Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Faculty of Arts
Excellence in English
10/11
1 Contents
Studying English at Leeds ................................... 02
BA Single Honours
English Language (Q310) ................................... 05
Undergraduate Applications
and Admissions ................................................. 10
How do I apply? ............................................. 10
When will I hear? . .......................................... 10
When can I visit? ............................................ 10
Entry Requirements ........................................ 10
Mature Students . ........................................... 11
Peer Mentoring . ............................................. 11
General Accommodation Information ................... 12 Whilst the University endeavours to ensure that the information contained in this
document is accurate at the date of publication the University does not accept
Graduate Careers ............................................... 12 liability for any inaccuracies contained within it. Where circumstances change
outside of the reasonable control of the University, the University reserves the
The City of Leeds and the Region ........................ 13 right to change or cancel parts of, or entire, programmes of study or services at
any time without liability, even after students have registered at the University.
Useful Addresses . ............................................. 13 Where students have registered at the University, if changes or cancellations are
made, the University will look to provide satisfactory alternative arrangements.
School of English Level 2 & 3 Circumstances outside of the University’s reasonable control include industrial
Option Modules 2009/2010 ............................... 14 action, over or under demand from students, staff illness, lack of funding, severe
weather, fire, civil disorder, political unrest, government restrictions and concern
with regard to the transmission of serious illness.
The University’s contract with its students does not confer third party benefits for
the purposes of the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
© The University of Leeds 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in
part is forbidden without the permission of the publishers.
Designed by roomfordesign.co.uk
Excellence in English 2010-11
Excellence in English
The School of English in the University of
Leeds is one of the country’s largest and
most dynamic English departments.
Internationally renowned for our outstanding research and
teaching, and with over 50 permanent members of staff, the
School teaches across the whole range of English studies.
In Literature our expertise extends from Old English and the
Viking Sagas of Iceland through to contemporary British, Irish,
American and Postcolonial literature.
We teach Language from the historical development of the
English language through to contemporary varieties of written
and spoken English.
Our Theatre Studies programme encompasses both the
theoretical and practical aspects of drama.
Students in the School of English have a vast range of
opportunities to develop their skills, including student
newspapers, poetry journals, music and theatre, as well as
student politics. The student-run English Society is one of
the most innovative and friendly on campus.
BA English &
Theatre Studies (QW34) 4
This programme is particularly designed for
Joseph Kocharian
those students who wish to combine an interest
in English literature with the study of theatre “The School of English at Leeds
University is the perfect place for
in workshop conditions. Your time is divided the creative student. I have been
between core English modules, drawn from the able to pick from a seemingly infinite
Single Honours English degree programme, number of modules, allowing me
to tailor my course to the smallest
and core Theatre Studies modules – workshop- detail. The flexibility of the course
based courses which combine seminar not only kept me interested, but also
discussion with practical exploration of the engaged me in a broad study of both
English Literature and Language.
topics being studied. I have studied Creative Writing,
The emphasis in Theatre Studies is on learning through English accents around the world,
collaborative, performance-based group work; all teaching Icelandic sagas, representations of
emphasises the complementary relationship between creative cognitive disability in literature, films
and critical approaches to drama and theatre. In addition to and graphic novels, as well as getting
these core courses, students select a range of option modules to grips with texts from the Romantic,
in their second and third years, which allow them to focus on Renaissance and Victorian periods.
aspects of drama, theatre and literature which are of particular I love modern-day literature, and
personal interest. have been able to indulge in this
aspect of the course, writing essays
Workshop Theatre Facilities on books such as Fight Club and
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as
Workshop Theatre resources comprise four performance/ well as films such as Memento. That
rehearsal spaces. These include: said, the chronological construction
The Banham Theatre, a sixty-seat ‘end-on’ theatre with of the course meant that I found
computerised lighting and sound systems, and a state-of- I have a passion for Medieval and
the-art video recording system for the documentation of Renaissance literature, something I
performances and process work; hadn’t anticipated when I started
the course!”
Studio 1 a flexible performance space that can seat up to
eighty, and features a retractable seating bank, computerised
lighting, modern dressing rooms and showers, a foyer/student
social space and scene lifts;
Studio 2 a teaching and rehearsal room, ideal for experimental
work and short performances;
Studio 3 a small space for group work and occasional
performances.
We also possess a computer-aided design suite, a technical
suite for the recording, mixing and editing of sound and video,
a carpenter’s shop for constructing props and set building,
and a wardrobe containing an extensive collection of costumes
(including period costumes) as well as facilities for making
and mending.
I think that Leeds is a great student Teaching and Assessment
5 city from an international student’s At the School of English we remain committed to small-group
point of view as it is a student teaching. Core modules involve weekly one-hour interactive
friendly city. Studying abroad can seminars in groups of up to twelve students in Level 1, and
no more than ten students at Levels 2 and 3. These seminars
be a daunting experience when are supported by one-hour lectures once or twice weekly.
the culture is totally alien but the Options are taught mainly by the weekly seminar, plus up
to five additional hours per semester. Seminars are valued
people in Leeds are definitely its extremely highly by both tutors and students, as they allow you to
best asset, as you can’t even leave participate in debate, to exchange ideas, and to respond to views
a store without a friendly ‘ta!’. I presented by other people.
have come to love the city and the As at all universities, most of your time is spent reading, and
also writing, but each week Single Honours students will average
University and not just because of
between six and eight contact hours (between three and five
the gorgeous architecture, cheap contact hours for students in Joint Honours). All students in
prices and vibrant night life; the the School of English have a personal tutor allocated to them
from the academic staff in the School; this may or may not be
city has a style all its own! someone who also teaches you.
Kshama
Students are assessed by a variety of means. Some modules
are assessed by examination only. Some are assessed by one
BA Single Honours or two essays. A number of modules provide the opportunity to
English Language (Q310) work on an extended project, such as a dissertation. Students
on the English Literature & Theatre Studies scheme also have a
This Single Honours degree programme offers considerable amount of assessed practical work in all three years.
Mina
6
“My year at University of California,
Berkeley, enabled me not only to
study my subject from a different
cultural perspective, but to enjoy
a year of personal discovery in As an English Literature student the
which I gained independence, self- Erasmus exchange required that I
sufficiency – and had a lot of fun!”
enrolled in the English department
of my exchange university, the
Universidad de Murcia, in southern
Study Abroad for a year as part Spain. Whilst most of my friends
of your degree from university and from home
were setting off in suitcase, box
Students can apply to spend their third year at an overseas
university with which we have links, and once they are offered and duvet-laden cars across the
and accept a place on an exchange, they will be required country to begin their final year at
to change their degree scheme to a four-year programme.
Students complete Levels 1 and 2 in Leeds, then take their
university, I was stepping off the
Year Abroad in the third year, and return to Leeds to complete plane into a hot, dry September
Level 3 in a fourth and final year. morning. What followed was a
Erasmus (European) Programme year I will never forget.
Joanna
The School of English has a well-developed ERASMUS
exchange programme with a number of other European
universities. We currently have exchanges with universities in
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy,
Norway, Spain and Sweden. Some links have an emphasis
on American Studies, but it will be possible to take a mix of
American Studies and English language/literature courses.
Q300 English Language & Literature QW34 English Literature & Theatre Studies
Level 1 Level 1
Students must take the following core modules Students must take the following core modules
per semester: per semester:
Semester 1 Semester 1
Prose: Reading & Interpretation Prose: Reading & Interpretation
Language, Text & Context Approaches to Theatre & Performance
Semester 2 (2 semester module)
Poetry: Reading & Interpretation Semester 2
Exploring Medieval Literature Poetry: Reading & Interpretation
Plus 2 elective modules offered outside the School Approaches to Theatre & Performance (continued)
of English Plus 2 elective modules offered outside the School
of English
Level 2 Level 2
Students take two of the following core modules Students take the following Theatre core modules:
per semester: Performing the Past
Semester 1 Theatre, Society & Self
Medieval Renascence Plus two of the following Literature core modules
Renaissance Literature
Semester 1
Civil War & Restoration Literature
Medieval Renascence
English in Time
Renaissance Literature
Semester 2 Civil War & Restoration Literature
Eighteenth Century Literature
Semester 2
Literature of the Romantic Period
Eighteenth Century Literature
English in Space
Literature of the Romantic Period
Plus 2 modules from the School Options List (pg 14)
Plus 2 modules from the School Options List (pg 14)
OR one or two further core modules OR elective modules
OR one or two further core modules OR elective modules
Level 3 Level 3
Students must take one of the following core modules Students take the following Theatre core modules:
per semester: Issues in Contemporary Theatre
Semester 1 The Practical Essay
Victorian Literature Plus two of the following Literature core modules
Postcolonial Literature
Semester 1
Modern Literature
Victorian Literature
Semester 2 Postcolonial Literature
Shakespeare Modern Literature
Contemporary Literature
Semester 2
American Words, American Worlds, 1900-Present
Contemporary Literature
The Power of Language, the Language of Power
American Words, American Worlds, 1900-Present
Plus 4 modules chosen from the Options list within Shakespeare
the School OR further core modules OR electives
Plus 2 modules chosen from the Options list within
from another department
the School OR further core modules OR electives
from another department
Excellence in English 2010-11
Level 1 Level 1
Students must take the following core modules Students must take one of the following core modules
per semester: per semester
Semester 1 Semester 1
Language, Text & Context Prose: Reading & Interpretation
Foundations of Language Study OR Language, Text & Context
Semester 2 Semester 2
Language Methodologies & Research Methods Poetry: Reading & Interpretation
Exploring Medieval Literature OR Exploring Medieval Literature
Plus 2 elective modules in a subject other than Plus 2 elective modules offered outside main subject areas
English Language
Level 2 Level 2
Students take the following core modules per semester: Students take a minimum of 2 modules in English,
Semester 1 including at least two of the following core modules:
English in Time Semester 1
Semester 2 Medieval Renascence
English in Space Renaissance Literature
Civil War & Restoration Literature
Plus 4 modules, including at least 2 chosen from approved
English in Time
modules in English Language, Medieval Studies, Education
(TESOL modules), Linguistics and Phonetics and including Semester 2
up to 2 elective modules Eighteenth Century Literature
Literature of the Romantic Period
English in Space
Plus 4 modules as agreed by the Joint Honours department
Level 3 Level 3
Students take the following core modules: Students take a minimum of 2 modules in English,
Semester 1 including at least one of the following core modules:
Dissertation Semester 1
(2 semester module) Victorian Literature
Semester 2 Postcolonial Literature
The Power of Language, the Language of Power Modern Literature
Dissertation (continued) Semester 2
Plus a further 3 modules, including at least 2 chosen from Shakespeare
approved modules in English Language, Medieval Studies, Contemporary Literature
Education (TESOL modules), Linguistics and Phonetics American Words, American Worlds, 1900-Present
The Power of Language, the Language of Power
Plus 4 modules as agreed by the Joint Honours
department
Level 1 English Modules Explained Language Methodologies and Research
9 Prose: Reading and Interpretation
Methods (Q310 English Language only)
In this module you will develop skills in the research and
This module introduces students to a number of different analytical tools needed for English Language studies. There
kinds of prose texts. It invites an exploration of the mechanics will be three main areas: i) investigating the past, by reading
of prose writing, especially the specifics of genre, modes of facsimiles of Old English and Middle English manuscripts
representation, forms of narrative, fictional and non-fictional and early printed texts, and through studying place names,
registers – while also enabling a critical and conceptual street names, and dialect words; ii) learning to use corpora
consideration of some of the major issues often raised when (i.e. language data that has been systematically collected)
reading prose in English. The module proceeds through an of various sorts; iii) learning techniques for collecting and
enquiry into four related and interlinked areas which are analysing your own data.
considered important in the reading and study of prose texts,
and which are investigated in the following order: Narrative and Approaches to Theatre & Performance (QW34
Form; Representation and Realism; Nationhood; Subjectivity.
English Literature & Theatre Studies only)
Poetry: Reading and Interpretation This module aims to introduce students to some key strategies
for exploring and analysing theatre practice. The module is split
This module aims to provide students with an introduction to
into four units; two in each semester, each lasting five weeks:
a selection of poetic texts in English that are representative of
Unit 1 introduces ways of looking at the whole performance
a range of genres and of periods. It will also develop some of
event as a living ‘text’ which is created collaboratively by
the critical skills and terminologies required to produce close
theatre artists, and then read and interpreted individually by
and sensitive textual analysis of poetry through consideration
audience members.
of the technical features of verse in English (line, stanza,
rhyme, rhythm, metre) and provide opportunity for an Unit 2 examines a range of written play texts, considering them
exploration of a wide range of critical and theoretical as varying blueprints for performance events, and looking
approaches to poetry and culture. at the differing approaches to dialogue and stage directions
adopted by the dramatists in question. Unit 3 examines one
Language, Text and Context or two play-texts in more detail, considering in depth some
of the many possible strategies for translating them from
This module is designed to introduce you to basic skills and
page to stage, and looking at the roles of directors, designers
key concepts which are useful as a foundation for further
and actors in this creative process. Unit 4 looks at methods
studies in both English language and literature. The module
for devising new theatre collaboratively, without relying on
emphasises the importance of the social, political and cultural
pre-existing playtexts. For each unit, students will participate
contexts for the study of the English language.
in a two-hour workshop and a one-hour seminar each week.
Contextualising lectures and talks will also be presented,
Exploring Medieval Literature introducing students to the work of some leading theatre
In this module you will be introduced to the broad range practitioners and theorists.
of medieval English literature, spanning more than seven
centuries. You will study selections of this literature along
with elements of the linguistic and cultural background to the Access to Leeds
period, and consider how we might valuably compare medieval The School of English fully supports the University’s policy on
literature with our own contemporary society, and how such a Widening Participation and encourages all eligible candidates
perspective helps us to understand both medieval and modern to apply. We recognise that not all applicants are able to
modes of thought and cultural expression. demonstrate their talents and potential as readily as others
through grades alone. Access to Leeds is an alternative
Foundations of Language Study admissions scheme which gives special consideration to
(Q310 English Language only) students whose personal circumstances may affect their
ability to succeed in pre-university examinations but have the
Students taking this module examine the basic levels
potential to excel at the University. More details of the Access
of language: i) lexical and semantic; ii) phonetic and
to Leeds programme are available at: www.leeds.ac.uk/ace/
phonological; iii) grammatical; iv) the level beyond the
access/leeds.htm
sentence. This module is concerned with the shape of words
and meaning, how they sound, how they connect with each
other in writing and speech.
Excellence in English 2010-11
12
Graduate Careers
Graduates in any subject from the University of Leeds are highly
regarded by employers nationally and internationally. With a degree
from Leeds you can look forward to a career of opportunities.
Graduates from the School of English go on to follow many different
General Accommodation Information career paths: writing, theatre, law, publishing, newspaper & television
Most students live either on the campus or in easy journalism, administration, the civil service, NHS management,
reach of it in the suburb of Headingley. Over 7,000 places advertising & marketing, management consultancy, personnel, and
are available for both UK and overseas students in halls teaching among others, and often go on to further study (e.g. a MA
of residence or in University-supervised flats and small houses; [Master of Arts] degree). Some of our most well-known graduates from
the University guarantees accommodation for all single, the School illustrate the wide choice of careers open to those who
first-year undergraduates who return their accommodation read English at Leeds. They include: Wole Soyinka, writer, playwright,
application form by 1 July. There is a good supply of and 1986 Nobel Laureate (BA English 1957); Paul Dacre, Daily Mail
accommodation in the private sector for second and third- editor (BA English 1970); Gavin Esler, BBC News 24 (MA Anglo-Irish
year students. If you apply for single-person accommodation, Literature 1975); John Godber, Playwright (MA Drama & Theatre
you may expect to receive an offer of a place in July (if your Arts 1978); Mark Knopfler, guitarist and singer with Dire Straits (BA
academic offer is unconditional) or by 11 September (if your English 1973); Alistair McGowan, actor and presenter (BA English
academic offer is conditional and subsequently confirmed). 1986) and Corinne Bailey Rae, Musical Artist (BA English 2000).
Further information about accommodation, including a ‘virtual The School’s new Work Experience scheme gives students the
tour’, can be found on the University website: opportunity to spend a year of their degree working towards their
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/accommodation/ or you can contact: future profession via an approved placement.
Accommodation Services One of the largest and best resourced in the country, the University
University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT Careers Centre has an excellent relationship with graduate recruiters.
Email: accom@adm.leeds.ac.uk You can find out where our more recent graduates were working six
Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 7777/6087 months after they graduated at:
http://mycareer.leeds.ac.uk/students/leedsgraduatedestinations.asp
– simply look down the list of subjects for English.
Services provided by the Careers Centre include:
l Daily
drop-in careers information sessions available from
9.00am to 5.00pm
l Careers consultation and guidance appointments by referral
l Accredited Career Planning Modules which may be taken
as Electives
l Over a dozen graduate recruitment fairs every year
l Large number of graduate recruitment employer presentations
l Specialist Law programme for non-Law students
l Workshops on all aspects of the recruitment process
l E-guidance for those off campus
l Informative website http://careerweb.leeds.ac.uk
Centrally located a couple of minutes walk from the University Union,
the Centre is at: 5 – 7 Cromer Terrace, below and opposite Cromer
Terrace Sports Centre. Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 5295
Useful Addresses
13 For Single Honours English Language & Literature, Single
The City of Leeds and the Region Honours English Language and for Single Honours English
Literature & Theatre Studies undergraduate degree courses,
Leeds has undergone a makeover in recent years to become a vibrant,
please address enquiries to:
multicultural centre for entertainment, the arts and leisure. The city
centre, renowned for its elegantly restored Victorian arcades, offers Undergraduate Admissions Office
some of the best shopping in Britain. The city’s lively music scene The School of English
ranges from international classical concerts at the Town Hall to music The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
festivals in Roundhay Park. Leeds is a major club capital and has a Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 4759
host of live music venues featuring a wide mix of styles; the city also Fax: +44 (0) 113 343 4774
has a fast growing reputation as a centre for contemporary dance. E-mail: undergrad-english@leeds.ac.uk
The West Yorkshire Playhouse continues to offer exciting new For all Joint Honours with English undergraduate degree
developments in theatre for the whole region, while the Grand Theatre courses, please address enquiries to the following:
is the home of Opera North. Both theatres are visited by national Joint Honours English with a Modern Language
touring companies. There is a good choice of museums and galleries Centre for Joint Honours
to visit, including the renowned Henry Moore Sculpture Gallery, Modern Languages Division
and Bradford’s National Museum of Film & Photography and the The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
Alhambra Theatre. For further details see: Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 2698
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/students/fun.htm Fax: +44 (0) 113 343 2699
E-mail: jhml@leeds.ac.uk
Disability Services
Ground Floor, Social Sciences Building
The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 3927
Email: disability@leeds.ac.uk
RNIB/University Transcription Centre
Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 3928
Email: leedstrans@rnib.org.uk
Excellence in English 2010-11
School of English Level 2 & 3 Option Modules For an up to date list of module availability and
their descriptions available in the School of English, please visit our website at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/ 14
Semester 1 Semester 2
English Literature English Literature
African Literature An Impossible Profession: Representing Teachers and Teaching
Angry Young Men and Women: Literature of the Christopher Marlowe: Playwright and Spy
Mid-Twentieth Century Classics of Short Fiction
Arthurian Legend: Chivalry and Violence Contemporary Literature
Beowulf Eighteenth-Century Literature
Byron and the Shelleys T.S. Eliot
Civil War and the Restoration Literature Fictions of Fallen Women
Femininity and Fiction in the Eighteenth Century Gender, Body, Self and God: Late-Medieval Identities
Introduction to Psychoanalysis Gender, Culture, Politics: Readings of Jane Austen
Jacobean Drama D.H. Lawrence: Reactionary and Radical
James Joyce’s Ulysses Literature of the Romantic Period
Literature of the 1890s Millennial Fictions
Lost in Fiction: the Metafictional Novel from The Postmodern Victorian Novel
Don Quixote to House of Leaves Representing Kingship, 1595-1625
The Medieval Renascence: Chaucer, Langland Romance, Ballad and Fairy Tale
and the ‘Gawain’ Poet Romantic Narratives
Modern Literature Sensation Novels of the 1860s
Modernist Sexualities Shakespeare
Narratives of Witchcraft and Magic Shieldmaidens, Matriarchs and Monsters: Women in
The Rake: Sexuality and Sensibility in Restoration Medieval Scandinavian Literature
and Eighteenth-Century Literature Stories of the Eye: Literature and Visual Representation
Reading Ireland: Contemporary Irish Writing Swift, Satire and (Un)Reason
Renaissance Literature The Tempest Transformed
Shakespearean Comedy Victorian Modernity: Literature and Politics in the 1840’s
Shakespeare’s Sonnets Victorian Women’s Writing
Sidney, Spenser, Shakespeare: Versions of Romance Written in Blood: the Vampire in Literature
States of Mind: Disability, Cognitive Impairment and The Poetry of Wordsworth
Exceptionality in Contemporary Culture American Literature
Victorian Literature
American Words, American Worlds, 1900-Present
Word and World: Three Modern Poets
Something Rotten: Transatlantic Capitalism
American Literature and the Literature of Waste, 1970-Present
America Inundated: Floods and other Scourges Contemporary American Writing
in US Fiction, 1939-2006 Memorialising Slavery
Contemporary American Writing Postcolonial Literature
Contemporary American Drama: Staging a Culture in Crisis
Founding Fictions: Writing in English from Pakistan
Danger, Domesticity and American Literature
Four Women Write Africa
Henry James: Writing, Cinema and Social Selves
Indigeneity and the Postcolonial
Memorialising Slavery
Postcolonial Bodies
September 11 in Fact and Fiction
Postcolonial Emergencies
Writing America
Postcolonial London
Postcolonial Literature Writing the Caribbean
Human/Animal/Machine English Language
Lost in Fiction: the Metafictional Novel from
Children’s English
Don Quixote to House of Leaves
Language and Style of Crime Narratives
Memorialising Slavery
Language of the Media
Postcolonial Identities
The Power of Language, the Language of Power
Postcolonial London
Voices, Regional & Social
Remembering Partition
Theatre Studies
English Language
Creative Writing: Playwriting
Analysing “Acceptable” Accents
Designing for the Stage
English in Time
Harold Pinter’s Drama
Forensic Approaches to Language
Oscar Wilde: Playwright and Performer
Language, Literature and Computers
Theatrical Performance and the Senses
Routes into Text and Texture
Stylistics and Literary Pragmatics` Creative Writing
Theatre Studies Dissertation
Creative Writing: Playwriting
Modern Chinese Theatre
Opposition Theatre
Sarah Kane’s Theatre: Texts and Contexts
Surrealism and the French Stage
Theatrical Space and Scenography
Theatrical Performance and the Senses
Dissertation
For further information or to arrange visits to the School please contact:
Naomi French
Undergraduate Admissions Officer
School of English
University of Leeds
University of Leeds
Leeds, United Kingdom, LS2 9JT
Leeds, United Kingdom
Tel. 0113 343 4759
LS2 9JT
Fax. 0113 343 4774
Tel. 0113 243 1751
undergrad-english@leeds.ac.uk www.leeds.ac.uk
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english Doc No: 10012561