English Literature and American Studies - BA (Hons)

University of Manchester

This degree is designed for those wanting to study English Literature who have a particular interest in American cultures and literatures. Students choose from a wealth of English studies courses in a leading English Literature department, combined with one of the strongest concentrations of Americanist experts in the country. You’ll get access to an array of literatures in the English language, from graphic novels to poetry and from post-colonial literature to contemporary American fiction. \ The specialisms of our lecturers enable students to learn about concepts and debates from literature, popular culture and history, developing highly relevant tools to approach today's global society. These include: * Democracy and the novel * Postcolonial film and fiction * Narratives of conspiracy thinking and social media * Environmental humanities and climate communication * Gender, sexuality and culture * Cultural theory and modernism * Anti-racist literatures and cultures * Radical thought, literature and social activism * Cultures of recent and contemporary capitalism * Victorian studies and Manchester * The politics and poetics of life writing * ‘Public humanities’ approaches (which engage with publics and practitioners, informed by questions of social justice) \ Engaging with these forms and themes will refine your critical perspectives, encouraging you to place cultural works within broader historical and political contexts in engaged and concrete ways. A signature dimension of this degree is its cultivation of ‘interdisciplinary’ skills, highly valued in contemporary society. \ On this course, many students take advantage of the opportunities for study abroad for one semester at one of our partner institutions in North America or Europe. The course holds more than 20 exchange partnerships with institutions across North America, including North Carolina State, University of Illinois, Rutgers University, and the University of Toronto – founded on deep trans-Atlantic partnerships (our American Studies course is the oldest in the country). \ You'll also become part of a thriving community of students, lecturers, and writers at The University of Manchester, in the heart of a UNESCO City of Literature. This city has produced some of the world's greatest writers and has a lively literature and arts scene, including major events like the Manchester Literature Festival. The Centre for New Writing also hosts a regular public event series, Literature Live, which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to read and engage in conversation.