English

Our degree programmes in English will enable you to engage with the most urgent and exciting cultural issues faced by contemporary society. You will encounter a range of literatures from the medieval to the present, and in doing so you will be encouraged to ask how literary and cultural texts reflect on ideology, history and philosophy. You will become an articulate and incisive thinker, developing analytical skills and research techniques that are essential to your own understanding of the world, and also extremely attractive to potential employers.

The English subject is run by a committed staff whose interests include Shakespeare,18th-century studies, 20th-century poetry, American literature, music theatre, film and contemporary fiction. The English degrees are attractive to both young and mature students, drawn from the United Kingdom and the broader international community. English can also be studied in combination either with theatre or with educational studies.

Whether it's Donne, Marvell, Larkin, Sterne, the Brontës or Bram Stoker, you will develop your interests in a region rich in literary history. Set on the edge of the North York Moors amid some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in Britain, Scarborough combines the warmth of a compact university campus with all the attractions of a historic seaside town. From county cricket to medieval castles, from second-hand bookshops to surfing, from the latest in national theatre to the vibrant club and live-music scene, Scarborough offers culture and relaxation to suit all tastes.
Renowned for its welcoming and friendly atmosphere, the English subject area prides itself on the consistently high standards achieved by its students. We encourage you to combine an enthusiasm for literature and culture with the rigour of critical and theoretical study. We value personal contact with students through small-group teaching and one-to-one tuition as part of the Undergraduate Dissertation.

English Language and Literature

How does language work? This programme enables you to explore the variety and history of English, looking at ways in which language has the capacity to bring together and to divide communities and peoples. How do we acquire language? Do women and men communicate differently? Does accent matter? In answering these questions you will collect data, analyze text, and reflect on personal and collective experience. Examining the broad relationship between language and politics you will consider Media and advertising, and investigate issues relating to language, censorship and propaganda. Through an exploration of literary texts from the Renaissance to the present, and of journalism, film, television, and digital media, you will reflect on the potential of language to shape our interpretation of history, culture, and society.

English Literature and Culture

As students of English Literature and Culture you will always be thinking, and talking, about everything from Paradise Lost to popular culture, from Jane Austen to the cultural significance of the vampire. How do the kinds of stories that we tell about ourselves and others shape our understanding? What are the implications of globalisation and the digital revolution? In answering these questions you will encounter literature from the medieval to the contemporary, alongside modules examining film narrative, critical theory, and myth. Reading bawdy Restoration drama and epic poetry, you will also explore sex and satire in the 18th century, travel and life writing, and the history of the novel up to the present day. In addressing the literary and cultural past and present you will deepen your understanding of the world in all its complexity. In addition, the Free Elective scheme allows you to further broaden your studies by choosing modules from such diverse areas as children's literature, European Passport languages, and Dive Training.

English with Educational Studies

While English is your major subject of study, the programme in educational studies will help you understand the theories, values, policies and practices which underpin approaches to ‘education for all'. Its professional focus will give you skills which are highly relevant to the needs of employers. You will explore such issues as the relationship between society and learning, new technologies and the transmission of information, and lifelong learning.

English with Theatre and Performance

While English is your major subject of study, the programme in theatre and performance will enable you to develop skills across a range of activities which may include performing, directing, exploring multimedia, installation work, and collaboration with dancers, electronic composers and digital artists.