English Literature

English literature is the study of how language, imagination and form work together to create meaning, and of how the texts produced across centuries of human experience reflect and shape the societies that made them. It is a discipline that takes reading seriously, asking not just what a text says but how it says it, why it was made when and how it was, and what it has meant to different audiences in different times. Studying English literature develops your capacity for close reading, sustained argument, and clear, persuasive writing, skills that are transferable across an enormous range of careers.

At Coventry you will engage with a broad and ambitious conception of what literature is, exploring not just novels, poetry and drama but also images and film, pamphlets, speeches, graphic novels, games and digital culture. This wide definition reflects the reality of how texts circulate and matter in contemporary life, and it gives you both historical depth and contemporary relevance in your studies. The programme runs over three years full time and includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, meaning you have significant opportunities to combine academic development with professional experience and international exposure.

These structured opportunities enrich your learning and strengthen your employability.

English graduates enter a wide range of careers. Teaching and education, publishing, journalism, copywriting, media, public relations, arts administration, the heritage sector, and the civil service all regularly recruit English literature graduates. The ability to read complex material carefully, construct a persuasive argument, and communicate with clarity and style is valued wherever ideas need to be understood and communicated.

Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in literature, creative writing, cultural studies, library and information science, or education, or use their undergraduate degree as a foundation for graduate-entry professional training in law, journalism or other fields.