Course summary

Throughout this course, you’ll explore richly diverse literary texts across different genres, including fiction, poetry and drama, and will see these in the context of a variety of historical periods, places and cultures. You’ll consider how and why these texts are produced, read, and understood and analyse the impact of their creativity and power.  Reading and understanding literature can help us to find out about ourselves and see the world from other perspectives.  Through engaging with different kinds of texts from across the globe and from different periods of history, you can learn how language reflects and shapes human experience.  You’ll also develop your skills as a critical reader, a clear thinker, and a persuasive writer.  Our modules explore themes relevant to how we live today, including race and ethnicity, gender, climate change and nature, social class, disability and wellbeing.  The School of English supports a vibrant community of researchers and creative practitioners. It is home to the Leeds Poetry Centre, and we regularly host readings and talks by well-known and emerging contemporary writers.  The School also produces a literary magazine, Stand, and publishes the best in new creative writing.