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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Undergraduate BA (Hons)
English Literature
Learn to write about, discuss and investigate the history and culture of English.
Course Overview
-
Q320 -
L27 -
City Campus -
Full-Time -
3 Years -
19 Sep 2022
Explore the world of literature, Shakespeare's stage to the digital page.
As part of your course, you’ll:
- Study poems, plays and prose narratives in their historical and cultural contexts
- Discuss and debate the different ways texts can be interpreted
- Embrace a wide range of theoretical approaches
- Cover a diverse range of texts, from the literatures of Romanticism through to the contemporary, and British and American Literature of the twentieth century to the postcolonial literatures of the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Australia
- Work directly with leading literary researchers to develop your own creative and critical voice
You’ll graduate with highly valued transferable skills in writing, research and critical thinking.
You’ll benefit from:
- Inspired teaching
- Intellectual debate
- Interaction with award-winning authors and playwrights
- A rolling programme of visiting media industry professionals, including published lecturers and world-renowned researchers
Heart of culture
Leeds is the Northern heart of culture and the arts. Your campus sits in the very centre of the city, surrounded by museums, art galleries, theatres, film production companies and recording studios. We work directly with Leeds museums and galleries and many regional events, including the Ilkley Literature Festival and the Leeds West Indian Carnival.
Industry links
Our location has enabled us to develop relationships with employers and cultural industries in the city and across the region. Past students have completed placements in the editorial team at Hallmark Studios and with Peepal Tree Press, an internationally-renowned publisher based in the city.
Check out our twitter feed @BeckettEnglish for up-to-date information on staff and student events, short courses and fun happenings around the school.
Why study English Literature at Leeds Beckett University...
- Strong and meaningful partnerships with community organisations
- 95% of BA (Hons) English Literature students said staff were good at explaining things*
- Applied humanities practical module option
- Work with practising writers and active researchers
- Expert careers service
- Guest lectures delivered by industry professionals
* National Student Survey 2021
BA (Hons) English Literature BA (Hons) English Literature student Victoria talks about her experiences at Leeds Beckett.
Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
112
points required
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
We have now welcomed students from over 140 countries across the globe. If you are interested in studying with us you can find your country and get all the information you'll need about entry requirements and how to apply.
Entry requirements
112
points required
UCAS Tariff Points: 112 points required.
(Minimum 72 from two A Levels or equivalent, excluding General Studies.).
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
GCSEs:
GCSE English Language at Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.Access to HE Diploma:
Pass overall with a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points.Scottish Awards:
Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade B at Higher Level.Irish Leaving Certificate:
Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade C1 or above at Higher Level of which at least 3 must be at B2.Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
International baccalaureate
25 Points
IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Our commitment to help every student succeed:
Leeds Beckett University is committed to ensuring that every student with the potential to succeed at our University is able to do so regardless of their background. For this reason we operate a contextual admissions policy, which means we take into account a range of additional factors when we assess a student’s application. Applicants who meet at least one of our contextual admissions criteria will be offered a place on this course with lower (predicted or achieved) UCAS Tariff Points than our published tariff (above).
Our contextual admissions criteria are:
- Home postcode is in an area where few people go to University (POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 area. This can be checked on the Office for Students website)
- Declared disability on the UCAS application form (or direct application for part time applicants)
- Over the age of 21 on the 1st of September before the course starts
- Declared as a care leaver on the UCAS application form (or direct application for part time applicants)
Our place as an Anchor Institution:
Leeds Beckett University is in the top 10 universities nationwide for being representative of our local community. To further strengthen our position as a key provider of education and training for West Yorkshire we apply an Anchor Institution Policy in our admissions process. Students who apply to us from any of the five Local Authority areas in West Yorkshire (BD, HD, HX, LS, WF) will be offered a place on this course with lower (predicted or achieved) UCAS Tariff Points.
Mature applicants:
Our university welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. All students will be considered through the contextual admissions policy described above. If you do not meet the requirements through the contextual admissions policy, we may still be able to make you an offer if you have recent relevant work experience through our ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ policy. Please ensure that you list both your qualifications and any relevant work experience in your application so that we can consider you under both schemes where applicable..
All applicants should meet our standard entry requirements of GCSE grade C in English language and, where specified, Maths. Alternative qualifications such as functional skills are accepted in lieu of GCSEs for most courses.
We have now welcomed students from over 140 countries across the globe. If you are interested in studying with us you can find your country and get all the information you'll need about entry requirements and how to apply.
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
International baccalaureate
25 Points
IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Additional entry requirements:
Verify your qualifications
If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.Need to improve your English Language skills?
Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.More questions?
No matter what your questions, we are here to answer them, visit our International website to get more information and find out about our online open days.Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through a number of modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to the specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.
Our silver status in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework, reflects our commitment to deliver high-quality teaching, learning and outcomes for our students.
Teaching & Learning
Learn to identify, evaluate and analyse a range of texts. You will be able to produce sophisticated interpretations of texts and write across a range of genres, forms and styles for a diverse range of audiences. The tabs below detail what and how you will study in each year of your course. The balance of assessments and overall workload will be informed by your core modules and the option modules you choose to study – the information provided is an indication of what you can expect and may be subject to change. The option modules listed are also an indication of what will be available to you. Their availability is subject to demand and you will be advised which option modules you can choose at the beginning of each year of study.
What you'll learn
Consider examples of the three main genres into which Shakespearean texts were divided in the First Folio. You'll be encouraged to examine and problematise these categories. This module will consider the contexts of performance and reception for which this drama was produced and the contested role of theatre within Early Modern culture. By examining drama as a social practice, and exploring texts in relation to their historical moment of production, you'll explore some approaches to the contextual study of literature.
This module will enable you to study narrative by examining a series of short stories, introducing key concepts such as genre and subgenre, context, and theory. You'll explore specific ideas about narrative fiction such as reliability, authority, perspective, chronology, and story versus plot.
This module will support you as you start to work at degree level and develop strategies for the interpretation of contemporary literary texts. You'll engage with a range of post-millennial texts that seek to problematize the contemporary period. Teaching will focus on literary innovations and ways in which texts interact with techniques, approaches and debates in literary studies today. Your learning will explore a range of critical approaches through a number of set texts to help you develop key skills that will inform your work.
Focus on a single, long novel from a canonical text published in an early period as you explore the formal features of the novel. You'll start to study critical theory as a means of enabling elaborate reading of a longer literary text.
This module will introduce the principles of adaptation from literary text to a range of mediated forms. You'll focus on the study of one key chosen text, and will explore its adaptations to various other literary and media forms. This study will enable you to consider the key principles that underpin textual adaptation, explore the ways in which form impacts the production of a text, analyse the adaptation as an important ingredient in literary production. You'll respond creatively to literary text or selections of texts, by producing your own short adaptations.
Study a wide variety of poetry written in English and gain an understanding of the development of poetry from the Shakespearean period through to contemporary times. You will be better acquainted with a range of poetry in order to develop your sense of literary history. You will study critical and theoretical perspectives and interpretive tools to enable you to approach the reading and analysis of poetry with confidence.
What you'll learn
Explore key features and phenomena of literature in the eighteenth century. You'll study topics such as the rise of the novel form, the development of the Gothic, and the early Romantic movement in Britain. Focusing on new literary emergences, this module will explain these in historical terms as you draw on key theoretical and critical debates on the period.
Study a selection of literature of the 20th century and examine how literature writes about some of the key events of the for example as WWI, WWII, post-war austerity and the Cold War. You will understand key terms such as modernism and postmodernism. You will consider texts that focus on the idea of alienation and dystopia and the place of the individual in society and explore why writers of the period turned to imagining the future in order to express their concerns with their present moments. In preparation for writing your dissertation, you will be guided through the process of developing your own research question to become a more independent learner.
Develop critical and interpretative skills informed by an understanding of the role theory plays in literary studies. This module will enable you to become more confident and more adventurous in your study of literature.
Gain a conceptual and critical vocabulary for reading and analysing texts from formerly colonised regions of the world. Given the central role played by narrative and representation in the expansion of empire, you'll explore how literature has responded to, challenged, and intervened in histories and experiences of colonialism and exploitation. This module will encourage you to consider how literature explores the multiple legacies of colonialism in our present world. You'll read some of the most exciting and challenging literature written in English by writers from South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, so you can explore that history and its legacies in our globalised present.
Option modules may include
Explore issues of context - what it is, where it comes from and what its relation is to other forms of information. You will develop strong research skills by taking a theoretically informed approach to contextual study of literature.
Understand the way that humanities disciplines and skills intersect with a range of professional working contexts. You will complete 36 hours of live-brief learning to gain first-hand experience of planning, delivery and evaluating a professional working brief set by an industry partner organisation. You will work as a group across 10 weeks alongside a tutor to design, deliver, present and evaluate the brief to industry standards. As well as conducting a reflective case study of your brief, you will complete a CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and undertake a recorded mock interview.
Choose to study either Writing Fictions or Writing Poetry. If you choose Writing Fictions, you'll explore key aspects of fiction writing and respond to a range of authors from different cultures to produce your own short stories. You'll study and practise elements of narrative craft, for example characterisation, dialogue, dramatisation, point of view and story architecture. In Writing poetry, you'll extend the knowledge of writing poetry that you built in your first year. You'll develop and refine your understanding of areas such as the poetic line, voice, diction, form(s), image, and register. This module will enable you to develop skills in close reading and analysis with an eye to providing ‘actionable’ and constructive feedback to one another in a workshop setting. Reflective work, and an emphasis on writing ‘process’, will be as important as the finished product, and you'll be encouraged to seek out and emulate your own models and inspirations from a wide range of poets and forms.
Explore and unpack the idea of ‘black’ writing as a complex notion by studying texts published in Britain over a long historical period. You'll practise effectively communicating critical insights into the historic marginalisation of black voices in English (especially British) literature, and/or understand the importance of such voices, past and present, in contemporary society through working on simulated ‘live-briefs'.
What you'll learn
You will demonstrate a full range of skills, knowledge, and competencies developed over three years of study. This module provides an opportunity for you to choose and explore a field of study that has particularly engaged your interest.
Option modules may include
Explore the development of the Gothic from its literary origins in the mid-18th century through to the mid-20th century. You will analyse the literary and cultural properties of Gothicism as it has shifted and diversified over this period and you will be encouraged to engage with Gothic novels alongside a range of forms across a wide cultural and historical spectrum. This module will also introduce you to theoretical and critical methods of analysing the Gothic such as Freud's concept of the uncanny and Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection.
Examine the development of 20th-century fiction by women with particular reference to the genre of romantic fiction. You will explore how a number of writers have modified and transformed the conventions of romantic fiction and discuss the appeal of romantic fiction in terms of its specific historical contexts and in relation to psychoanalytic models of desire and narrative. This module will provide the opportunity to study these texts alongside some key feminist theories of gender and sexuality of the 20th century. You will be encouraged to develop advanced analytic skills, coupled with critical self-reflexivity in the understanding and application of theory. The group oral presentation of ideas and argument will build on your existing communication and collaboration skills.
Study a selection of American plays from the 1920s to the 1990s, focusing on the ways in which they dramatise the relationship between public issues and private concerns. This module investigate the ways in which American drama stages the enduring conflict between the search for individual happiness and the making of social and political bonds in a society based on an ideology of competitive individualism. The module will provide opportunities to refine your skills in collaborative work, oral presentation, guided research, and independent study.
Engage with debates about masculinity which took place during the long 18th century. You will read a range of literary texts, including novels and poetry and focus on important models of 'manliness' which were prevalent in the period. This module will encourage you to situate texts in relation to historical context, and also to engage with theory.
Examine the relationships between writing and the Northern Ireland conflict (1966-1998). You will consider the ways in which writing responds to serious and prolonged political and social crisis and how it offers insights into issues normally considered to be purely within the realm of party or national politics. This module will enable you to understand the way literature negotiates the tensions between the demands of artistic integrity and independence and the pressures to speak out or to contribute towards the resolution of violent political division. You will also look at texts produced after 1998, a time of somewhat uncertain `peace and reconciliation'.
Understand how writers and film-makers have imagined city spaces and identities in a range of postcolonial locations. Through an exciting range of literary and cinematic texts, and drawing on theories of urban space, place, and postcoloniality, you will explore issues that are of central importance to the world many of us live in today, including migrant labour, asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal immigrants; crime, conflict, and policing; memory, history, and urban space; class, gender, race, sexuality, and the postcolonial city amongst others.
Gain an understanding of the cultural connections between Africa and the African Diaspora through the analysis of a range of key literary works. Through close reading and analysis of the modules primary texts and the interrogation of postcolonial theoretical debates, you will be encouraged to explore the intersections and tensions between issues of race, gender, identity, education and language within the contexts of slavery, colonialism, migration and exile.
Understand the key concepts and debates in disability studies and how these can be applied to literary texts. This module will emphasise the centrality of literary studies to the emergent, interdisciplinary area of medical humanities.
Examine a body of reading, thought, and practice in contemporary writing loosely understood as `avant-garde' or experimental writing. Given the renegade nature of these works, we will move away from using such generic categories as poetry or prose, even as we try to understand how these texts usefully extend and interrogate precisely those categories. Through a programme of close reading, in-class and online discussion, and independent study, you will critically and creatively engage with a rich tradition of contemporary literary practice.
This module explores Renaissance tragedy with a particularly the sub-genre of revenge tragedy. You will explore canonical works such as Hamlet but also less familiar examples of the genre such as The Revenger's Tragedy. You will understand and analyse the plays in relation to the culture in which they were produced and the ideological tensions which traverse them.
Develop professional skill in the processes, principles and practices of editing. Working as an editor, you'll reconstruct a historical text into a modern format, lead the text’s readers through the intricacies of that text, and introduce that text to an interested, but not necessarily expert, audience.
Study the autobiographical branch of creative non-fiction.You will complete a number of creative writing exercises and regular workshops to help you refine your work with feedback from fellow students and tutor feedback in class, online, verbally, and in writing. This module will see you read a range of exemplary works of autobiographical non-fiction with a critical eye to begin making connections between the techniques and approaches of published works and your own.
By reflecting on learning acquired through work placements, this module will focus on promoting self-awareness of your ‘career story’. You will look at how you evaluate your current skills, explore the future possibilities in your career development and navigate pathways through those chosen possibilities. This module will enable you to become ‘cartographer’ of your own future experience. You will embark upon a minimum of 80 hours work placement, supported by reflective exercises, and build expertise and confidence through a range of assessments designed by the course team and employer partners. Conceptualised and designed by digital specialists, the module is purposefully created to be delivered and experienced online – reflecting the increasingly distributed nature of work communications and embracing digital environments as an integral aspect of how employees and the self-employed progress their careers.
Examine how stories told in a range of media forms can drive social change. You'll engage with complex social issues and find out how stories can raise awareness and bring about attitudinal changes in audiences. This module will encourage you to learn how characters can be used to create empathy and offer multiple perspectives on social problems. You'll understand how to structure stories, the role of narration and how to craft compelling messages for different audiences. This module will introduce you to different ways of crafting stories such as, fiction (short stories), podcasting, documentary and video. You'll also explore how storytelling is used in, for example, film, television, journalism, marketing and across different social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Fees & Funding
The tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year are not yet confirmed.
The tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Fees & Funding
The tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits. The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Additional information
For further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships, follow the links below:
The tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits. The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Additional information
For further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships, follow the links below:
95%
of BA (Hons) English Literature students said staff were good at explaining things.
You'll study ghost stories and science fiction, as well as the more traditional literary genres, and examine how "the classics" are shaped by popular culture. We explore English as a world literature, studying works from the USA, the Caribbean and Africa.
Dr Emily Zobel Marshall
Course Director
Student Reflection – Career Cartographies Module | Ciara Simms BA (Hons) English Literature student, Ciara Simms shares her experience of the Career Cartographies module
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