English Literature

English literature is the systematic study of texts in the English language, from the Anglo-Saxon origins of the tradition through to the extraordinary global diversity of writing in English produced today. It is a discipline that asks how stories, poems, plays, and other verbal art forms create meaning, what they tell us about the societies that produce them, and how the formal and technical choices writers make shape the experiences they generate for readers. At Leeds Beckett University, this part-time programme includes a year abroad, and it is taught by active researchers and writers who bring current scholarly and creative engagement to their teaching.

You will move across the full chronological and generic range of literature in English, developing close reading skills, critical vocabulary, and the ability to construct sustained analytical arguments from textual evidence. The programme encourages you to interrogate texts rather than simply consume them, bringing historical, theoretical, and cultural perspectives to bear on the literature you encounter. As well as developing sophisticated analytical capacities, you will work on your own writing, sharpening the ability to express ideas with clarity and impact that literary study develops.

The year abroad gives you the opportunity to study English literature in a different cultural and academic environment, encountering different scholarly traditions and, often, different perspectives on what the English literary tradition means and includes.

The part-time format makes the degree accessible to students who are managing other commitments. Graduates from English literature programmes move into careers in publishing, journalism, education, writing and editing, cultural organisations, communications, public relations, law, and a wide range of roles where the ability to read closely, write clearly, and think carefully about language is professionally valued. Many continue to postgraduate study in literature, creative writing, or related fields.