This degree gives students access to the full range of English Studies. Alongside the traditional range of English Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day, students are able to study American, Irish and post-colonial literatures as well as cultural theory, creative writing and film. In the first year, students sample a wide variety of literature and cultural theory and develop a solid basis of knowledge and skill which they then build on in years 2 and 3. All courses are compulsory in year 1, while in years 2 and 3, students select their courses from a range of options. There is a compulsory long essay in the final year.Flexible Honours may allow you to study an additional arts, languages or cultures subject.**The course aims to**- Encourage engagement with a significant range of literary/non-literary genres, incl. film, music, texts in the English language from British Isles/US/other English-speaking communities, from Anglo-Saxon times to the present; - Provide an opportunity to study/specialise in literature, theory, film, popular song, and/or new media; - Enable the study of texts in historical/cultural contexts, develop an appreciation of the specific contexts that condition the representation of allegedly 'universal' concepts and an appreciation of how our own historical/cultural location affects our understanding of literature; - Familiarise students with and enable them to apply traditional and modern theories of literary/cultural criticism; - Develop students' powers of critical/analytical thinking alongside an appreciation of the crafting of written utterances and the interrelationships between texts, together with an ability to apply such techniques to sophisticated primary/secondary texts; - Encourage students to respond imaginatively, intellectually and independently to the written word; enable them to carry this quality of response into future reading experiences; - Encourage enthusiasm for English and appreciation of its importance in the world today/in the future; - Foster sophisticated literacy skills whilst encouraging correct and appropriate presentation/referencing; develop fluency and clarity in discussion and in oral/written presentation; - Encourage continuous, developing reflection, enabling both responsibility for personal learning and the ability to make informed choices for future development; - Develop skills for employment/further study, both discipline-related and transferable to other contexts; - Sustain/enhance a body of knowledge about, and critical appreciation of, literature and other cultural forms, in preparation for postgraduate study/professional careers.**Special Features**You can attend lectures and exhibitions at the internationally-renowned Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies, while the English Research Seminar and CriticalMASS, the American Studies research seminar, also offer a series of interesting talks.The Centre for New Writing hosts a regular public event series, Literature Live, which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to read and engage in conversation. The famous John Rylands Library, Deansgate is also part of the University and offers the rare opportunity to see a Gutenberg bible, Shakespeare folios and other archival treasures. Students may apply to spend one semester studying abroad during the second year of their degree. Exchange partners are offered in Europe, through the Erasmus Exchange scheme, or via the Worldwide Exchange scheme, in either the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore.