- Our vibrant and diverse curriculum covers traditional subjects such as Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, as well as contemporary ones such as gender, multiculturalism, environmentalism and digital technologies.
- As a London-based university, we explore the ways in which literature has been shaped by the city, and arrange trips to Shakespeare’s Globe, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Museum of London, the National Gallery and the BFI. We’re partners with a major literary festival and have numerous internship opportunities for students.
- 94% of our students are satisfied with the quality of our teaching (National Student Survey 2018)
- 92% of our English Literature students are in work of further study within six months of graduation (Destination of Leavers from Higher Education 2018 results).
- Roehampton is in the top 12 universities in England for graduate earnings in English (Longitudinal Education Outcomes, 2018 results, earnings five years after graduation).
Summary
This engaging BA English Literature degree is for people with a passion for literature.
The extended degree programmes include a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying English Literature at degree level. Our extended degree programme will provide you with a thorough and supportive academic preparation for study. The foundation year is carefully designed to build confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with the subject specific knowledge essential for success.
On our English Literature course you will explore topics as varied as children’s literature, the poetics of surveillance, Shakespeare on screen and Victorian novels. You’ll also study classic and modern writing from around the world, including the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Zadie Smith and Neil Gaiman.
You’ll be taught by world-class researchers and writers, and be part of a department that’s ranked 15th in the country* on the strength of its research. We also run extra lectures and masterclasses with renowned authors, such as our Chancellor, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Horowitz and Emma Donoghue.
Develop a range of skills you’ll need in the workplace, including clarity of expression in written work and oral presentation, research skills, and the ability to analyse arguments and ideas. You will be supported to realise your potential through individual tutorials, small group work and lectures.
Roehampton has thriving partnerships with leading literature festivals and cultural organisations, including Battersea Arts Centre, Wimbledon Bookfest and Barnes Children's Literature Festival. You can volunteer or undertake paid work placements. We also have our own press, Fincham Press, so there’s the chance to have your own work published.
You can expect to make full use of London's extraordinary range of libraries, museums, galleries and theatre spaces. Built into our modules are guided trips to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Maritime Museum and Shakespeare's Globe, to name just a few.
According to the latest official survey, 92% of English Literature graduates are working or in further study six months after finishing this course (Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education Survey, 2018 results) and our graduates earn more on average than those from any other modern university in London (Longitudinal Education Outcomes 2017 results, earnings one, three and five years after graduation). This means you'll leave us, not only with a deeper appreciation of literature, but also highly-equipped to succeed in whichever career you wish to pursue.
You can study English Literature combined with Creative Writing and with Drama, Theatre and Performance.
* Results from the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.
Content
Foundation year
- You will take modules in English and Maths which will develop your core academic and study skills.
- We will introduce you to literary forms, providing you with a subject specific knowledge in English Literature which is essential for success in your degree.
First year
- Immerse yourself in a wider range of literature, building your knowledge of modern and classic books.
- Learn to present your work effectively and confidently, and gain experience of evaluating and using critical material.
- Our current students are studying texts such as Shakespeare's King Lear and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and exploring the representation of London in the work of Arthur Conan Doyle and Neil Gaiman.
Second year
- Focus in on particular historical periods. This could include Victorian Literature, which gave us Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest; American Literature: 1865-1915, which spans from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn to Willa Cather's My Antonia, or Modernist and Post-War Literature, which includes works by Don DeLillo and J. G. Ballard.
Final year
- Shape your course in areas that interest you by choosing from our rich and varied modules. Literature on Screen, for example, looks at how the works of Shakespeare and Beckett have been adapted for film; Diaspora Voices invites you to study authors such as Zadie Smith; and Perspectives on Children's Literature includes the work of writers such as Melvin Burgess and Mark Haddon.
- As a single honours student, you will write a dissertation on a topic of your choice, building the independent research and critical analysis skills that employers value.
Modules
Foundation Year
Communication for Academic Purposes 1
Communication for Academic Purposes 2
Operational Mathematics
Literary Forms: Poetry and the Novel
Literary Forms: Drama and The Short Story
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Discovering Literature
London in Literature
Constructing the Classics
Optional modules
Childhood and Culture
Postcolonial Rewritings
Origins of Genre: The Gothic
Year 2
Period modules
The Literary Renaissance
The Romantic Period
American Literature: 1865-1915
Modernist and Post-War Literature
Victorian Literature
Topic modules
Writing Multicultural Britain
Genre in Context
Literature, Gender and Sexuality
Children's Literature in Context
Literature and Media
Continental Connections: Study Trip
Year 3
Optional modules
Early Modern Gender
Victorian Literature and Culture
Modern American Literature
Diaspora Voices
Literature on Screen
Shakespeare: Stage and Page
Literature and the Culture of Print
Perspectives on Children's Literature
Contemporary Literature: Dystopias
Literature in Context
Rewriting London: Text, Film, Image
Compulsory module
Dissertation and Professional Development
Compulsory and Required modules
Compulsory and/or required modules may change when we review and update programmes. Above is a list of modules offered this academic year.
Optional modules
Optional modules, when offered as part of a programme, may vary from year to year and are subject to viability.
Career options
Our careers team is available to support you from the start of your studies until after you graduate. They will help you build your CV, prepare for interviews, and meet and learn from successful graduates working at the top of their careers. You’ll also have opportunities to work with our partners across London and beyond, and to attend a Roehampton jobs fair where you can find out about graduate opportunities and meet employers.
Life at Roehampton
At Roehampton, we can offer all new students the opportunity to live in accommodation on our beautiful parkland campus, including affordable and high-end options.
We offer scholarships, provide hardship funding and help you find advice on managing your finances while you study.
We provide plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, through volunteering, playing sport or music, or joining one of our many active student societies.