BA English Literature and American Studies / Course details

BA English Literature and American Studies gives you the opportunity to combine the study of American literatures, history, and culture, with a wider exploration of the literatures of the world and training in English Studies.

As well as providing you with access to the traditional range of English Literature modules, which encompass the Anglo-Saxon period through to the contemporary novel, this degree will also give you grounding in the methods and debates of American Studies, providing you with a large palette of analytical tools.

You will be introduced to the political, legal, and administrative frameworks of US politics and society, and become familiarised with a raft of concepts that have obvious wider reach in contemporary global society. These include:

• mass incarceration;
• inequality;
• poverty;
• racial stratification;
• the logics of policing;
• the changing nature of work and leisure;
• radical organising;
• military power;
• cultural imperialism;
• urban politics;
• climate change;
• conspiracy theories;
• gender and sexuality;
• literature and film analysis.

Working with such concepts will help to refine your critical perspectives on literature, encouraging you to place such works within broader historical, political, and cultural patterns.

By working with materials taken from the worlds of film, music, and cultural debate, you will also come to think about where the boundaries of literature might lie.

Students on this programme are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities for study abroad, especially with our partner institutions in North America and Europe.

Find out more about our North American partners and European partners.

You'll also become part of a thriving community of students, lecturers and writers at The University of Manchester, based in the heart of a UNESCO City of Literature that has produced some of the world's greatest writers and has a thriving literature and arts scene, including major events like Manchester Literature Festival.

Study abroad

You can apply to spend one semester  studying abroad  during the second year of your degree. 

Exchange partners are offered in Europe through the Erasmus Exchange scheme, as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore via the Worldwide Exchange scheme. 

Placement year option  

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a  placement year  in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks. 

Literature events  

Manchester Literature Festival holds literary events across Manchester throughout the year, many in partnership with the University. 

The Centre for New Writing also hosts a regular public event series, Literature Live, which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to read and engage in conversation. 

Meet like-minded students  

You can get to know your fellow students outside of your course by joining the English Society or volunteering to work on the student-run Sonder Magazine. 

Learn more on our  Societies  page. 

You can also join the University of Manchester American Studies Society (UMASS), which organises social events and cultural activities with an American theme. 

Benefit from research  

Study at the home of the UK's first-ever Department of American Studies and interact with scholars who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research at the forefront of new developments and ideas.

You will be taught mainly through lecture and tutor-led sessions.

Tutorials will give you the opportunity to consider the same texts and topics as the lectures, but with a different approach.

Tutorial groups usually meet at least once a week, and numbers are kept as low as possible so that you can get to know one another and share your ideas.

Other course units (mainly those in your final year) are taught through a weekly seminar led by a specialist member of staff.

For some course units, you will join in group work and other forms of collaborative learning.

You'll also have access to our virtual learning environment, Blackboard and other digital resources to support your learning.

You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.

For every hour spent at university, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods.

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, or revising for examinations.

A significant part of your study time will be spent reading, taking notes, preparing presentations and writing essays (which examine aspects of a subject in greater depth).

You will be assessed using a variety of formats, including:

• written examinations;
• coursework essays;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions;
• oral presentations;
• final-year thesis.

Your second-year work counts toward 33% of your final degree result. Your third-year work accounts for the remaining 67%.