The English Department provides an excellent environment for postgraduate study, research, and creative work. The main University library is well stocked with standard texts and critical works on a very wide range of topics; and the National Library of Wales, adjacent to the campus, is one of the UK’s five copyright libraries, holding one of the most extensive collections of books and manuscripts in Europe. As a department that values a stimulating research ethos highly, we place great emphasis on the provision of high quality teaching, supervision and facilities for our postgraduate community. As a result, our postgraduate community is dynamic and thriving. It is very pleasing to note that our graduates secure employment in teaching, academia, publishing, and various other professional fields.
We welcome enquiries and proposals for PhD study in all periods of literature in English, from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. The Department's particular strengths include:
Medieval Literature
Restoration and C18th Literature
Romantic Literature
Victorian Fiction
C19th and C20th American Literature
Modernism
Postmodernism
Contemporary Poetry and Fiction
Women's Writing
Children's Literature
Welsh Writing in English
Irish Writing
Literary Geography
Gothic Literature and Ghost Stories
Postcolonial Literature (especially African Literature)
Ethnic American Literatures
Literary Theory (especially Ecocriticism, Gender Studies, Queer Theory, Marxism, New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, Poststructuralism, Postcolonialism)
The department has a proud tradition of research excellence, as demonstrated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014) assessment. It found that 97% of research assessed was found to be of international standing or higher.
Our Staff
All academic staff in the Department of English and Creative Writing are active scholars and experts in their fields. They are either qualified to PhD level or have commensurate experience. Our Lecturers either hold or are working towards a Higher Education teaching qualification and the majority of academic staff also hold the status of Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Modules September start - 2023
Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.
