DEPARTMENT OF
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English Studies From the Vikings to Shakespeare’s kings; from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf. You can read it all at Durham University. English studies will appeal to people with a sensitivity to language, a love of reading and a sense of intellectual adventure. As poet Lawrence of Durham put it over 800 years ago,“Describing art in words itself takes art”. Not only does the Department of English Studies provide a thorough grounding in literary theory and the ‘great tradition’ of English literature – from Chaucer and Shakespeare through to plays, poems and novels written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries – but it also offers a wide range of imaginative and carefully designed modules.
RANKINGS Joint 3rd in the UK for internationally excellent and world-leading research (REF 2014). 95% of our English Studies students said they were satisfied with the quality of their course in the National Student Survey 2017 (sector-wide average 90%). 1st in The Complete University Guide 2018. Joint 1st in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. 3rd in The Guardian University Guide 2018.
CONTACT T: +44 (0)191 334 2576 E: english.admissions@durham.ac.uk W: www.durham.ac.uk/english.studies @READEnglish readdurhamenglish
You will have the opportunity to study English-language literature in a variety of non-British contexts, including Ireland, Canada, Australia and the USA; and/or to study some of the languages used in medieval England, such as Old Norse, Old French and Old English. English is a very popular and highly regarded subject, and the linguistic, critical and analytical skills that it teaches are highly transferable.
Leaders in the field
Employment
The English Studies Department’s leading role in interdisciplinary research on cross-cutting themes – such as medical humanities; modern conflicts, cultures, states; and poetry and poetics – is reflected in its exciting range of special topic modules.
Our graduates are highly valued by employers. They progress into a diverse range of careers and sectors, including arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, business, accounting, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, third sector and government positions. Examples of high-profile employers include: