BA Hons English
ApplyKey facts
- UCAS Code: Q300
5h in the UK (1st in Scotland) for English (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024)
Second-year entry: may be available to suitably-qualified students
Part-time study: available
Study with us
- undertake a truly innovative programme of English study that merges classics with the exploration of new, experimental fields of literature
- read everything from Renaissance drama to modernist poetry while developing your knowledge of literary history and theory
- study texts from a broad range of literary periods through the prisms of identity, race, gender and ideology
- work with world-leading researchers, prize-winning novelists and poets and experts on literature, language, writing and theory
- learn how to express yourself and construct arguments verbally and in writing while developing skills transferable to a number of industries and fields
Why this course?
The BA in English at the University of Strathclyde is truly innovative. As an English student, you'll enjoy the best of old and new: a grounding in the classics as well as an insight into new fields of literature. You'll read texts from a wide range of literary periods, and debate key issues such as identity, race, gender, and what it is to be a human.
In a world overflowing with text – from blogs and emails to novels and plays - our academics will help you express yourself well, construct arguments and analyse the written word. You'll also have the option to use creative and critical skills to address works which show how exciting and wide-ranging English is. As part of your experience, you’ll get the chance to work with staff who are world-leading researchers and prize-winning novelists and poets and benefit from their cutting-edge approaches to the study of literature, language, writing and theory. The link drawn between critical and creative approaches make Strathclyde’s a unique approach to the subject.
Employers like the skills developed in an English degree: written and verbal communication, analysis and discussion of ideas, and broad, creative thinking. That's why many of our graduates go on to work in exciting areas including journalism, marketing and teaching.
English 1A & 1B
This first-semester module offers an introduction to the study of English at university level. It offers a foundation for students interested in the historical and critical analysis of literary texts and for those who want to write creatively for themselves. It's the first module in the English and the English and Creative Writing degrees.
You'll have an opportunity to understand how particular historical and social contexts shape literature and to discuss ways in which historical literature continues to live and have relevance to the contemporary reader.
You'll also study in detail how literary texts are constructed. In understanding the mechanisms that make literary texts work – the choices made by an author about genre, form, and language – you'll become a subtler, more attentive reader and a better-informed and better-equipped writer.
Reading list
Primary texts
- Baldwin, Notes of A Native Son (Penguin Modern Classics, 2017)
- Alasdair Gray, Poor Things (Bloomsbury, 2002)
- Moore, Lorrie, ‘Which is More Than Say About Some People’ from Birds of America (Faber & Faber, 2010)
- Peele, Jordan, Get Out: the complete annotated screenplay (Inventory Press, 2019)
- Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein (1818 edition)
Secondary texts
- King, S (2000) On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft. London: Hodder & Stoughton
- Saunders, G (2021) A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. London: Bloomsbury
- Wood, J (2010) How Fiction Works. London: Vintage
Web links
The Literary Essay: Sophie
Compulsory
Writing Through Time 1&2
These will situate texts in context, from genre to historical period and theory. The texts include poetry, drama, novels, short stories, life writing, and screenplays and you'll have the chance to choose between critical and creative writing responses for one assessment on each class.
Elective
You then have a choice of one or two interdisciplinary electives, one in each semester:
The Construction of Scotland
This class explores how Scottish fiction and drama of the 20th and 21st centuries creates the idea of Scotland.
Making the Modern Human
This class looks at a range of literary texts and how they interpret and create the idea of ‘human’ at different points in history.
You'll select from a range of Year 3 options, and have the chance to take one Creative Writing module too. These are some of the modules which may be available.
The American Novel
This class aims to introduce you to some of the major forms and themes in the 20th century American novel with some more contemporary content. The module investigates how major social and historical issues have shaped some of the most important American novels and how the novel, as a form, has developed and adapted to describe new and different realities. Some of the historical and social issues covered in the class include:
- the suburbs and the city
- the legacy of slavery
- queer life in the US
- stories of migration and travel
This module is designed to equip students who wish to pursue studies in American literature or culture in more depth with an overview of the period. It's also designed to expand the knowledge of students with a general interest in the novel.
Victorian Literature
This class will study the literature of the Victorian period (1837-1901) and will focus on fiction, poetry, drama and non-fictional prose. It aims to situate this writing both in its contemporary political, social and cultural contexts and in the light of recent critical and theoretical debates. Themes to be covered may include:
- the 'crisis of faith'
- science and evolutionary theory
- realism and the Victorian novel
- medievalism and Victorianism
- literature and the visual arts
- key poetic genres, including elegy and dramatic monologue
- popular fiction
- the 'Woman Question'
- Empire and travel writing
- the new journalism and Victorian reading publics
- representations of the city and technology
- issues of canon and periodisation
Twentieth Century Literature
This class explores twentieth-century English literature with a focus on fiction, poetry, and drama. The survey examines major literary figures from the first half of the century, such as Woolf and Stein, along with their contemporaries and successors. Particular attention will be paid to the literary culture of Modernism before exploring the texts, culture and politics of the later 20th century through writers such as Spark, McGrath and Smith. Emphasis will be placed on understanding a diverse range of literature in historical, critical and theoretical contexts as a means of engaging with the rich literary heritage of the twentieth century, and what the twenty-first century might bring.
Sex, Revenge & Corruption in Renaissance Drama
This module will focus on drama, a key genre in the period from the 1580s to the closure of the playhouses in 1642. Reading work by major dramatists, we'll engage with a form that addressed a highly literate audience as well as a popular one, and is thus a particularly interesting place to trace ways of thinking in the period. The common thread that ties this selection of plays together is their interest in transgression: what happens when humans cross the limits set by tradition, religion and the state?
In the process of this theatrical interrogation, the plays pose questions about violence, identity, gender, desire, citizenship and the role of the theatre itself. We'll read tragedies and comedies; alongside these, you'll also be asked to think about the moral and theological debates that were taking place at the time these works were produced and consumed. Thus, for example, we'll read plays by Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson and Thomas Middleton alongside writing by Robert Burton, Sir Francis Bacon and Niccolo Machiavelli. This will enable us to explore how ideas about sex, revenge and corruption in the period are developed and contested between the stage and the work of some of the most influential thinkers at the time; it will also allow us to consider how some of these early modern limit cases still ask questions of us today.
Lectures will provide context for tutorials, which will be organised around worksheets that will be circulated in advance, and so will give you the chance to prepare for each class, and will allow everyone the chance to contribute to discussions.
Language in Business & Organisations
This class explores the ways in which language is used in businesses and other organisations. The class assumes no prior knowledge of linguistics, and teaches technical skills in discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and the analysis of other types of verbal interaction, in speech, writing and electronic communications. The analytical skills learned in this class, and the theoretical ideas, will be useful also in the analysis of literature or any other aspect of language in use. Seminars give you practice in the analytical skills. The class assumes that you have no prior knowledge or experience in discourse analysis, conversation analysis, pragmatics, etc.
The Body: Theories & Representations
What does it mean to ‘write the body’? How has the world of sensory experience been rendered in theory, literature, and film? What metaphors do we summon to understand physical experiences of joy, sickness, health, desire, exhaustion, and intoxication?
This class will approach these questions (and more) by studying literary, visual, and theoretical engagements with the body in late 20th and 21st -century culture. Over the course of the semester, you'll encounter some key debates about the body and its representation in literature and film. You'll engage with the fields of gender theory, queer theory, critical race theory, and disability theory. You'll also learn some strategies for analysing contemporary culture through the ‘lens’ of theory, developing skills you can take into other areas of your study.
English & Creative Writing Work Placement
This placement module offers you the opportunity to gain practical, work-based experience (minimum 60 hours) in an area that is professionally related to or relevant to your BA. For your degree this might be working with a publisher, or literary agency, or in an office environment where you are using your skills in reading, interpretation and writing. Or you might use this as an opportunity to look towards a future career: so, if you plan to go into teaching, for example, you could look to get a placement working in a subject-related environment with young people.
You can also take one of the following English & Creative Writing classes as part of your English degree in Year 3.
Writing Short Fiction & Poetry
Writing Short Fiction and Poetry is a module studying contemporary short stories and lyric poetry. Generally speaking, the aim of this class is to get you writing as soon as possible – each week is aimed at teaching some of the basics of Creative Writing alongside a case study of a writer and their particular approach to elements of the craft.
Dramatic Writing
We'll be reading screenplays, talking about them, and writing our own. What is the difference between writing for the page and writing for the screen? Screenplays are, in practice, a series of instructions: for actors, for crew members, for potential financiers. A screenplay is a dual-purpose document. It exists as proof of concept (i.e., proof of narrative); and it is there to communicate the spirit and tone of the finished film. More than anything, our first job as writers for the screen is to make the reader hear and see. Primarily it is to make the reader see. There are many ways in to a life in writing for the screen. But, as with any good work of fiction, it begins with engaging characters. Do they appear to us fully formed? Or does it take development? How can we get them onto the page? What are the decisions we make at the start of a project? What is visible and the invisible writing? This class encourages you to consider the shape of your story in order to point yourself—and your narrative—in the right direction.
Throughout your degree, you'll develop analytical and writing skills that will prepare you to tackle the final-year dissertation. The choice of subjects for your dissertation is wide open – we value and reward student initiative.
Year 4 is also your chance to take more electives as well as your dissertation in English – two options for joint Honours, and five for single Honours. Choose from:
Writing Gender in Contemporary Literature
This class examines how contemporary authors make sense of gendered experience. We'll investigate cultural practices of writing (and rewriting) gender in the twenty-first century, paying particular attention to the relationships between gender and literary genre, from transgender memoirs to autofictional masculinities, twenty-first-century romance novels, and the queer graphic novel. We'll also investigate the impact of feminist political activism on the publishing industry, from the indie press to the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The class will introduce you to key theories of gender and equip you with strategies for reading literature through the lens of feminist theory. Over the course of the semester, you'll encounter some of our most exciting contemporary writers and deepen your understanding of literary gender politics in the present day.
21st Century Science Fiction
This class introduces you to twenty-first-century science fiction from across the globe. Contemporary science fiction creates alternative technological bodies and worlds, allowing us to address questions around what it means to be human, what our relationship is to technology and how we might build worlds that are less destructive. With these major themes in mind, this class will focus on four key critical lenses:
- race
- colonialism
- disability
- sexuality and gender
Questions to be explored include:
- how are worlds reconfigured through queer sexualities and genders
- what futures are brought into being for previously marginalised peoples
- what is science fiction’s relation to the past
- how does contemporary science fiction challenge tropes of colonialism
- what bodies emerge in these future worlds and why?
Each week you'll read, watch or listen to a contemporary, global science fiction text exploring how histories, worlds, bodies and relations are represented and reimagined.
Wild in the Renaissance
The concept of 'the wild' is one that emerges in many different ways in the writings of the Renaissance; in relation to self-cultivation (holding back the wildness within), the control of one's world (taming the ever-present wilderness); and in relations with fellow humans in a changing world (in savage domination). These ideas get played out in numerous ways in the period - from poetic use of the symbolic resonance of gardens and gardening; the religious underpinnings of the 'missionary endeavour' in the New World and what that says about the concept of human nature; to the anxious self-examination of humanity's inevitable sinfulness.
This class will thus introduce you to key canonical texts from the period – plays, poetry, and court masques – by writers including Shakespeare, Jonson, and Milton, and will also engage with a critical and theoretical debates about the relationships between humans and the natural world from the new fields of animal studies and ecocriticism.
Victorian Gothic
This class traces the development of the Gothic across the nineteenth century, from its origins in the Romantic period to its heights in works like Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The class is organized around key concepts of the Gothic genre, including the sublime, the unseen, textual hybridity, un narrative unreliability.
We'll also look at subgenres like the Female Gothic and Eco-Gothic, examining how the Gothic allows authors to explore cultural anxieties including women’s rights, deviant sexualities, urbanisation, migration, and environmental devastation. Iconic monsters like Frankenstein’s monster, Mr Hyde, and Dracula will thus be situated within their specific cultural milieu, helping us to understand both their origins and their continued popularity.
Present Day Victorians
Neo-Victorian cultural products have been recognised as a crucial site for the critical rediscovery and reinterpretation of Victorian literature and culture (in particular the themes of class, race, gender and sexuality). Evoking the genres of crime and mystery fiction, themes of science, technology and alternative futures, the figure of the Victorian author and the voices of marginal characters from Mrs Rochester to the ghosts of the séance circle, neo-Victorian writing seeks to understand the continuing impact of the nineteenth century on the present day. This class will consider how and why these texts have problematised Victorian discourses (e.g. imperialism, madness, sexual deviance, technology, the cultural roles of reading and writing). We'll draw on a range of interpretative strategies from post-colonial, feminist, queer, adaptation, appropriation, heritage and film studies.
Sixties Britain: Literature, Culture, Counterculture
The 1960s are often thought of as the decade of hedonism, hippies, free love and The Beatles. Yet the sixties were also a time of deep political unrest and activism, during which political movements for civil rights, anti-war and women’s liberation gained momentum. In addition, the 1960s were a decade of important technological advancements (including the introduction of colour television and developments in space exploration) which would have a fundamental effect on culture in Britain and beyond. The aim of this class, therefore, is to explore the legacy of the 1960s, its representation through a variety of key literary, cultural and critical texts. Beginning with an examination of British culture through a literary lens in the late 1950s, it goes on to explore the central tensions of the decade. In doing so, students will engage with a variety of classic texts of the period, examining the 1960s in terms of culture vs counterculture, class, race and gender, reflecting on just how controversial the decade actually was.
Soviet Literature in Translation 1917-1967
This class uses a particular place and historical era (the first 50 years of the Soviet Union) to look at the relationship between socio-political context and literary form. This encourages students to draw conclusions about literature in general from the literature of one language and a comparatively small set of cultures in particular. In addition, the class broadens knowledge about otherwise neglected areas of Europe in the east, an area whose rapid political and economic change is increasing its present day influence. Finally, it provides a unique opportunity for Strathclyde students to learn about the culture and history of Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. This will allow students to approach existing classes on Europe, which focus often on Western Europe, with a new perspective.
Expertise in English at Strathclyde covers both the traditional literary curriculum and exciting new developments in the field, from animal studies, to reclaiming working class literary experience, from cognitive accounts of literary experience to queer accounts of travel writing. In our teaching, we aim to be inclusive, respectful, caring, and ambitious, helping every student to achieve their potential.
Elspeth Jajdelska, subject leader for English
What you’ll study
Year 1
Year 2
- The Construction of Scotland: Text and Context
- Making the Modern Human
Year 3
- Sex, Revenge and Corruption in Renaissance Drama
- Language in Business and Organizations
- Victorian Literature
- Twentieth Century Literature
- The American Novel
- The Body: Theories and Representations
- English and Creative Writing Work Placement
- Writing Short Fiction and Poetry
- Dramatic Writing
Year 4
- Sixties Britain: Literature, Culture, Counterculture
- Soviet Literature in Translation 1917-1967
- Victorian Gothic
- 21st Century Science Fiction
- Writing Gender in Contemporary Literature
- Wild in the Renaissance
- Present Day Victorians
Facilities
We're based in the Lord Hope Building which provides a social hub and access to student services such as the library, cafés, meeting areas and exhibition spaces.
The Andersonian Library - directly opposite - has around a million print volumes as well as access to over one million electronic books and over 105,000 e-journals.
Postgraduate study
We offer these taught masters degrees in:
- Applied Gender Studies
- Interdisciplinary English Studies
- TESOL & Intercultural Communication
- Creative Writing
Masters degrees can be the first step to a PhD or help with career and personal development. We welcome overseas students, including visiting students.
We also offer PhD and Masters research degrees.
The lectures were always challenging and interesting and I found it fascinating to learn about the different aspects of language and literature.
Hadeel Janabi, English graduate
Assessment
Most classes are assessed by a mixture of essays or other written work. For some classes, there are exams and in some cases, oral work is assessed.
Learning & teaching
In Year 1 and Year 2 core classes, each class involves two lectures and one tutorial per week. In the second year option classes there is one lecture and one tutorial per week.
The rest of your teaching is in your other two subjects.
In Years 3 and 4, most classes involve one lecture and one tutorial per week; some involve two-hour tutorials and no lectures.
A large part of your week will be spent reading in preparation for classes.
The Flexible BA
With our BA (Honours) degree, you can choose from subjects in Humanities, Social Sciences and Business, with two of your three subject choices taught by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.
The BA degree is a four-year course allowing you try new subjects, develop your own ideas, build a broad range of knowledge and enhance your employability.
Subject combinations
Use our subject picker tool to see the combinations available to you in Year 1 of the BA Humanities & Social Sciences degree. Please note that in Year 2 you'll continue with two of these subjects.
Explore the structure of the BA Humanities & Social Sciences degree for detailed information on Single and Joint Honours options.
Placements
What makes this programme different from any Undergraduate programme in Norway is that you can explore a combination of subjects that complement each other.
BA English, Politics & International Relations
Chat to a student ambassador
If you want to know more about what it’s like to be a Humanities & Social Sciences student at the University of Strathclyde, a selection of our current students are here to help!
Our Unibuddy ambassadors can answer all the questions you might have about courses and studying at Strathclyde, along with offering insight into their experiences of life in Glasgow and Scotland.
Entry requirements
Highers |
(including English plus at least one other social science subject from those listed under preferred subjects below; plus National 5 Maths or Application of Maths at B to C.)
(including English at B plus at least one other social science subject from those listed under preferred subjects below; plus National 5 Maths or Application of Maths at C.) Preferred subjects
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A Levels | ABB-BBB |
International Baccalaureate | 32-30 |
Irish Leaving Certificate | Two H2 passes and three H3 passes including English
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HNC | Social Sciences: Year 1 entry: A in Graded Unit; Maths National 5 B, or equivalent |
International students | View the entry requirements for your country. |
Deferred Entry | Not normally accepted |
Additional Information
Students are required to register with the Scottish Government’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme.
*Standard entry requirements
Offers are made in accordance with specified entry requirements although admission to undergraduate programmes is considered on a competitive basis and entry requirements stated are normally the minimum level required for entry.
Whilst offers are made primarily on the basis of an applicant meeting or exceeding the stated entry criteria, admission to the University is granted on the basis of merit, and the potential to succeed. As such, a range of information is considered in determining suitability.
In exceptional cases, where an applicant does not meet the competitive entry standard, evidence may be sought in the personal statement or reference to account for performance which was affected by exceptional circumstances, and which in the view of the judgement of the selector would give confidence that the applicant is capable of completing the programme of study successfully.
**Minimum entry requirements
Contextual Admissions for Widening Access
We want to increase opportunities for people from every background.
Strathclyde selects our students based on merit, potential, and the ability to benefit from the education we offer. We look for more than just your grades. We consider the circumstances of your education and will make lower offers to certain applicants as a result.
University preparation programme for international students
We offer international students (non-UK/Ireland) who do not meet the academic entry requirements for an undergraduate degree at Strathclyde the option of completing an Undergraduate Foundation Programme in Business and Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre.
Upon successful completion, you can progress to your chosen degree at the University of Strathclyde.
International students
We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.
Scotland | £1,820 Fees for students who meet the relevant residence requirements in Scotland are subject to confirmation by the Scottish Funding Council. Scottish undergraduate students undertaking an exchange for a semester/year will continue to pay their normal tuition fees at Strathclyde and will not be charged fees by the overseas institution. |
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England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £9,250 Assuming no change in fees policy over the period, the total amount payable by undergraduate students will be capped. For students commencing study in 2024/25, this is capped at £27,750 (with the exception of the MPharm and integrated Masters programmes), MPharm students pay £9,250 for each of the four years. Students studying on integrated Masters degree programmes pay an additional £9,250 for the Masters year with the exception of those undertaking a full-year industrial placement where a separate placement fee will apply. |
Republic of Ireland | If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
International | £19,600 |
University preparation programme fees | International students can find out more about the costs and payments of studying a university preparation programme at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre. |
Available scholarships | Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities. |
Additional costs | International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information. |
Please note: All fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
How can I fund my studies?
Students from Scotland
Fees for students who meet the relevant residence requirements in Scotland, you may be able to apply to the Student Award Agency Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government. Scottish students may also be eligible for a bursary and loan to help cover living costs while at University.
For more information on funding your studies have a look at our University Funding page.
Students from England, Wales & Northern Ireland
We have a generous package of bursaries on offer for students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales:
You don’t need to make a separate application for these. When your place is confirmed at Strathclyde, we’ll assess your eligibility. Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities.
International Students
We have a number of scholarships available to international students. Take a look at our scholarship search to find out more.
Careers
Graduates can be found in areas such as teaching, publishing, the Civil Service and the media. Recent employers include:
- Apple
- BBC
- Education Scotland
Apply
Please note that you only need to apply once for our BA degree programme.
For instance, if you have applied for BA Honours English and are considering your options for a Joint Honours degree, e.g. a BA Joint Honours in English and French you only need to apply for one or the other on UCAS.
If accepted on to the BA programme, you can study one of the many available subject combinations.
Start date:
English (1 year entry)
Start date:
English (1 year entry)
Start date: Sep 2025
English (1 year entry)
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