School of English
Module manager: Dr Daniel O’Gorman
Email: d.ogorman@leeds.ac.u
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
A Level English Literature OR A Level English Language OR A Level English Language and Literature OR Other relevant pre-UG experience/studies.
ENGL1055 Writing Matters
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module extends your existing literary analysis skills, whether gained through private reading and/or via academic study, by thinking about how literary analysis can help us read the world around us. It will furnish you with a critical vocabulary for talking about culture and encourage you to develop your own critical relation both to the study of English and to the wider world. The module is designed to complement the module Reading Between the Lines (but does not require knowledge of it). Questions that we may consider include: · How do we decide what counts as literature? · What is involved in literary study? · How have close reading and critical thinking informed the evolution of English Literature as a discipline? · How do we move from literary to cultural analysis? · What modes of cultural critique does English Literature share with other disciplines? · In what ways does literary analysis intervene in questions of politics? · What is the value of literary critique in an age of distraction, competing truth claims and AI? · How does literary study equip us for life beyond the university?
This module will:
. Promote a reflective understanding of literary studies by introducing students to debates about the history, development, and future of English studies as a subject, primarily through lectures and independent reading.
2. Explore the connections between literary analysis and cultural critique, allowing students to hone their critical thinking skills, through seminar discussion and assessment activities.
3. Encourage students to begin thinking about how their training in literary studies will enable them to contribute uniquely to the world outside of the seminar room: both in employment and in the wider world.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
LO1. Analyse and design well-evidenced critical arguments.
LO2. Articulate a reflective awareness of critical debates about the value of critical thinking, close reading and cultural critique.
LO3. Evaluate literature’s relation to the world around it: how literature is shaped by and, in turn, shapes our understanding of culture more widely.
SLO1. Develop complex arguments.
SLO2. Devise complex ideas using different modes and for different audiences.
SLO3. Collaborate with peers to achieve shared goals and objectives.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 170 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Formative feedback will be provided orally in seminars on weekly discussion board posts. Group presentations will also receive feedback.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 90 |
| In-course Assessment | Assignment | 10 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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