English Literature

Why this degree?

We are widely recognised as one of the leading English Literature subject areas in the UK, and one of the largest and most active, too. Among the members of the Subject Area are a number of people from other countries such as­ USA, Ireland, Greece, Mexico, and Jamaica. Their presence contributes to the distinctive profile of English Literature at Glasgow. 

We have an active research culture which encompasses work in all current areas of literary study, and achieved excellent results in the Research Assessment Exercice (RAE) of 2008.  70% of our research was rated as either "world-leading" (35%) or"internationally excellent" (35%), which places us between third and eighth in the UK.  This builds on our achievement of a 5*-rating in RAE 2001 - the highest score available.    

In recent years, the subject area has developed a strong reputation for creative writing and interdisciplinary study to add to its prior distinction across the range of English studies. Now we cater equally for students wishing to study all aspects of English and American literature from the early modern period onwards, and students interested in exploring the links between, for example, literature and science, philosophy, technology, and visual culture.

English Literature is a very popular choice among students at Glasgow University and currently around 1500 undergraduate students take courses with us, in any given year, including 400 at Honours Level. In recent years, the Subject Area has also worked to create a large and lively graduate community, with about 100 students now studying on a range of Taught Master’s and PhD degrees. A high proportion of undergraduate students proceed to do research in English Literature, and many have been successful in attracting AHRC funding for their projects.

Reading English Literature is a personal (and entertaining) voyage of discovery into human experience and imagination as it has been expressed in written form over five centuries. As well as the inherent pleasures of great art, it will afford insight into how rhetorical structures of narrative and metaphor shape everyone’s perception of the world. It will develop your skills in detailed observation, analytical writing, and comparing texts as well as introducing you to writers who will be companions for life.

Teaching Provision

English Literature provides the following full-time teaching programmes:

• A four year Single Honours Degree in English Literature (MA)
• A four year Joint Honours Degree in English Literature and any other subject within the College of Arts (MA)

We also contribute towards the three-year non-Honours MA degree.

Resources

Teaching in English Literature makes use of an extensive collection of audio-visual resources as well as the Moodle virtual learning environment, while the STELLA laboratory offers opportunities for the study of literature and computing. For those with interests in developing skills in creative writing, professional writers are in residence to provide advice and encouragement.

Career Prospects

An Honours degree in English Literature opens up a wide range of career opportunities, such as (in recent years), administration, journalism and publishing, marketing, management, teaching (at home or overseas), public relations, accountancy, media research.