Program Overview

• Join a community passionate about the study of literature and the broad subject of English
• Tailor a programme to your interests from a diverse range of writers and movements
• Attend the University of Winchester Writers' Festival — an opportunity to meet authors, publishers and agents
• Add an extra string to your bow by teaching on the Japan Exchange and gaining a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
• English Literature at Winchester pushes the boundaries of the discipline, giving you the opportunities to enjoy a thought-provoking mix of traditional and modern materials.

Year 1 provides the foundations for your studies of literature with modules designed to develop your skills of critical analysis, research, and writing. This is achieved through the study of a wide range of fiction, poetry, and drama from across the historical periods. You will study early literature in its context, explore the boundaries between literature and other types of texts like films, and have modules on poetry and world literature.

After the first year, the majority of modules are optional, allowing you to engage with the writers and movements that most inspire you.

In Year 2, you can choose from all the major literary figures and movements, from Shakespeare to modern fiction. Modules examining American literature and Film, and Children’s Literature and Young Adult Fiction are also available.

In Year 3, a specific collection of writing, a particular theme or critical theory is considered in detail and a wide variety of topics exist. These include Literature and Psychoanalysis, Other Worlds and Fantasy Fiction, Utopian and Dystopian Fiction, and modules from our vocational suite such as Teaching and Communicating English. Modules here tend to be closely related to the research interests of teaching staff and engage with cutting-edge developments in the discipline. In your final year you will also be guided through personal tutorials to complete a dissertation in a subject area of your choice.