English and Comparative Literature combines the study of literature in English with different literatures from around the world. Students choose from the whole range of options in the School of English, including writers from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Canada and the Caribbean. They also study texts in translation from Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, taught by literature specialists from the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies (LCS). Core modules introduce them to the concept of world literature, to different approaches to studying literary texts, and to issues such as circulation, genre, narratology, reception and representation. Then they choose from a wide range of optional modules to pursue topics that interest them. Tutors provide diverse specialist expertise to help students gain a deeper understanding of literature from around the world and to develop transferable skills in analysis, communication and research that are highly valued by employers in a wide range of sectors.
A joint honours degree allows students to study the same core topics as students on a Single Honours course, but they take fewer optional modules in order to fit in both subjects.
At Level 1 students take introductory modules covering different approaches to studying literature. These include core modules on reading and interpretation, writing and analysis, and on comparative literature as a way of thinking about literature across different cultures, places, genres and periods. In English these are Reading Between the Lines and Writing Matters, which train them to read critically and write with rigour and persuasion. In LCS they take Worlds of Literature, which introduces them to a diverse range of texts and critical approaches. They will then be able to choose an optional module in LCS from a variety of different subjects, take further modules in English or LCS, or take discovery modules from a choice across the University.
At Level 2, students take two core modules in English: Writing Environments and Body Language. These modules explore two urgent contemporary challenges, the climate crisis and personal wellbeing, and will examine how these issues can be understood and expressed through literary texts. In LCS they take Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature, which explores how literature circulates around the world and intersects with aesthetics, economics, ethics and politics. Here they develop their own original responses to these questions by researching subjects of their choice and writing about the roles that literature plays in the global cultural field. They then choose from a range of optional modules across English and LCS, or still have the chance to take further discovery modules. Level 2 will deepen and enrich their subject knowledge and intellectual skills, preparing them for more independent learning.
This course also has an optional international and industrial variant. Students may apply to study abroad at one of a wide range of partner universities with which the University of Leeds has established links. They may also apply to spend a year in industry on a work placement, which gives them the chance to enhance their studies through work experience. Both the international and the industrial year take place in the third year of study.
At Level 3, students undertake an independently researched project in either English or Comparative Literature, depending on their interests. This sustained and extended piece of work may be a dissertation, a textual edition, or a podcast. The Final Year Project is the capstone achievement of the degree, consolidating and further enhancing the skills of project planning, research initiative and self-motivation which are highly valued by future employers. Students can also choose from a wide range of optional specialist modules taught by world-leading rese
archers on both sides of the degree, benefitting from the diverse and exciting interests of staff. These modules will help students to develop and refine the active research and writing skills which they will demonstrate in their final year project. They can still choose to take a discovery module in the final year, which allows them to complement their final-year studies with different subjects, or to learn a foreign language.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL1065 | Reading Between the Lines | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL1110 | Literature, Culture and Critique | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL1150 | Worlds of Literature | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Candidates must take between 20 and 60 credits of the following optional modules in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL1050 | Introduction to Audio-Visual Culture | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL1060 | Language: Structure and Sound | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MODL1070 | World Histories | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL1090 | Intercultural Competence: Theory and Application | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL1100 | Politics, Culture and Society | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL1401 | Discourse, Culture and Identity | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Candidates may also take between 0 and 40 credits of the following optional modules in the School of English:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL1221 | Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL1261 | Poetry: Reading and Interpretation | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL1286 | Drama: Reading and Interpretation | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| ENGL1855 | Race, Writing and Decolonization | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Candidates may choose to study up to 40 credits of discovery modules or pursue additional modules in English or LCS, provided that they have already chosen at least 40 credits on each side of the programme.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory module
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL2070 | Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Students must take at least 20 credits of English modules per semester, with a minimum of 40 credits for the academic year. They should select no more than 80 credits of English modules. Students must select at least one of the following modules. They may also select both options, if preferred.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2030 | Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2045 | Body Language: Literature and Embodiment | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Student may also select one or more modules from the options below, to fulfil the minimum requirement of 20 credits of English modules per semester. Students can select a maximum of one module (20 credits) per basket.
Basket 1
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2029 | Renaissance Literature | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2144 | Life, Love and Death from Chaucer to Marlowe | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Basket 2:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2065 | Postcolonial Literature | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2090 | Modern Literature | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Basket 3:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2095 | Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2096 | The World Before Us: Literature 1660–1830 | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Basket 4:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2055 | American Words, American Worlds | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2080 | Contemporary Literature | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Basket 5: Please note that some of the modules in this basket have pre-requisites for enrolment
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2024 | Language in Society | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| ENGL2034 | Cursing and Courtesy: (im)politeness in English | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2039 | Keywords: the words we use and the ways we use them | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2042 | Language Policy, Planning, and Politics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2044 | Prose Fiction Stylistics and the Mind | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| ENGL2049 | Language of the Media | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Basket 6: Please note that some of the modules in this basket have pre-requisites for enrolment.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL2023 | Power of Language | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2032 | Children, Talk and Learning | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2033 | Crime Fiction Stylistics: Crossing Languages, Culture, Media | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2037 | Forensic Approaches to Language | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL2038 | Global English: Colonialism, Postcolonialism, and Decolonisation | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| ENGL2043 | The Politics of Language | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| ENGL2048 | Dialect Hunting | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL2181 | Digital Discourse: language, social media, AI | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module
Candidates will be required to study between 20 and 60 credits from the following optional modules in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAS2600 | Virgil's Aeneid | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| CLAS2700 | Homer's Iliad | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| EAST2148 | Trauma Narratives in the Contemporary Sinophone World | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| FILM2020 | From Brazil to Africa: World Cinemas in Portuguese | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2006 | Social Class across Cultures | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2015 | Black Europe | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2075 | Global Environmental Humanities | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLAV2113 | The Spaces of Russophone Literature | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| SLAV2114 | The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Please note these are optional modules and run subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose a module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
Candidates may also take FOAH2020 Towards the Future: Skills in Context.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOAH2020 | Towards the Future: Skills in Context | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Candidates may choose to study up to 40 credits of discovery modules or pursue additional modules in English or LCS, provided that they have already chosen at least 40 credits on each side of the programme.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
At Level 3, students must study 120 credits. Students are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in English and a minimum of 40 credits in Comparative Literature.
All students must take 40 credits as a Final Year Project (FYP) module, which can be taken in - and count towards - either of their two subjects (EITHER English or Comparative Literature).
In order to be eligible for an Honours degree, students must meet the normal Rules for Award by passing all modules which are designated to be passed for award or progression and by passing the required number of credits at each level as specified in the Curricular Regulations (at least 200 credits at Level 2 or above, of which at least 100 should be at Level 3).
Students will be required to study ONE of the following Final Year Project modules.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL3005 | Textual Editing Project | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| ENGL3041 | Final Year Project | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| MODL3050 | Final Year Project | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
If students take their Final Year Project in English, they must take at least 40 credits in Comparative Literature and a minimum of 20 further credits in English. If students take their Final Year Project in Comparative Literature, they must take at least 40 credits in English and a minimum of 20 further credits in Comparative Literature. Students are required to choose AT LEAST ONE of the following modules in the School of English. If they do their Final Year Project in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, they must choose AT LEAST TWO of the following modules. Modules can be taken from either Basket 1 or Basket 2. The list provided below is indicative and subject to change year by year depending on staff availability:
Basket 1:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL3031 | Sex and Suffering in the Eighteenth-Century Novel | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3033 | Writing and Gender in Seventeenth-Century England | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3034 | Romantic Lyric Poetry | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3046 | Parts, Periodicals, Newspapers: Literature and the Nineteenth-Century Press | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3073 | Turks, Moors and Jews: Race and Identity in Early Modern Drama | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3114 | Forming Victorian Fiction | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3321 | Angry Young Men and Women: Literature of the Mid-Twentieth Century | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3477 | Cursing and Courtesy: (im)politeness in English | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3479 | Forensic Approaches to Language | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3482 | Language Policy, Planning, and Politics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3491 | Language of the Media | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3579 | Law and Literature: Transgression, Justice, and Interpretation | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| ENGL3680 | Postcolonial London | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| FOAH3001 | Global African Writing | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Basket 2
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL3008 | Writing Modern Sexualities | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3027 | Shakespeare | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3061 | Heart Disease in Contemporary Literature | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3062 | Charles Dickens Then & Now | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3065 | Page, Publication and Audience | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3068 | African American Narrative | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3072 | Narratives of Witchcraft and Magic | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3164 | Imagining Posthuman Futures | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3181 | Digital Discourse: language, social media, AI | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL32111 | Gender, Culture and Politics: Readings of Jane Austen | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3391 | September 11 in Fact and Fiction | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3394 | Bowie, Reading, Writing | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3396 | Fictions of the End: Apocalypse and After | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3462 | Slavery and Antislavery in the Atlantic Imagination | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3475 | Children, Talk and Learning | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3476 | Crime Fiction Stylistics: Crossing Languages, Culture, Media | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3481 | Keywords: the words we use and the ways we use them | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3485 | Trial Discourse: The Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913 | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| ENGL3489 | Dialect Hunting | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Students are required to choose between 20 and 40 credits from the following modules in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. If they do their Final Year Project in the School of English, they must choose AT LEAST TWO of the following modules.
Students must take at least one module from Basket One. They may also take a further module from Basket Two.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOAH3150 | Religion and Violence | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| FOAH3230 | Transnational Feminism and Creative Practice | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL3200 | Representing the Holocaust: Transgression and the Taboo | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MODL3410 | Contemporary World Literature | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL3620 | Decolonial Approaches | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLAV3118 | The Spaces of Russophone Literature | 20 | Not running in 202627 | |
| SLAV3119 | The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Basket 2:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAST3156 | Nature and Technology in Japan: Cultural Images | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL3045 | From Inferno to the world. Reading Dante’s Divine Comedy in a global context | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL3630 | Social Movements across Cultures | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL3650 | Minoritised Languages, Dialects and Cultures from Past to Present | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
Candidates may choose to study up to 20 credits of discovery modules or take additional modules in English or LCS.
Last updated: 11/05/2026 11:40:31
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