Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

English and American Literature and Creative Writing - BA (Hons)

UCAS code Q324

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2016

English and Creative Writing at Kent is challenging, flexible, and wide-ranging. Literature modules cover both traditional areas (such as Shakespeare or Dickens) and newer fields such as American literature, postcolonial literature and recent developments in literary theory. Creative Writing options allow you to choose from a range of poetry and prose modules and develop your own voice and style. The classes will teach you about writing and give you the chance to practise, through writing exercises, workshops and assignments, your own writing. There is also the opportunity to spend up to a year studying abroad in either America, Canada, Europe, Singapore, Korea, South Africa or Hong Kong.

Overview

Staff in the School of English are internationally recognised for academic research which links closely with undergraduate teaching, and the School regularly hosts visits by a variety of international writers and critics both on campus and in the city of Canterbury. There is a weekly reading series during term time that plays host to a wide range of leading authors reading from their work, as well as publishing industry professionals. Our staff are all published writers and continue to write. Students publish a magazine of creative writing, poetry and prose. A number of our students also write for InQuire, the student union newspaper.

Independent rankings

In the National Student Survey 2015, 91% of English students at Kent were satisfied with the overall quality of their course. Kent was also ranked 8th in the UK for English and Creative Writing in The Guardian University Guide 2016.

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

In Stage 1, you will be required to study our compulsory module EN333 Romanticism and the creative writing modules EN326 Narrative Theory and Practice and EN327 Poetry Theory and Practice; you must also choose at least one other from the list of Stage 1 modules. You can take all English modules, but you do also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order to explore other subject areas. Please note that your wild modules must equal no more than 30 credits.

In Stage 2 you would choose two creative writing modules and two literature modules and in Stage 3 you would choose one or two creative writing modules and two or three literature modules (to equal four in total). At least one of the literature modules you take over Stages 2 and 3 must be in pre-1800 literature. You also have the option in Stage 3 to take a long essay module which allows you to research and write in an area of particular interest, including creative writing. A selection of the modules available are listed below.

Teaching and assessment

Modules are taught by weekly seminars. Core modules include a weekly lecture, plus individual supervision is offered for the Long Essay. Assessment at Stage 1 is by a mixture of coursework and examination. Some modules may include an optional practical element.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • introduce you to a range of predominantly British and American literatures, and study them both as literature and as sources of technical expertise, inspiration and best practice in their own writing
  • enable you to develop an historical awareness of literary traditions and place your own endeavour within that tradition
  • develop your understanding, critical appreciation and practical powers of application of the expressive resources of language
  • offer sustained opportunities for you to discover and develop your potential for creative writing in more than one generic area
  • offer generous scope for the study of literature and creative writing within an interdisciplinary context
  • develop your ability to argue a point of view with clarity and cogency, both orally and in written form
  • develop your ability to assimilate and organise a mass of diverse information
  • offer you the experience of a variety of teaching styles and approaches to the study of literature and contemporary writing
  • develop your independent critical thinking, judgement, originality and self-reliance
  • provide a basis for the study of English, creative writing or related disciplines at a higher level
  • provide a basis for future creative writing in a number of different genres
  • provide a basis in knowledge and skills for those intending to teach English literature and/or creative writing.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You develop knowledge and understanding of:

  • a wide range of authors and texts from different periods of literary history, in both British and American literature
  • the principal literary genres, fiction, poetry, drama and of other kinds of writing and communication; insight into the varying demands imposed by their written production
  • the challenges involved in producing original imaginative writing as they relate to several different genres
  • literatures in English from countries outside Britain and America
  • traditions in literary criticism and their relationship with creative writing
  • terminology used in literary criticism
  • the cultural and historical contexts in which literature is written, transmitted and read
  • critical theory and its applications, understood within its historical contexts
  • literary criticism as a practice subject to considerable variation of approach.

Intellectual skills

You develop the following intellectual skills:

  • application of the skills needed for academic study and enquiry
  • evaluation of critical interpretations
  • ability to synthesise information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding of critical theory and general methodology; ability to synthesise material from a number of sources in a coherent creative whole
  • ability to make discriminations and selections of relevant information from a wide source and large body of knowledge or of a body of creative material
  • exercise of problem-solving skills, especially in the context of creative writing
  • the ability to organise and present research findings
  • the ability to frame oral criticism of creative work sensitively and constructively and to digest it to good effect.

Subject-specific skills

You develop the following subject-specific skills:

  • enhanced skills in the close critical analysis of literary texts and written creative work in progress
  • ability to structure and edit original creative work
  • informed critical understanding of the variety of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of literature and contemporary writing
  • ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of texts, concepts and theories relating to the study of literature and technical alternatives and their implications in the context of creative writing
  • sensitivity to generic conventions in the study of literature and to their implications for the practising writer
  • very well-developed linguistic resourcefulness including attention to tone and register and a grasp of standard critical terminology
  • articulate responsiveness to literary and other persuasive language
  • appropriate scholarly practice in the presentation of formal written work, in particular in bibliographic and annotational practices
  • appropriate professional practice in the presentation of creative work, in particular in formatting and normal submission procedure
  • understanding of how cultural norms, assumptions and practices influence questions of judgement
  • appreciation of the value of collaborative intellectual work in developing critical judgement.

Transferable skills

You develop the following transferable skills:

  • developed powers of communication and the capacity to argue a point of view, orally and in written form, with clarity, organisation and cogency
  • highly developed writing skills and enhanced fluency in creative, discursive and general communicative contexts
  • enhanced confidence in the efficient presentation of ideas designed to stimulate critical debate
  • enhanced confidence in the writing and presentation of original projects
  • developed critical acumen and critical diagnostic skills
  • the ability to assimilate and organise substantial quantities of complex information or creative material of diverse kinds
  • competence in the planning and execution of essays and project-work and in the conception, planning, execution and editing of individual creative work
  • enhanced capacity for independent thought, intellectual focus, reasoned judgement, and self-criticism
  • enhanced original creativity, imagination, judgement and powers of self-criticism
  • enhanced skills in collaborative intellectual or creative work, including more finely tuned listening and questioning skills
  • the ability to understand, interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical positions and weigh the importance of alternative perspectives
  • the ability to respond to a variety of creative positions while sustaining confidence in your own
  • research skills, including scholarly information retrieval skills
  • IT skills: word-processing, email communication, the ability to access electronic data.

Careers

Throughout your studies, you learn to think critically and to work independently; your communication skills improve and you learn to express your opinions passionately and persuasively, both in writing and orally. These key transferable skills are essential for graduates as they move into the employment market.

Our graduates have gone into: journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching; more general areas such as banking, marketing analysis and project management; or on to further study for postgraduate qualifications.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

ABB including English Literature or English Language and Literature grade B

Access to HE Diploma

The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.

International Baccalaureate

34 overall or 17 at HL, including HL English A1/A2/B at 5/6/6 OR English Literature A/English Language and Literature A (or Literature A/Language and Literature A of another country) at HL 5 or SL 6

International students

The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.

Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:

UK/EU Overseas
Full-time
Part-time

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.

The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk

Funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.  

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page. 

Full-time

Part-time

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.