Sociology part of this course investigates social life and the way it shapes people's behaviour, beliefs and identity. Its subject matter ranges from examination of the face-to-face interactions of daily life to large-scale social institutions, social movements and global processes. By understanding the social world, we gain a better understanding of ourselves and our own social situations. English Literature offers students the opportunity to study texts and authors from an exceptionally wide range of English and American literature. During their degree these works are studied in a variety of ways, some emphasising, for example, the social or political context in which a text was produced; others are studied with a more linguistic or stylistic approach. The course aims to develop their skills in reading literature and to introduce them to new critical techniques and ways of studying literary texts. Through the study of English literature students will develop critical capacities and a range of invaluable intellectual and interpersonal skills: the ability to evaluate and interpret material and the capacity to explain it logically, orally or on paper, the ability to work independently and as a member of a group, to manage their own time and to work to deadlines set by them self and others. These are skills which are sought by employers in many fields.