- UCAS course code
- QT37
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA English Literature and American Studies
English Literature and American Studies at Manchester combines literature with history, politics and popular culture of the United States.
- Typical A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: ABC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ACC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 35 points overall with 6,6,5 at HL including specific subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Find out more from student finance
- Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
- Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
- Many students work part-time or complete a student internship
Course unit details:
Writing, Identity and Nation
Unit code | ENGL20491 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This course addresses issues of nationhood and identity in British and Irish writing since the 1920s, including recent works by postcolonial writers. The content ranges across a wide geographical area and covers a broad spectrum of literary styles, themes and narrative voices. While the primary focus is on selected works of fiction and poetry, the course also examines key concepts in literary and cultural theory. Authors discussed include Sebastian Barry, Mohsin Hamid, Nikita Lalwani, Andrea Levy, Sam Selvon, Kamila Shamsie and Irvine Welsh.
Aims
- To develop an understanding of theories of nationhood, the colonial and the post-colonial in a literary context;
- To develop the skills to analyse literature in its historical and cultural contexts;
- To develop the ability to work between literary texts and theories, and across different literary genres, with particular reference to 20th century and 21st century literature;
- To foster skills of written and oral forms of expression, and of critical and analytical thinking, at a level appropriate to Level 2 of an English Studies degree.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:
- A knowledge of theories of nationhood, the colonial and post-colonial in a literary contexts;
- An ability to analyse texts in their historical and cultural contexts;
- An ability to relate literary theories to different literary genres, with particular reference to 20th century and 21st century literature;
- An ability to present work which is characterised by analytical thought and sustained, coherent argument, in written and oral forms, at a level appropriate to Level 2 of an English Studies degree.
Syllabus
Please see recommended reading
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Students taking this unit will be able to analyse and evaluate arguments and texts. Above all, committed students will emerge from this course unit with an advanced capacity to think critically, i.e. knowledgeably, rigorously, confidently and independently.
- Group/team working
- Students taking this unit will be able to work courteously and constructively as part of a larger group.
- Innovation/creativity
- On this unit students are encouraged to respond imaginatively and independently to the questions and ideas raised by texts and other media.
- Leadership
- Students on this unit must take responsibility for their learning and are encouraged not only to participate in group discussions but to do so actively and even to lead those discussions.
- Project management
- Students taking this unit will be able to work towards deadlines and to manage their time effectively.
- Oral communication
- Students taking this unit will be able to show fluency, clarity and persuasiveness in spoken communication.
- Research
- Students on this unit will be required to digest, summarise and present large amounts of information. They are encouraged to enrich their responses and arguments with a wide range of further reading.
- Written communication
- Students on this unit will develop their ability to write in a way that is lucid, precise and compelling.
Assessment methods
Method | Weight |
---|---|
Written exam | 50% |
Written assignment (inc essay) | 50% |
Recommended reading
Markandaya, Kamala. The Nowhere Man (Small Axes, 1972; 2019)
Levy, Andrea. Small Island (Headline, 2004)
Selvon, Sam. The Lonely Londoners (Penguin, 2006)
Hamid, Mohsin. Exit West (Penguin, 2017)
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Seminars | 33 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Howard Booth | Unit coordinator |