BA English Literature and American Studies
About this course
English literature and American studies is a combination that recognises both the shared literary language of the two traditions and the profound differences that history, geography and culture have produced between them. American literature has its own distinctive canon, from the Puritan settlers through Hawthorne and Whitman, James and Wharton, Hemingway and Faulkner, Baldwin and Morrison, and studying it alongside English literature gives both traditions a comparative depth that enriches your reading of both. At Northumbria University, this three-year full-time degree includes a sandwich year, year abroad and work placement, making it one of the most practically enriched joint honours degrees in literature and cultural studies available. You will study literary texts from across the English literary tradition from the medieval period to the present, developing skills in close reading, genre analysis, historical contextualisation and critical argument. The American studies strand broadens this to encompass not just American literature but American history, politics, culture and film, developing a rich understanding of American society and its place in the world. The year abroad, potentially to an American university, deepens both components, and the work placement gives you professional experience in a literary, media or cultural context. A typical tariff of around 104 points is expected. Graduates pursue careers in journalism, publishing, broadcasting, education, the civil service, public relations, arts management, museum and gallery work and academic research. The combination of literary and cultural analytical skills with a specific focus on American culture is valued wherever organisations engage with Anglophone media and cultural production, and many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in English, American studies or creative writing.
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