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English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University - UCAS

Course summary

Read the greats as well as the voices that history has overlooked. Study close to the beautiful Lake District, home of the Romantic poets, and inspiration for many later writers. From ancient myth to the contemporary graphic novel, you’ll explore a host of different literary forms, develop your critical voice, and discuss your reading and ideas with widely published scholars. Why Lancaster?

  • Study a wide range of genres from both ancient and modern literatures
  • Develop your own critical (and even creative-critical) voice
  • Enhance your professional skills by getting involved with our student-run literary journals: Cake, Flash, Lux and Errant
  • Be part of Literary Lancaster - a vibrant community of critics and writers
  • Enjoy our rich programme of free literary events both on campus and in the city’s historic Castle Quarter
  • Benefit from internship opportunities, including residential positions at Wordsworth Grasmere in the heart of the English Lake District
Ancient to contemporary Literary study at Lancaster offers a rich engagement with the very best of literature, from the classical and medieval to the modern and contemporary. You will have the chance to study all the great names, as well as voices that have been forgotten or overlooked. You’ll also explore a wide range of literary forms—from ancient myth to slave memoir, Gothic fiction to dystopian narrative, and Shakespearean drama to the contemporary graphic novel. Acts of reading We believe that reading is not passive but active. It is something that acts upon both the texts that we read and the world in which we live; and neither those texts nor the world are left the same. We are pioneers in experimental or creative forms of literary criticism, as well as encouraging established forms of literary scholarship, such as archival work, historicism, close reading, and literary theory. We enable our students to read widely, closely, and deeply, experiencing literature in a host of new and immersive ways. Literature in the world At Lancaster, literary study is not just an academic pursuit—it is also an opportunity to connect with history, culture, and the many ways literature shapes our world. Your studies will not only deepen your understanding of literature but also reveal its connections to other realms such as politics, ecology, philosophy, psychology, theology, and the arts. You will also have the chance to expand your literary horizons and cultural sensitivity by studying works in translation from other languages, such as Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, German, Spanish, Palestinian and Egyptian. Cultural community We run many special literary events, often in spectacular locations such as Lancaster’s medieval Castle, the awe-inspiring Priory, or the archive-rich Wordsworth Grasmere in the Lake District. These events include:
  • Talks from visiting scholars and authors
  • Student participation in our annual Shakespeare production
  • A study day in the Lake District
  • Social events such as the October Lecture and May Gathering
These events develop a sense of community and help you to establish friendships through your studies. You will also have the opportunity to be involved in organising, marketing and hosting some of these events. Professional development If you are interested in writing, publishing, and editing you could choose to get involved in one of our four student-run literary journals: Cake, Flash, Lux and Errant. You might also volunteer to help at Litfest, Lancaster’s annual literature festival which attracts well-known authors from around the world (including some of our own author-tutors). You could apply for one of our residential internships at Wordsworth Grasmere or help to market our annual Shakespeare production. Your Placement Year Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.


How to apply

This course is not open to application until the 13th May 2025.

Application codes

Course code:
Q301
Institution code:
L14
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
60%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
85%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For information on our fees, please see www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding.
English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University - UCAS