BA English and Film Studies

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

BA English and Film Studies combines the study of film with the study of a wide range of literary texts associated
with English Studies. Student will study a wide range of texts across different genres, including fiction, poetry and
drama (in English) and popular cinema, auteur cinema and documentaries (in Film Studies), placing each in the
context of a variety of historical periods, places and cultures. Core modules will introduce students to the concept
of world literature and world cinema, to different approaches to studying texts, and to issues such as circulation,
genre, reception and representation. Then students will choose from a wide range of optional modules to pursue
topics that interest them. The tutors will 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.

At Level 1 students will take introductory modules covering different approaches to studying film and literature. These include core modules on reading and interpretation, writing and analysis, and various film genres. In English these are Reading Between the Lines and Writing Matters, which equip students to read critically and write with rigour and persuasion. In LCS students take Introduction to Film, which introduces them to a diverse range of films from different periods. Students 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 will take one core module in LCS: Critical Approaches to Screen Studies. This module explores the different methodologies that have been used in the history of film studies. Students will develop their own original application of these methodologies by researching subjects of their own choice and writing about the roles that film plays in the global cultural field. Students will then be able to 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 subject knowledge and intellectual skills, preparing students for more independent learning.

At Level 3, students will take the core module, Current Enquiries into Film Studies, as well as pursuing an independently researched project in either English or Film Studies, depending on their interests. This sustained and extended piece of work may be a dissertation, 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 on both sides of your degree taught by world-leading researchers, benefitting from the diverse and exciting interests of your teachers. These modules will help develop and refine the active research and writing skills which students will demonstrate in your final year project. Students can still choose to take a discovery module in your final year, which allows them to complement your final-year studies with different subjects, or to learn a foreign language.

Students also have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year in their third year of studies. They also have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas

Year 1

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

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)
FILM1700	Introduction to Film Studies I	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM1800	Introduction to Film Studies II	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Level 1 candidates must also choose one of the following cornerstone modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL1050	Introduction to Audio-Visual Culture	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1150	Worlds of Literature	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.

Level 1 candidates may select a further optional module from the list below or take up to 20 credits of Discovery module.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL1070	Drama: Text and Performance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
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)
ENGL1855	Race, Writing and Decolonization	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM1900	Directing World Cinemas	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1231	Film Music	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.

Discovery Modules

Year 2

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM2055	Critical Approaches to Screen Studies	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Candidates are required to take a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the follow list of optional modules:

Basket 1: Themes and Issues in Film Studies

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2450	Screening Antiquity	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
COMM2850	Cinematic Themes	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM2015	Women’s Authorship in World Cinema	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2040	The Video Essay: Theory and Practice	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM2115	Film Programming and Exhibition: Curating for Cinemas and Festivals	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2230	Questioning Genre in World Cinemas	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: Regional and National Cinemas

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
EAST2360	Chinese Cinema	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
EAST2715	Japanese Cinema in the World	20	Not running in 202627
FILM2020	From Brazil to Africa: World Cinemas in Portuguese	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FILM2030	Introduction to German Cinema	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2110	Cinema in France: The Seventh Art	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2202	Screening Italy: Neorealist cinema to Netflix	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FILM2515	Issues in Hispanic Cinema	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 take up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules

Basket 3: Cultures Beyond Film Studies

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL2006	Social Class across Cultures	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2015	Black Europe	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2070	Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2075	Global Environmental Humanities	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL2250	Digital Communications Across Cultures	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 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)

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 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	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
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

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 take the following optional module:

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.

Discovery Modules

Candidates may choose to study up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Candidates may choose to study up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Year 3

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM3055	Current Enquiries into Film Studies	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)	PFP

Optional Modules

Candidates 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 Film Studies and a minimum of 20 further credits in English.


If students take their Final Year Project in Film Studies, they must take at least 40 credits in English and a minimum of 20 further credits in Film Studies.

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
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 AT LEAST ONE of 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 Three. They may also take a further module from Basket 3, or a further module from Basket 4,

Basket 3: Themes and Issues in Film Studies

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3450	Screening Antiquity	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
COMM3120	Film Theory and Aesthetics	20	Not running in 202627
EAST3350	Japanese Cinema in the World	20	Not running in 202627
FILM3026	Contemporary German Cinema	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM3027	Post-War European Cinema: History, Politics and Aesthetics	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM3040	Hollywood and its Others	20
FILM3050	Queer Films on Global Screens	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM3230	Cinema in the Digital Era	20	Not running in 202627

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 4: Cultures beyond Film Studies

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
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)
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.

Last updated: 30/04/2026 16:10:00

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