This level 4 core module is designed to challenge students’ inherited assumptions about literature by focusing their reading through a number of critical and theoretical approaches. The module offers a survey of several ways of reading and is designed to empower students by giving them awareness of critical strategies they may never have thought of before.  Throughout, students will be encouraged not to accept critical theories passively as received wisdom, but to challenge their relevance and validity, forming a pragmatic understanding of which approaches are most useful and workable in different contexts.  The emphasis will be on the application of theory to the students’ critical practice, achieved through a balance between the discussion of literary theory (normally through secondary explanations, but also involving some primary theory) and the close reading of literary texts.  The devotion of the whole module to criticism and theory allows a degree of specialisation to complement the students’ more general foundational work. A new theoretical approach will be introduced every two weeks, allowing one week for discussion of the asynchronously available seminar materials and lecture, and another week for the application of said critical ideas to the selected literary texts. 

1. To demonstrate the relevance of particular theories or critical approaches to the interpretation of literary texts.
2. To develop a basic awareness of how texts can be read in different ways.
3. To encourage an understanding of some of the significant preoccupations of critics and thinkers about literature.
4. To enable students to gain a foundational knowledge of several critical approaches.

This a foundational core module uses a range of texts from the Renaissance to the present day. The module introduces students to the key skills of literary analysis required at degree level. The module will explicitly consider the skills involved in reading, writing essays and understanding how literature interacts with social, historical and cultural contexts, as well as introducing students to the important foundational techniques, tools, and terminology of literary criticism. Students will focus on the close, analytical reading and interpretation of prose, poetry and drama; for example, Romantic poetry, a play by Shakespeare, a contemporary novel. The lecture programme will complement the seminars: lectures will cover, for example, individual authors, genre, context, literary periods, learning resources and study skills.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To introduce students to the key forms of literary writing (poetry, prose and drama)
• To introduce students to a range of techniques, tools and terms useful in the analysis of literature at degree level
• To introduce students to the learning resources available to them, including using secondary sources and understanding context
• To ensure students are aware of the key skills involved in active and critical reading, as well as researching, writing essays and delivering presentations at university

The module explores a wide range of Gothic novels, short stories, poetry and film from the late-eighteenth century to the present day. Students will investigate the distinctive features of the Gothic genre in literature in relation to historical, cultural and literary contexts; for example, students may explore the role of the Gothic in Romantic poetry, or its relationship to ideas of the Sublime, or nineteenth century fin-de-siècle preoccupations with degeneration, or the relationship between the Gothic and Horror or Magic Realism in contemporary literature. The module will enable students to further their knowledge of literary history through analysis of the continuities and developments of Gothic themes and conventions, and to critically consider the issue of the relationship between 'high' and 'popular' culture. The module examines the Gothic genre via a range of critical and theoretical approaches which explore relevant issues such as gender, politics, sexuality, race, class, religion and psychoanalysis. Texts studied may typically include Frankenstein, 'The Fall of the House of Usher', 'Carmilla', The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dracula, The Shining, and Let the Right One In. 

1. To introduce students to the Gothic genre, raising awareness of the relationship between Gothic literature and wider historical and cultural contexts.
2. To enable students to critically analyse a range of Gothic texts from the eighteenth century to the present.
3. To enable students to apply theoretical and critical approaches to the study of Gothic texts and conventions.
4. To encourage students to develop an awareness of the Gothic in relation to both popular and élite cultures.

This module considers how gender, as a core facet of identity, is defined and redefined in and by literature, film and popular culture. Students will be equipped with key gender theorists’ ideas in order to enable them to consider gender’s role in their own lives. Further, the module enables students to bring to bear a gendered lens when considering the construction of identity in a wide range of texts (including books, films, news stories, and music videos). It builds on the work many of the students will have done in their first year, considering gender’s function in literature, and it encourages creativity through its assessment options. The module’s key concerns – gender and identity – and its intersectional approach – make it entirely consistent with wider University initiatives around decolonizing the curriculum. Texts and theorists studied may typically include extracts from foundational works like Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble; Laura Mulvey’s theories of the gaze; or Kimberlé Crenshaw’s ‘Mapping the Margins’; and more recent books and articles by, for example, Kate Manne (Entitled), Chandra Mohanty (‘Under Western Eyes Revisited’) or Sara Ahmed. Online materials and resources such as the Everyday Sexism and Hollaback! projects will also be employed.

1. To introduce students to key gender theories, raising awareness of the relationship between gender and identity in wider historical and cultural contexts.
2. To enable students to analyse the role of gender in a range of texts and artefacts (literary, filmic, and popular cultural).
3. To enable students to apply theoretical and critical gender approaches to the study of literature, film, and popular culture texts.
4. To encourage students to develop an awareness of how gender works in and on identity (of writers, artists, and also of fictional characters). 

This optional module will introduce students to various forms of children’s literature – such as ‘penny dreadfuls’, story papers, short stories, series fiction, comics, picture books, poetry and young adult fiction – across a range of genres, including fairy tales, fantasy, the school story, adventure fiction, detective fiction, social realism and horror. Students will explore the connections between genre, form, audience and ideological functions in children’s literature. Students will be encouraged to think about cultural contexts and social change and to consider how children’s literature reflects developments in adult constructions of and anxieties about childhood from the nineteenth century to the present day. Issues covered include representations of the ideal child, family, adult/child hierarchies, childhood spaces, education, gender and class, along with the didactic functions of children’s literature, its various audiences and the uses of censorship.

Typical texts studied on this module could include fairy tales by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Disney adaptations of fairy tales, extracts from ‘penny dreadfuls’ and story papers – including Talbot Baines Reed’s Parkhurst school stories and Frank Richards’ Greyfriars stories, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy, Carolyn Keene’s The Secret of Shadow Ranch, Batman comics, Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island, Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, picture books by Anthony Browne, Jacqueline Wilson’s The Illustrated Mum, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Lil Chase’s Secrets, Lies & Locker 62, Judy Blume’s Forever, Nancy Garden’s Annie on My Mind and R. L. Stine’s The Boyfriend.

• To introduce students to a range of forms and genres of children’s literature.
• To develop a critical awareness of the construction of representations of childhood in children's literature.
• To explore and critically assess the cultural and social contexts of children’s literature.
• To explore critically a range of key themes issues in children’s literature.

Embedding the Chester ‘Citizen Student’ principle at the heart of English Literature teaching, this module introduces students to the legacies of materials representing community, activism, and protest, from the English Civil War to the present. Where possible, the module will include a field trip and workshops with specialists in different fields, enabling students to explore issues of equality and social justice in relation to varied forms of communication and storytelling, and the role of heritage organisations in communicating traditions of activism, human rights, liberation, and protest.

Assessment includes an opportunity for students to try their hand at creative work in different media, accompanied by critical reflection on those creative processes and their place in the traditions of protest studied on the module.

Texts to be analysed are likely to include not only fiction, drama, and poetry, but also protest songs, films, political tracts, graphic storytelling, and material culture. Thus, texts are likely to range in historical scope and form from Milton’s Paradise Lost, to life-writing about pirates and outlaws, to publicity materials for the ‘Pits and Perverts’ event of 1980s queer/ workers solidarity in Pride.

This module is informed by principles of ‘inclusive curriculum’, and materials centring marginalised experiences / voices.

1. To develop students’ confidence in analysing a variety of literary forms and media across four centuries, and to develop awareness of interdisciplinary Humanities research;
2. To guide students in analysing representations of citizenship and protest as both historically-specific AND as participating in long-standing traditions;
3. To enable students to demonstrate understanding of the legacies of literature and other media in producing, communicating, and reflecting upon discourses of citizenship and protest across four centuries;
4. To enable students to produce a piece of work with potential to contribute to, and reflect critically upon, the traditions of citizenship and protest discussed in the module

Nineteenth-century literature is 'sensational' in numerous ways: in its popularity, brilliance and innovation; in its focus on the senses, sensibility and emotion; and in its development of genres driven by secrets, scandal and suspense, such as the Gothic, crime novels and Sensation fiction. The module offers students the opportunity to explore the preoccupations of the literature of this incredibly rich period, whilst placing the reading and analysis of texts in a range of historical, cultural and literary contexts. Thematic areas discussed may include: the experience of natural and urban environments; the body, gender and sexuality; race and empire; revolution, crime and disorder; religious belief and the supernatural; forbidden love; social, political and economic concerns; form and literary technique. Authors studied may include, for example, Jane Austen, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Emily Brontë, Lord Byron, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oscar Wilde and William Wordsworth.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To encourage students to explore the rich literature of the nineteenth century and encourage an awareness of its thematic and generic diversity.
• To situate a wide range of nineteenth-century texts in relation to their historical and cultural contexts.
• To analyse in detail some of the key preoccupations of nineteenth-century literary texts.
• To enable students to engage critically with current scholarship on and theoretical approaches to nineteenth-century literature.

The purpose of this module is threefold: to equip aspiring writers with knowledge that will help them to get their own work published and potentially to earn income as a writer; to provide insight into the publishing industry that will advantage those considering a career or freelance work in publishing; and to develop relevant professional writing skills that are also transferable to other occupations. The module will explore opportunities for publication, introducing the protocols – and pros and cons – of submitting work to literary magazines, competitions, agents, and publishers, as well as the alternative route of self-publishing (or ‘independent publishing’) and the pitfall of ‘vanity publishing’. It will also consider how a writer’s career can be enhanced by developing a public profile through such means as websites/blogs, social media, interviews, signings, readings, festivals, and workshops. The module will take students through the process of book production from drafting a proposal to reviewing the finished product, introducing such key aspects as copyediting and proofreading (using industry-standard markup), cover design and blurb-writing, and printing and e-publishing (including print-on-demand and ‘enhanced books’). It will also consider contemporary issues in publishing, such as environmental impact and diversity (of workforce, publications, and readers), as well as key events in the publishing calendar. The Research Project encourages students to explore an aspect of publishing that particularly interests them. The Portfolio of Professional Writing provides an opportunity to develop factual and persuasive writing skills in a range of short authentic forms (such as a book proposal, cover blurb, book review, author profile, website content, social-media post, reference article, and magazine pitch).

1. To develop knowledge and understanding of publishing as a creative industry.
2. To develop a critical awareness of opportunities for the aspiring writer to get their own work published and potentially to earn income as a writer.
3. To develop understanding of a range of jobs in publishing and the key skills these require.
4. To develop factual and persuasive writing skills that are specific to publishing and transferable to other occupations.

This module offers English students the opportunity to reflect on the transferable employability skills they have developed during their studies and to apply them in a relevant workplace context. As a work-based learning module, much of the students’ time will be spent working for a local company with an established relationship with the Department of English on a placement which requires them to use the skills typically developed on the English programmes, such as clear written and spoken communication, being critical, and recognising and applying language effectively in a range of contexts. Alongside students’ experience in the workplace, they will receive support, training and instruction from both their placement provider and their tutors on how best to develop and extend their abilities when applying them in the workplace. This will include reflection on what subject-specific skills they have developed, how to apply them in the workplace, and developing positive employment behaviours such as curiosity, organisation and positivity. Taught sessions will also focus on how knowledge about linguistic structures (as taught on this module) can be applied effectively in workplace communication and relations.

1. To develop students’ experience of working in a vibrant and engaging workplace relevant to their studies.
2. To foster in students a greater understanding of the transferable skills they develop on their English degree.
3. To encourage students’ awareness of how their skills are applicable and valuable in a range of workplace contexts.
4. To support students’ ability to reflect upon their employability and market themselves in terms of their skills and experience.

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the university of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism

• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection
• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

The purpose of this module is to enhance students’ prospects of completing an overseas placement to the best of their ability consequently it aims to:

• To equip participants with appropriate knowledge and skills to study or work in a different cultural, linguistic and/or social environment; enhancing ethical, cultural and intercultural awareness.
• To enhance students understanding of the ethical issues related to living and working abroad.
• To increase students Global Citizenship skills
• To provide an opportunity for students to reflect critically on their experience of living and learning within an unfamiliar culture, to their 'home' culture or ethnic group.

To challenge students to learn about themselves as global citizens in terms of life skills, career choices and academic development outside the classroom.

Preparation for the year abroad will take place in Chester during level 5 and will include:

• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Host-country orientation, study methods– economic, political and social reality of the country
• Orientation specific to exchange – health, education, gender issues
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Practical matters relating to living and studying in the wider world

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Critical thinking skills, experiential learning       and models of reflection

Personal and placement-related transversal skills

• Effective self-motivation and independent resourcefulness
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development

Whilst abroad:

Students will undertake study at one of UoC’s partner universities; it is expected that students will choose a series of modules at the university abroad, which equal a full-time study load. This must be agreed by the host institution and the International Tutor. Students must supply details of their courses/modules on a learning agreement within 4 weeks of arrival at the host university, note students who fail to supply this within 4 weeks may have the opportunity withdrawn.

1. To experience academic life in country outside of the EU, enhancing cultural and intercultural awareness and increasing transversal skills.
2. To reflect on the impact of the experience in their destination on one’s own personal, academic and professional development.
3. To engage with the experience of study at a partner university to gain extensive first-hand knowledge and understanding of the relevant society from the perspective of the resident.
4. To further develop independent learning techniques.
5. To foster critical evaluation.

This module is designed for Level 5 Modern Language or English Language students intending to spend a year abroad and/or considering teaching English as Foreign Language. It is also suitable for students of all disciplines interested in a career in TEFL. Students will develop their knowledge of English grammar and structure and acquire a basic understanding of the communicative approach to teaching English as a Foreign Language.  Students will also be introduced to a range of methods of teaching, learning and assessment. This knowledge will be applied practically in the planning of motivating learning activities and lesson structures, utilising the loop input approach. Students will also be acquainted with a variety of language learning resources. To complement their theoretical knowledge students will also be provided with practical teaching experience, ideally with authentic foreign learners of English, where they will have to opportunity to experiment with various learning and assessment techniques. Some teaching practice will also be in the form of micro-teaching sessions with peers on the module.

1. To develop students' awareness of English language grammar and structure.
2. To raise students’ awareness of phonology and the appropriate methods and materials to teach English pronunciation successfully.
3. To introduce students to some basic contemporary pedagogical theory related to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language.
4. To introduce students to a range of teaching and learning materials
5. To provide students with practical skills for the English language classroom.
6. To establish sound approaches to critical reflection with regard to observation, practice and professional development.
7. To enable students to enhance their transferable and interpersonal skills such as self-presentation, time management, communication and problem solving.

This module allows students to spend several weeks working on one major project working in a professional, 'simulated real world' working environment. Students will plan, execute and evaluate their work for the selected context appropriate to the programme of study.

The experiences gained in this module are invaluable to those students who see themselves working in their chosen field in the future. The staff teaching on this module bring a wealth of professional experience which they use when supervising the project work of the students.

The exact role of each student will vary according to the project undertaken, (and often with outside agencies) under staff supervision or direction. All work created will be designed to emulate best professional practice.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To provide opportunities for students to engage with the processes necessary for the realisation of practice based work, drawing on and further developing skills gained in previous modules.
• To approximate the demands of professional practice in making and delivering the work created, in order to prepare students for the greater autonomy expected at Level 6.
• To enable students to contextualise their experiences in relation to current theoretical debates
• To encourage students to consider longer term plans for their own career development as makers and producers of collaborative work in diverse contexts.

Pre-placement:

• Structured approaches to researching, selecting and securing a suitable work placement relevant to the student’s interests and career aspirations*.
• Writing an effective CV. Constructing a letter of application.*
• Interview skills.*

 *Note: Students are required to undertake these pre-placement tasks during term 1 level 5, as part of the placement acquisition process and will be supported by the Work Based Learning team and the Careers and Employability department.

 Induction Programme and Placement:

• The organisational context: research-informed analysis of the placement organisation’s aims, structure, culture.
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess. (Employability Skills: e.g. verbal and written communication, analytical / problem solving capabilities; self-management; team working behaviours; negotiation skills; influencing people; positive attitude, resilience, building rapport).
• Devising a strategy for integrating into the workplace and work based teams
• Completion of online assignment tasks covering sourcing and obtaining placement; health and safety procedures in general; general workplace integrity; placement requirements. 

During and post-placement: Learning effectively in and from the workplace:- 

• Devising and implementing strategies to improve own approach and performance
• Critical analysis/evaluation of approach to skill development and performance in the workplace;
• Influencing the Placement Provider’s appraisal;
• Devising an action plan to develop gaps in transferable skills based on the placement experiences;

This module aims to enhance students’ prospects of gaining graduate level employment through engagement with a University approved work placement**, which will enable them to:

• Develop their understanding of workplace practice and lifelong learning;
• Enhance their work readiness and employability prospects through development of transferable skills;
• Take responsibility for their own learning and acquisition of workplace employability skills;
• Articulate, in writing, their employability skills.

This module involves the analysis of a range of science fiction texts, normally selected from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They will be considered as literary texts in their generic context but will also be placed in a range of historical, cultural, and ideological contexts. This module will analyse the formal characteristics of science fiction, but will also consider the genre as a ‘literature of ideas’, considering how science fiction has engaged with, and represented, cultural and technological changes since the late nineteenth century.   The sequence of seminars on the module will normally reflect the chronological development of science fiction.  The seminars will focus on core set texts (supplemented by additional material as appropriate), but will encompass social, literary and scientific contexts as well as text-based critical analysis.  There will be discussions of the role and technique of the science fiction writer; teaching may also include workshop sessions. An optional creative writing project is offered, particularly for Creative Writing students.

1. To analyse critically a range of science fiction texts.
2. To develop a critical awareness of the relationship between science fiction and the wider historical and cultural context(s) in which it is produced.
3. To encourage a detailed understanding of the complex thematic continuities and recurrent concerns of, and debates in, the field of science fiction (and where appropriate, to use this understanding in creative writing).
4. To enable students to deepen their engagement with English and American literary and cultural history and to analyse issues of canonicity with regard to science fiction.

This is an optional module for students of English at level six. It is designed to complement the other modules in the programme (each with their own range of authors or groupings of texts) by allowing students to examine the work of one author in detail. It enables students to consider a variety of texts by the one author from a range of critical perspectives. The module also affords students the opportunity to explore the relationship between the work of one author and his/her social, cultural and intellectual context (occasionally, where appropriate, a group of authors may be considered as one specific topic. The Brontes, for example, may be studied just as William Shakespeare, J.R.R Tolkien or Angela Carter may be). This module implicitly emphasises the higher-level skills of analysis, synthesis, reflection and application with the aim of producing an informed personal response to the author under consideration. This will enable students to apply the analytical skills and knowledge acquired at earlier levels to the work of the author in question and to develop their own informed personal response to his/her work.

1. To allow students to examine the work of one author in detail.
2. To allow students to analyse a variety of texts by that author from a range of critical perspectives.
3. To examine these texts in their historical, cultural and intellectual contexts.
4. To enable students to acquire the higher level skills of analysis, synthesis, reflection and application with the aim of producing an informed personal response to the author in question.

This level 6 optional module offers students the opportunity to apply the critical skills acquired studying literature at levels 4 and 5 to explore how and why writers represent, question and problematize concepts of crime, deviance and subversion in their work. In representing issues, identities and behaviours which challenge established social norms, the module explores how these texts probe ideological and cultural constructions of what constitutes the criminal, the deviant and the subversive. Areas with which the module may engage could include: the psychology of the criminal; culturally non-normative sexuality and sexual behaviour; criminality and class; political debate and the censored author; representations of violence; the individual and the justice system. Texts studied would span genres, cultures and historical periods and may include works by Mikhail Bulgakov, Patricia Highsmith, Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, Sarah Waters, Shirley Jackson and Truman Capote. Throughout, students are encouraged to examine texts within their social, historical and literary contexts to consider how literature reflects, questions and challenges the cultural and ideological preoccupations of the society in which it is produced.

1. To analyse critically literary representations of crime, deviance and subversion in a range of texts, employing appropriate theoretical approaches where relevant.
2. To interrogate what different cultures and eras represent as crime, deviance and subversion and reasons for this.
3. To develop a critical awareness of the relationship between literary texts and their historical, cultural and ideological contexts in terms of what constitutes crime, deviance and subversion.
4. To enable students to develop the higher level skills of analysis, synthesis, reflection and argument with the aim of producing informed, well-evidenced responses to the issues raised by the module content.

This module focuses on women’s writing from the 1840s, when feminists first began to press for social change, to 1970 when the Equal Pay Act was passed. This period saw women writers developing narratives focusing on female protagonists who ventured out from the domestic sphere to seek wider opportunities in the world of work and education, seeking intellectual fulfilment and economic independence. This module aims to develop students’ understanding of these narratives by examining the social and political contexts of women’s writing of the period, allowing them opportunities to acquire the critical concepts and vocabulary specifically associated with a range of feminist and gender theories, along with the skills to apply these theories to literary texts. Recent work on mobility studies, place studies, women’s property, and material culture studies are also relevant and will be explored where appropriate. The module also engages with historical and recent debates surrounding gender and sexuality. The module will engage with historical debates, non-fiction primary sources and the work of feminist and gender theorists, along with the close analysis of the ‘journey from home’ narratives in a range of novels, poetry and plays authored by women. The authors studied on the module could include: Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell, Margaret Oliphant, Elizabeth Robins, Rebecca West, Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf, Daphne Du Maurier, Elizabeth Bowen, Muriel Spark, Shelagh Delaney, Fleur Adcock, and Angela Carter.

1. To enable students to evaluate women’s writing within its historical and cultural contexts.
2. To introduce students to the complex theoretical positions associated with feminist and gender theory.
3. To promote the analysis of key narratives which characterise the work of many women authors publishing between the 1840s and 1970s.
4. To enable students to understand the historical debates regarding women’s rights and how these have been reflected in female-authored texts.

This optional module will introduce students to a range of twenty-first-century young adult fiction – including crossover fiction, stand-alone novels, series fiction, comics and graphic novels, film and television and fandom – across a range of genres, such as dystopian fiction, superhero narratives, crime fiction, LGBTQ fiction, fantasy, social realism and fan(dom) fiction. Students will be encouraged to consider the ways in which contemporary YA fiction responds to recent social, political, cultural and technological advancements and the extent to which twenty-first-century YA narratives push boundaries, celebrate diversity and emphasise accountability in their representations of adolescent identities and experiences. Issues covered include the role and representation of gender and sexuality, citizenship and political regimes, terrorism, criminality, technology and social media, and fandom and consumer culture in contemporary young adult fiction.

Typical texts studied on this module could include Cecily von Zeigesar’s Gossip Girl, Anne Cassidy’s Looking for JJ, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jack Thorne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Cassandra Clare’s The Bane Chronicles, David Levithan’s Every Day, Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars, Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers, Lisa Williamson’s The Art of Being Normal, Rob Thomas’s Veronica Mars, Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin, Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Joanna Kenrick’s Screwed and Malorie Blackman’s Boys Don’t Cry. 

• To introduce students to a range of twenty-first-century young adult texts and to identify key developments and emerging trends in the young adult fiction market in relation to contemporary cultural and social contexts;
• To explore the relationship between young adult texts and the contemporary publishing industry and fan communities;
• To cultivate a critical awareness representations of adolescence and adolescent-centred themes and issues in young adult fiction;
• To examine relationships and interactions between texts, readers and authors of young adult fiction in the twenty-first century.

This module focuses on the literature of the long twentieth century, exploring its social, historical and cultural contexts. This period was shaped by two world wars, the decline of the British Empire, debates around sexuality, race and gender, class conflict, and the increasing recognition of postcolonial voices. The module thus might explore the stylistic innovations of modernist writers; responses to experiences of World Wars I and II and other major conflicts; the literature of mass protest, such as Irish nationalism, feminism and eco-activism, and fights for independence from colonial rule. The module will engage with later developments, such as the emergence of postmodernist writing, the impact of Black and queer writing and responses to global capitalism. The generic and stylistic diversity of novels, poetry, plays and short stories published during the century will also be analysed, while non-fiction forms, such as life writing and journalism may also be included. The module primarily considers how literary texts of the long twentieth century engage with and shape constructs such as class, race, nationhood, family, gender, sexuality, and the body. 

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To encourage students to analyse critically texts of the long twentieth century.
• To explore the relationship between the set texts and their changing artistic, social, and political contexts.
• To enable students to examine and evaluate critical and theoretical writings about modernism, postmodernism and other related features of this period.
• To encourage students to make precise and sophisticated comparisons of the texts in terms of their characteristics and historical contexts.

This module gives the student the opportunity to research in depth and write at length about a topic/author of their own choice, working with a supervisor from their own discipline.

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To enable the student to identify and independently pursue a suitable research topic derived from the content of their programme of study;
• To encourage the student to apply appropriate research methods and critical/ theoretical perspectives;
• To provide the opportunity for the student to develop skills in critical thinking and communication;
• To prepare students for postgraduate research and/or develop research-related transferrable skills, and increase their confidence in working autonomously.

This module creates the opportunity for students to reflect on their existing skillset and hone their professional competencies and skills in readiness for careers in the creative industries.  

Students will consider how best to promote themselves, developing an employability portfolio most appropriate to their career trajectory. Students will develop an understanding of local, national and international job markets and opportunities for entrepreneurial activity to give students practice in self-promotion, in targeting and networking with relevant employers and understanding the freelance world. 

Students will engage with a range of tasks to develop the content of their portfolio and explore opportunities and career prospects within their chosen industry. Indicative content will include:

• Developing websites 
• Profile creation and use of social media 
• Writing and developing curriculum vitae and cover letters
• Producing audio/-visual content 
• Skills assessment

The aims of the module are: 

• To enable students to market themselves effectively in the competitive creative industries
• To develop students' knowledge of professional fields of practice within and outside of the creative and cultural industries where their abilities, skills and knowledge may be relevant;
• To promote the importance of networking in the creative industries
• To develop students' appreciation of the transferability of their accumulated knowledge, experience and skills;