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The BA in Contemporary Literature at the University of Kent provides you with the opportunity to study the literature of your own time.
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 you to take a range of modules that seek to define and contextualise this new writing.
On this programme, it is possible to spend a year studying or working abroad. This takes place between your second and final year. You don't have to make a decision before you enrol at Kent but certain conditions apply.
About the School of English
The School of English is a large and thriving department but we take great care in ensuring that it is a supportive environment in which to be a student. From the moment you arrive you are an integral part of a scholarly community of students, teachers and researchers and participate in a dialogue which seeks to push the boundaries of the subject into new fields of social and cultural inquiry. You are taught by leading international researchers and award-winning creative writers in a location steeped in literary history.
Independent rankings
English and Creative Writing at Kent was ranked 14th in The Guardian University Guide 2017 and Creative Writing was ranked 14th in The Complete University Guide 2017. In the National Student Survey 2016, 95% of our English students were satisfied with the quality of teaching.
For graduate prospects, English and Creative Writing at Kent was ranked 12th in The Guardian University Guide 2017.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules 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.
The degree equips you with the critical, theoretical and historical materials necessary to study literature of the contemporary period. In Stage 1, you take the following modules: EN333 Romanticism, EN332 Writing America and EN331 Readings in the 20th Century. You then 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.
Stage 1 students studying English and American Literature will also have the option to study 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 choose EN677 The Contemporary and EN689 Modernism and two other optional modules. In Stage 3, you choose four optional modules from a wide choice of modules, some of which are listed below. You also have the option in Stage 3 to take a long essay module, which allows you to research and write in an area of particular interest.
Year in industry
All our undergraduate degrees are also available with a year in industry. For more information about this option please see Placement Year.
Year abroad
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
All students within the Faculty of Humanities can apply to spend a term or year abroad as part of their degree at one of our partner universities in North America, Asia or Europe. You are expected to adhere to any progression requirements in Stage 1 and Stage 2 to proceed to the term or year abroad.
The term or year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and does not count towards your final degree classification. Places and destination are subject to availability, language and degree programme. To find out more, please see Go Abroad.
Teaching and assessment
Modules are taught by weekly seminars. Compulsory modules include a weekly lecture, with individual supervision 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 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. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
New GCSE grades
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | ABB including English Literature or English Language and Literature grade B |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If we make you an offer, you will need 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 for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 17 points 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 welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
Meet our staff in your country
For more advise about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
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. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2017/18 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.
UK/EU fee paying students
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
In accordance with changes announced by the UK Government, we are increasing our 2017/18 regulated full-time tuition fees for new and returning UK/EU fee paying undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses will also rise from £4,500 to £4,625. This was subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. This fee will ensure the continued provision of high-quality education.
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.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for Year Abroad/Industry
As a guide only, UK/EU/International students on an approved year abroad for the full 2017/18 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Please note that for 2017/18 entrants the University will increase the standard year in industry fee for home/EU/international students to £1,350.
General additional costs
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Funding
University funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
Government funding
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
The Government has confirmed that EU students applying for university places in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will still have access to student funding support for the duration of their course.
Scholarships
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. The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.