Program Overview

The BA (Hons) English and Drama degree course will support you in developing your critical and analytical abilities, and deepen your appreciation for literature and theatre.

You will develop your writing, close-reading and research skills, and learn to present arguments coherently and creatively. In the School of English, you will be taught by respected academics and practitioners offering a diverse range of modules. You will study literature and drama from various major periods, movements and genres.

You will also have the opportunity to stage a play, and study film, art, and philosophies of relevance to drama and literature. Your degree will allow you to tailor your studies to your individual interests and career aspirations with both a local and global outlook.

What's covered in this course?

English as a discipline continues to be relevant to the lives we lead and is central to a wide range of contemporary and social contexts. It is this fact on which the School has built its philosophy and approach to English and Drama: subjects with interdisciplinary reach beyond their own boundaries.

Understanding how literature can be interpreted, engaging with multiple forms of communication, examining how literature and theatre engage with societies and cultures past and present, and the place of English in a global context, are all vital aspects in understanding how the discipline connects with the wider world, enabling you to focus on the production, interpretation and negotiation of meaning and to understand the world from a variety of perspectives.

You will benefit from student-focused and research-informed teaching in a friendly and supportive learning environment where you will be taught by respected academics and expert practitioners who foster a community of experimentation, innovation and inclusivity.

Our graduates are characterised by their extensive subject knowledge, critical thinking and intellectual curiosity, reflected in the skills and abilities that enables them to adapt to a wide range of career paths and employment opportunities.

The School is committed to contributing to the cultural life of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. We do this through working closely with partner colleges and schools, by maintaining close links with cultural institutions such as the Birmingham and Midland Institute (BMI) and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), and by working with agencies such as Writing West Midlands. In all of this we seek to widen participation and provide opportunities for the community to engage with the discipline and the University.