Media and English Literature

Media and English literature is a combination that examines two of the most powerful forces shaping how we understand the world and our place in it. English literature explores how writers have used language, narrative and form to represent human experience across different periods and cultures, developing close reading skills, interpretive insight and the ability to analyse how texts create meaning. Media studies examines the institutions, technologies and practices through which images, stories and information are produced and circulated, and how media shapes culture, identity and public life.

Together they develop a dual critical literacy, attuned to both the literary and the mediatic dimensions of contemporary communication.

At York St John University you will study media and English literature on a part-time basis, with a foundation year available as an entry route and both a sandwich year and the opportunity for a year abroad extending the programme with professional and international experience. Work placement is integrated throughout, connecting your academic development to professional environments in media, communications, education and the creative industries. The combination invites you to explore how both literature and the wider field of media have the power to change the world, influencing behaviour, views and identities.

The part-time mode of study allows you to build this interdisciplinary formation alongside other commitments.

Graduates work in education, journalism, publishing, broadcasting, digital media, communications, arts administration, content creation, copywriting and a range of roles in the creative and cultural industries. The dual critical awareness developed through this combination is particularly suited to roles that require both reading texts closely and understanding the systems through which texts reach their audiences. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in English, media, journalism, communications or education, and the combination of literary and media literacy is a strong foundation for a range of professional and academic paths.