer, thinker and critic, enabling you to develop informed responses to texts and ideas in dialogue with others as members of a collaborative intellectual community.

  • Stories and Storytelling

    How do stories create and communicate experiences, identities and cultural meaning? How do they work to perpetuate and challenge social structures? On this module you'll study fairy tales, myth, novels, short stories and visual narratives (for example, film, comics and graphic novels, gaming) to discuss these questions. Through reading and guided research you'll identify and pursue your own interests in critical, creative and reflective ways and produce a reading and research journal.

  • Poetry-Politics-Protest

    This module explores poetry from a diverse selection of writers, time periods and cultures. Learning how to analyse and interpret poetry and understand poetic forms and techniques, you'll discuss poetry as a political act, form of protest and agent of social change to discover the dynamic possibilities of poetry as a relevant means of communication and connection essential in our changing world. Students co-create this module and you'll develop your own practice through curating a poetry anthology.

  • The World, the Text and the Critic

    Taking inspiration from Edward Said’s book The World, the Text, and the Critic (1983), this module enables you to explore some of the key debates in contemporary literary studies. Organised around decolonial, feminist, queer, ecocritical and other approaches to texts, you will develop critical writing skills and knowledge of social, cultural and political contexts in the interpretation of literary works and the wider world. 

  • Staging Politics

    How might theatre engage audiences with the politics of class, race, gender, sexuality and the environment? You’ll examine a range of plays in context, exploring how provocative stories develop through characterisation, stage directions, dialogue and dramatic action. Learn to think critically and creatively about theatrical texts and how to write scripts for stage in inclusive collaborations with your peers.

  • Enlightenment to Romanticisms

    This module will introduce you to some of the most important literary and social writings of the Enlightenment and Romantic periods. It situates the work of the major Enlightenment thinkers and Romantic writers, between approximately 1680 and 1830, within their historical and discursive contexts, and explores the political and aesthetic concepts that underpin their work.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through .

Student reading from a literature book

Year 2 

In the second year you can choose to stay with the broad English Literature degree, or to specialise in sexuality and gender, or comics and graphic novels.

You’ll begin developing your own interests through option choices each semester and can choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects.

At the end of your second year you will have the opportunity to study abroad for a year extending your degree to four years.

Modules

Core modules

  • The Nineteenth Century in Literature

    This module introduces some of the most important writings in and cultural debates of the nineteenth century, focusing on the Victorian period between 1837 and 1901. You will explore the social and intellectual contexts of Victorian literature, as well as the relationship between author, reader and text, and the expectations of the reading public.

  • Twentieth Century Literary Experiments

    This module explores a selection of twentieth-century writing, focusing on some of the key experiments in modernist and postmodernist writing and looking at these as part of a wider cultural change. You will explore ways to situate literary innovation within a social and historical context and look at some prominent themes. You’ll also study technical and formal innovation in poetry and prose.

  • Early Modern Literature

    This module introduces a range of literary texts written between around 1600 and 1750 and places them within the historical, social, cultural and political contexts of the time. You will discuss the major historical developments and movements of the period as reflected in the texts, such as Early Modern feminism, religious and political controversies, colonialism and the slave trade.

  • British Literature and Twentieth-Century History

    This module will examine how British novels, plays and poems challenged or endorsed political, economic and social issues during the middle decades of the twentieth century. You will explore the key themes of war, class, counterculture, ideological conflict, national identity and social change. Authors studied may include Walter Greenwood, George Orwell, John Osborne, Doris Lessing, Hanif Kureishi and Pat Barker.

Options*

  • Writing for Stage, Radio and Screen

    You will develop the ability to write engaging and inspiring scripts across stage, radio and screen during this module. You’ll analyse a range of produced work and relate your own practice to that of other writers. The module will provide you with a sense of the creative and professional opportunities available in writing for each of the three media.

  • Documentary Filmmaking: Theory and Practice

    This module explores the cultural significance of documentary filmmaking and the conventions and practices engaged in when a part of the world is documented through filmmaking. You will reflect critically on documentary as an important cultural practice and look at topics including claiming the real, visual truth, the ethics of documentary practice, the differing natures and claims of documentary genres and the relationship of documentary theory and practice.

  • Travel Narratives Through Time and Space

    This module will introduce you to a range of texts including semi-fictional travel adventure stories, pilgrimage narratives, prescriptive tourist guides, letters from abroad, travel journalism, blogs, memoir, scholarly travelogue, fiction and visual representations (film, photos). You will explore how gender, class, colonialism and post-colonialism shape the travel narrative, the intercultural experience of the traveller, migration and mobility.

  • Introduction to Journalism

    This module is a practical introduction to journalism and the media industry and will provide you with the skills to plan and write news and feature articles on various topics for different media audiences. You will look at the work of press officers, how to write press releases and feature articles, the ethical aspects of journalism, how to interview effectively and how to write for specific audiences.

  • Stories that Transform: Reading and Writing for Change

    You will explore a variety of writing styles and genres during this module and consider the potential storytelling has to transform readers and writers. You will experiment with different writing styles, voices and techniques to develop your storytelling craft. These could take the form of styles such as prose, poetry or script, but may also include narrative forms that blend image and text.

  • Queer Writing

    In this module you will explore a tradition of LGBTQ+ writing in the context of the history and politics of sexuality and queer identities over the past two centuries. The module uses key dates in that history to examine and debate how representation and writing have been both tools of oppression and liberation. Primary texts and films/TV shows could include The Well of Loneliness, Stone Butch Blues, The Black Flamingo, Swimming in the Dark and Fairytales for Lost Children.

  • Literature and Art History

    Literature and Art History introduces the interrelationship between literature and fine art and addresses two key issues: how to study a text’s broader cultural setting and how to use art history to enhance literary analysis. You will explore topics including the illustrated manuscript, visual realism, the literary imagination, ‘painterly’ literature, ‘poetic’ painting, language and the word as art objects, writers’ responses to art, and the impact on literature of radical modes of visual representation, such as abstraction and minimalism.

  • Image and Text: The Language of Comics and Graphic Novels

    This module will teach you to deconstruct comics and graphic novels and explore how the interrelationship between text and image generates meaning. You will look at the formal properties of the page, such as panels, borders, gridding, speech bubbles and artist style, and investigate how these impact and inform the text. You will also explore the ways in which comics are used to reflect personal, local and global issues.

  • Professional Practice and Placement

    In this module, you will undertake a work placement or creative project where you’ll put into practice the skills and knowledge you’ve learned throughout your degree. It will enable you to follow up on areas of particular interest and gain insight into the kinds of roles and work you may wish to enter into in future. It will develop your employability skills, confidence and knowledge of your professional and personal self.

  • American Literature 1850-1945

    This module will introduce you to some of the major writings in American Literature between 1850 and 1945. It puts the work of the key American writers into a historical context and places particular emphasis on the differences between the European and American literature of this time. You will study authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison and Jack Kerouac.

  • Writing for Stage, Radio and Screen

    You will develop the ability to write engaging and inspiring scripts across stage, radio and screen during this module. You’ll analyse a range of produced work and relate your own practice to that of other writers. The module will provide you with a sense of the creative and professional opportunities available in writing for each of the three media.

  • Photography – From Painting with Light to Zeroes and Ones

    In this module you will look at photographic representation from social and historical viewpoints and in terms of truth and reality, visual culture and narrative. You will learn to take and manipulate images using Adobe Photoshop through practical workshops that introduce the main functions of this package along with studio photography techniques. This will enable you to build up a portfolio of work that replicates the work of an influential photographer or the contextual roles photographs play in society.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

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Placements 

In year 2 you can choose a placement module which will allow you to gain professional experience in industries such as publishing, broadcasting, social media marketing, PR and the charity sector. 

Recent placement hosts include:

  • Prsnt.

In year 3 you can choose the Community Placement module aimed at further building your professional experience. This is 30 to 50 hours of voluntary work with a not-for-profit or community organisation. The placement is assessed and contributes to your degree.

Mia Kurian, graduate

“My placement was with Metropolitan City Church 91¶¶Òõ as their Social Media Manager. I learnt a lot about myself and my interests and the type of career I may want to pursue. I got to try my hand at website design, something I had never done before, and it was a great opportunity for me to expand my creativity. Professionally, I gained a lot of experience that has been extremely useful in my career today. I learnt about creating brand cohesion and creating a brand image from scratch, something I’ve never done before.

"I absolutely loved it. It was an incredible learning experience as well as insightful. It allowed me to learn a lot about myself and the future I want. My placement manager was lovely and supportive and allowed me the freedom to explore my creativity.”

Final year 

Your final year of literature study allows you to benefit from the skills you have developed and to demonstrate your academic ability through a major dissertation project.

Modules

Core modules

  • Dissertation

    In this module you will undertake an academic investigation which will extend and evaluate your understanding of your chosen topic(s). You will also design, manage and complete independent research in this area. Workshops will offer guidance on planning a project, writing an academic blog, research practice and methodology and formulating research questions, and you will be allocated a supervisor to support you throughout your project.

Options*

  • World Englishes

    This module focuses on the global spread of the English language and the historical, political and sociological factors that have contributed to this development. You will examine and evaluate the relationship between English and Indigenous cultures in postcolonial settings and look at the varieties of English in countries where it is spoken as a first, second or foreign language.

  • Language, Gender and Sexuality

    You will develop an understanding of language as it relates to gender and sexuality across cultures and other social identities during this module. Various claims made about gender, sexuality and linguistic practices will be addressed, and you will be introduced to theoretical and analytical frameworks for critically evaluating these assertions. You will examine feminist and queer social theories to understand the relationship between language, culture and social identities.

  • Approaches to Analysing Discourse

    This module explores a number of approaches to analysing spoken and written discourse and evaluates them in relation to different discourse genres and theories in a variety of media. You will also explore how language is used in social contexts to reinforce and then contest various power relations. The module focuses on topics relating to global challenges such as immigration, race and racism, neoliberalism, climate change, (in)justice and (in)equality.

  • Citizen Journalism: Theory and Practice

    You will develop your understanding of the ethics, politics and practices of public and citizen journalism during this module. You will engage critically with theory and research, exploring key concepts of accountability, accuracy, trust, misinformation, bias and the responsibility of citizen journalism before working independently to create your own portfolio.

  • From Script to Screen

    In this module, you will take an original premise and develop a screen play and storyboard, then direct and edit your work into a six-minute fictional film. A series of lectures and workshops will explore short film structure, characterisation, visual grammar, scene writing and genre, as well as storyboarding, film editing and film production.

  • Conflict, Migration, Borders

    This module examines the mass displacement of refugees from areas of conflict and the search for sanctuary in the EU. Through a variety of genres, including novels, short stories, testimonies and films, you will explore ways in which cultural production is charting the experience of conflict and displacement and analyse how writers and film-makers challenge the discourses underlining the development of Fortress Europe.

  • Gothic Texts and Contexts

    In this module you will critically reflect upon the social relevance of Gothic texts and how they articulate, develop or challenge notions of the ‘Gothic’ from the eighteenth century into the twenty-first century. You will look at texts such as Paradise Lost, Dr Faustus, The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, Frankenstein, Christabel and Carmilla; Gothic works by fine artists such as Turner, Goya, Fuseli and Blake; and Gothic popular culture via films and TV shows like Nosferatu and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

  • Popular Culture: Europe and Beyond

    This module examines the interrelation between society, popular culture and the media across Europe and beyond with regard to ideology, power and control. You will learn to compare, contrast and critically assess various genres of popular culture and media texts – for example news, documentaries, popular TV shows and music videos – from different countries.

  • Autobiography and the Screen

    Autobiographical and first-person filmmaking is where the subjectivity of the filmmaker comes to the fore. This module explores the lives of filmmakers and their subjects, and investigates film practices which represent self and other in ways that go beyond the personal and particular. You will look at topics including the vocabulary, techniques and styles of personal documentary, ethical issues and reflexivity in personal film.

  • Community Placement: Theory in Practice

    This module enables you to develop practical wisdom by actively implementing and testing out the skills and knowledge gained from your degree through a 50-hour professional work placement. You will build employability skills and follow up on areas of particular interest related to your main field of study. Critically reflecting on yourself and your experience, you will gain an insight into future employment positions.

  • Apocalypse, Utopia, Dystopia

    In this module you will study major texts of the apocalyptic, utopian and dystopian tradition and consider their generic definitions and distinctions. You will examine ways in which these genres communicate anxieties regarding contemporary political and social issues and engage with contemporary identity politics of gender and sexuality, class, ‘race’ and ethnicity. You’ll also explore the ways in which these texts have been adapted for other forms of media.

  • Literature and the World Wars

    This module examines how British literary history and cultural memory have been shaped by the two world wars. Through close reading of short stories, novels and poetry, you will critically explore the shock, chaos and variety of wartime experience and its deep effects on personal psychology and identity, sexuality, gender and class relations. Writers discussed might include Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Elizabeth Bowen, TS Eliot, Robert Graves, Rudyard Kipling, DH Lawrence and Virginia Woolf.

  • Women's Writing and Feminist Theory

    This module explores and discusses the ways in which literary texts engage with dominant ideas about gender and sexuality and the extent to which feminist ideas have transformed form, content and the political purpose of literary writing globally. It draws on feminist literary, political, anthropological and sociological theories to debate cultural forms in different contexts.

  • Creative Writing Project

    During this module, delivered via a series of master classes, you will choose a specific style or genre and develop an extended piece of creative writing that fulfils the criteria for published work. Styles can include poetry anthology, a TV, film, radio or stage script, a short story or the beginning of a novel. Working in groups, you will discuss your processes and share your writing and there will be opportunities to submit your work for the student anthology, competitions and open mic nights.

  • Writing the Contemporary

    In this module you will look at how contemporary texts – including fiction and non-fiction, novels, poetry, films and drama – reflect, challenge, articulate or attempt to define society's preoccupations. You’ll study innovations in forms, genres and literatures of the contemporary period and investigate the challenges of new technologies and media.

  • Postcolonial Literatures

    You will explore the richness and diversity of writing that has emerged from the experience of Western European colonisation during this module. Studying writers from such regions as Africa, Asia and the Americas, you will investigate the range of complex political and cultural debates which inform postcolonial theory and literature. Authors featured might include Bharati Mukherjee, Chimamanda Adichie, Jean Rhys, Tayeb Salih and David Malouf.

  • European Literatures and Film

    This module examines how the idea of Europe has changed between 1945 and the present day. The core focus of the module will be on literary and film responses to Europe’s colonial legacy, to post-1945 European history – from the Second World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 1989 ‘revolutions’ – and to more recent events in the post-communist period, such as the expansion of the European Union in the 21st century, the migrant crisis and Brexit.

  • Russian Literature and Culture: The Golden Age and Beyond

    You will study selected works of Russian fiction in English translation in this module and critically analyse the influence of major historical, political and socio-economic events. You’ll explore notions of civilization and national and cultural identity, as well as the ways in which authors have supported or opposed ideologies and beliefs circulating within Russia.

  • (Re)viewing Shakespeare

    In this module you will re-view Shakespeare by looking at his drama within the playing and political contexts of 1590 to 1615 and explore our contemporary interpretations of his work by understanding the place and meaning of ‘Shakespeare’ in our culture. You will see his plays performed during theatre visits and write a review of one of the works you have seen or studied.

  • Literature and Philosophy

    Literature and Philosophy introduces key philosophical ideas and practices by exploring how some literary texts both exemplify philosophical problems and provide distinctive and valuable approaches to them. You will learn to combine philosophical and critical approaches to literary texts using philosophical exposition and exegesis, literary theory, and skills of textual analysis.

  • Postwar American Literature

    You will look at the diversity of American Literature in this module, stretching from the postwar period to the end of the twentieth century. Looking at the genres and forms of Postwar American literature, for example the modern American novel, poetry and the short story, you will examine the ways in which American literature both documents and responds to the changing social, cultural and political contexts of the twentieth century.

  • Restoration Dramas

    British theatre is defined by its engagement with its own history; this module will look at 17th-century dramatic texts and how they reflected the culture, politics, theatre and society of the time, focusing on their exploration of and challenge to cultural identities and ideas. During the module, you will write and produce a contemporary-style theatre programme for an actual or imagined seventeenth-century production of a restoration play.

  • Adaptations

    In this module you will study literary adaptations, comparing and contrasting narratives and their transformation through the process of adaptation to film and to various audiences. You will analyse the reception of adaptations in media reviews and scholarly critiques and explore and deconstruct the ‘fidelity argument’.

  • Victorian Sexualities

    You will build on your experience of the nineteenth century in this module by focusing on the important and controversial discourse of sexuality. You will explore some key representations of sexuality in literature, medical and legal discourse and art and will construct a case study to demonstrate your critical awareness of these issues and the debates surrounding them.

  • 91¶¶Òõ Rocks

    This module will explore writings from and about 91¶¶Òõ with an emphasis on their distinctiveness and their relation to socio-cultural and historical contexts. You will investigate lines of continuity and difference in representations of 91¶¶Òõ across the twentieth and into the twenty-first century. You will also explore your own experience of 91¶¶Òõ. Texts might include The Death of Bunny Monroe by Nick Cave, Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan and The Perfect Murder by Peter James.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Specialise in Sexuality and Gender  

At the end of your first year, you can carry on with your English Literature BA for a broad view of the subject along with your choice of option modules, or choose to specialise in English literature combined with sexuality and gender.

Choosing to specialise means that your core modules and options focus on the subject that you choose, and you'll graduate with that subject in your degree title.

English Literature with Sexuality and Gender BA(Hons)

On this route, you will uncover and explore the ways that themes of gender and sexuality in literature have shaped and reflected social attitudes.

You will examine a rich and growing tradition of LGBTQIA+ writing in the UK and beyond and explore how literary works often question heteronormative cultural practices, providing insights into intersectional perspectives on gender, sexuality and identity.

The modules on this pathway will allow you to analyse literature through a critical lens, deconstructing stereotypes, challenging traditional narratives and engaging with 91¶¶Òõ’s vibrant literary queer community.

91¶¶Òõ is unofficially referred to as the LGBTQIA+ capital of Britain, making it the ideal place to study this topic. You will have the opportunity to attend 91¶¶Òõ’s , the UK’s biggest and brightest LGBTQ+ literature festival. 

You will learn from passionate staff who are involved in relevant research and literary events. They are experts in engaging with literature in a way that offers alternative interpretations, empowering you as a student to critically examine texts and to develop an in-depth understanding of the interplay between literature, identity, and social change.

The sexuality and gender pathway is new for 2025. It is in the final stages of development and may change. Check back for updates, and if you apply for this course we will let you know about any new developments via .

Specialise in comics and graphic novels

At the end of your first year, you can carry on with your English Literature BA for a broad view of the subject along with your choice of option modules, or you can choose to specialise in English literature combined with comics and graphic novels.

Choosing to specialise means that your core modules and options focus on the subject that you choose, and you'll graduate with that subject in your degree title.

English Literature with Comics and Graphic Novels BA(Hons) 

Comics and graphic novels entertain and inform through a powerful and dynamic combination of visual art and narrative storytelling – and their cultural impact means they are recognised as an important art form. They are used to explore subjects from politics to mental health, social inequality to science, fantasy to fiction in ways that convey emotions, action and atmosphere with broad and inclusive appeal.

On this innovative specialist pathway you will be encouraged to experiment, whether that is creating long-form graphic novels or comic strips, engaging with subjects that excite and inspire you.

Our staff have extensive writing and publishing expertise in the field and they will develop your skills and knowledge, ensuring you understand specific storytelling techniques that create an emotional impact on the reader. You will take a critical, literary approach to analysing texts and also learn aspects of design such as panel layouts, visual pacing and composition.

As a student, you will be engaging with this evolving art form in a vibrant city where creativity is celebrated, benefitting from our connections to organisations and events in which you can participate and share your work.

The comics and graphic novels pathway is new for 2025. It is in the final stages of development and may change. Check back for updates, and if you apply for this course we will let you know about any new developments via .

Lab facilities

Mithras House has a series of lab rooms which can be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.

Life lab
A skills-based lab for practice-based teaching, social work, psychotherapy and counselling, and employability. The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.

City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.

Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment for you to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.

Community Lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, this is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts.

Applied Cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected. 

VR and eye tracking lab
The VR and Eye-Tracking Lab is used for psychological research using equipment, such as eye-trackers and virtual reality headsets. The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.

Meet the team

Dr Irralie Doel, course leader

Irralie is Senior Lecturer in English literature and leads the literature subject area at the 91¶¶Òõ. She researches twentieth and twenty-first century women’s writing and feminist theory, poetry, poetics and politics, and creative writing.

Other staff who teach on the course include:

  • Dr Patricia Mcmanus
  • .

More about this subject at 91¶¶Òõ

The course eases you in, teaching you how to complete assignments at undergraduate level - you'll be shocked at how much you learn in the first few months! Then you can explore a variety of opinions and there is a good spread of modules and texts. The highlight (and hardest part) was writing my dissertation.

Kate Mager

Careers

What can I do with an English literature degree?

English literature degree graduates gain a broad range of skills that can be used in many roles.

  • Journalism
  • Publishing
  • Teaching
  • Authorship
  • Copywriting, editing and proofreading
  • Marketing
  • Research
  • PR

High-profile graduates from our English programmes include Paris Lees, Tanaka Mhishi and Munroe Bergdorf.

Graduates from our English programmes have gone on to careers in:

  • research
  • social media marketing
  • English tutorship
  • SEO Executive
  • law
  • publishing
  • broadcasting
  • public relations 
  • teaching.

This degree opens up a range of postgraduate study options. At 91¶¶Òõ, for example, you could progress to:

  • Creative Writing MA
  • Journalism MA
  • Secondary English PGCE.

You could also choose to complete your PhD at 91¶¶Òõ alongside our team of world-leading researchers.

Royal Literary Fund Fellow  

If you want professional feedback on any aspect of your writing, from an essay to a manuscript, you can book a one-to-one tutorial with our resident Royal Literary Fund Fellow.

The sessions are free, confidential and independent of the university. 

You can get advice on

  • academic writing style and how to answer essay questions. 
  • all aspects of your writing, such as developing and structuring an argument to improving style.

Supporting your employability 

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and rediscover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that’s not just while you are a student – our support carries on after you’ve graduated.

Find out more about our Careers Service...

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Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 GBP

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

  • 91¶¶Òõ Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
  • Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
  • Student finance and budgeting while studying
  • Read our student contract and (pdf) for more on 91¶¶Òõ tuition fees.

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our literature students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

What's included in your tuition fee

  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies. See the in the library for an up-to-date list of key subject journals and databases.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software on campus – and can borrow a laptop from us if yours is broken or you don’t have a computer at home. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning.

Additional costs

  • Most coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £100 for printing.
  • For some assessments you may be required to print large format posters for presentations at a cost of £5–£10 per poster.
  • Some courses include an optional placement module for which students will need to cover the costs of travel to and from the placement and DBS checks as required.
  • You may have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but if you choose to go on optional trips you can expect to pay either a contribution towards, or the full cost of, travel as well as for your food. Under normal circumstances we would expect a budget of approximately £150 per year will cover the costs of particular trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • You’ll need to budget for printing and stationery for personal study, and books if you decide to buy your own. Many of the set texts are available as cheap editions and we estimate that students will not need to spend more than £200.
  • Many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of 91¶¶Òõ seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you’ll find new Students’ Union, events venue and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our Moulsecoomb Place halls and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains so you can access all the exciting things happening in our home city.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91¶¶Òõ: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“91¶¶Òõ has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About 91¶¶Òõ

The city of 91¶¶Òõ & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

91¶¶Òõ is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy – as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91¶¶Òõ to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from 91¶¶Òõ
91¶¶Òõ Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91¶¶Òõ Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91¶¶Òõ student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

Stay in touch

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Subscribe to our to find out about student and staff news, and events.

Statistics

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at 91¶¶Òõ. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked below). You can find out also about the support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment so that you have all the information before you come to 91¶¶Òõ.

Discover Uni

Discover Uni enables you to compare information when choosing a UK university course. All UK universities publish Discover Uni data on its website.

Course specification

Course specifications are the approved description of each course. They contain a breakdown of the content and structure of the course, learning outcomes and assessment. Course specs are updated following course changes.

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91¶¶Òõ
Mithras House
Lewes Road
91¶¶Òõ
BN2 4AT

Main switchboard 01273 600900

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