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The BA in Contemporary Literature at the University of Kent provides students with a unique opportunity to study the literature of their own period.
Overview
The global events that have shaped the early part of the 21st Century have given rise to writing that calls for new ways of thinking. The School of English at Kent has always been at the forefront of contemporary theory and practice. This new programme allows students to take a range of modules that seek to define and contextualise this new writing
About the School of English
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 range of international writers and critics. There are several published novelists and poets in the School, and our 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. It is possible to study this course with the year abroad option, but this is something you would add to your programme once you are a student here, should you wish to.
The degree will equip students with the critical, theoretical and historical materials necessary to study literature of the contemporary period. In Stage 1, you will be required to study our compulsory module EN333 Romanticism, as well as EN332 Writing America and EN331 Readings in the 20th Century. You would then need to choose one other module; this could be an English module but you do 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.
NEW for Stage 1 students: From September 2015 the School of English will also be offering a term-long creative writing module that can be taken by all Stage 1 English and American Literature students (EN334: Ideas and Practice: Introduction to Writing Poetry and Prose) and an additional term-long literature module (EN335: Books that Shaped Culture: An Introduction to Literature).
In Stage 2 you would choose EN677 The Contemporary and EN689 Modernism and two other optional modules. In Stage 3 you would choose four optional modules from a wide choice of modules, some of which are listed below. If you chose to study this degree with a year abroad option, you would spend the year between Stages 2 and 3 studying abroad, making the degree a four year programme.
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 wide range of literatures (particularly British and American) and encourage you to develop your own interests and expertise in fields of literary study
- enable you to develop an historical awareness of literary traditions
- develop your understanding and critical appreciation of the expressive resources of language
- offer opportunities for you to develop your potential for creative writing
- develop your ability to argue a point of view with clarity and cogency, both orally and in written form
- offer you the experience of a variety of teaching styles and approaches to the study of literature
- develop your independent critical thinking and judgement
- provide a basis for the study of English or related disciplines at a higher level
- provide a basis in knowledge and skills for those intending to teach English literature, including a broad frame of cultural reference.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- a wide range of authors and texts from different periods of literary history, from 1350 to the present day, in both British and American literature
- the principal literary genres, fiction, poetry, drama and of other kinds of writing and communication
- literatures in English from countries outside Britain and America
- traditions in literary criticism
- the challenges of 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
- the study of literature in its relation to other disciplines.
Intellectual skills
You develop intellectual skills in:
- applying the skills needed for academic study and enquiry
- evaluating of critical interpretations
- synthesising information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding of critical theory and general methodology
- making discriminations and selections of relevant information from a wide source and large body of knowledge
- how to exercise problem-solving skills
- the ability to organise and present research findings.
Subject-specific skills
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
- enhanced skills in the close critical analysis of literary texts
- informed critical understanding of the variety of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of literature
- ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of texts, concepts and theories relating to English studies
- sensitivity to generic conventions in the study of literature
- well-developed language use and awareness, including a grasp of standard critical terminology
- articulate responsiveness to literary language
- appropriate scholarly practice in the presentation of formal written work, in particular in bibliographic and annotational practices.
- 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
- enhanced confidence in the efficient presentation of ideas designed to stimulate critical debate
- developed critical acumen
- the ability to assimilate and organise substantial quantities of complex information of diverse kinds
- competence in the planning and execution of essays and project-work
- enhanced skills in creative writing (where the relevant modules have been taken)
- enhanced capacity for independent thought, intellectual focus, reasoned judgement, and self-criticism
- enhanced skills in collaborative intellectual work, including more finely tuned listening skills
- the ability to understand, interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical positions and weigh the importance of alternative perspectives
- 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.