The undergraduate programme in English Literature is designed to provide a broad foundation in the field of English studies. It aims to:

impart the critical ability and theories necessary to engage with a range of cultural texts such as film, various types of written discourse, advertising and media; and

train a student's sensitivity to language and sophisticated communicative skills developed through prolonged engagement with literary texts and criticism.

In the first year of study, the English Literature programme trains students in literary and cultural reading, and in academic writing. Subsequent years offer a wide range of options. Students will be trained in the close reading of texts taken from one of three major areas: British, American, and Film and Cultural texts. Majoring students take modules from the "British Literature" group, as these provide knowledge of the development and connectedness of English literary history. In addition, there are modules as diverse as film, writing, Southeast Asian literature, American literature and literature in relation to the other arts; and there are honours modules which deal with specialised topics at a more advanced level - examples include Modern Critical Theory; Research Methodology; Film; and Metafictions. What brings these diverse areas together is the emphasis on the training of skills in the reading and analysis of cultural texts in all their diversity and complexity. There will also be opportunities to undertake advanced research projects in special topics as part of continuous assessment.

Career Prospects

The flexibility of the Literature programme within the modular system allows students considerable breadth in the types of courses chosen, while still retaining the rigour of the traditional English literature degree. Apart from the sensitivity to language and sophisticated communicative skills developed through prolonged engagement with literary texts and criticism, the programme also imparts the critical ability and theories necessary to engage with a range of cultural texts such as film, various types of written discourses, advertising and media. A literature student is thus well equipped for a number of jobs - typical career areas of recent graduates include journalism, television, public relations in banks and other corporations, teaching and publishing. A significant number also find places in graduate programmes in the U.S. , the U.K. and Australia . Employers and recruiters value our graduates for their training in handling the subtle nuances and complexities of all varieties of texts and discourses, and for their critical intelligence and creativity.