Theatre Studies/English Literature

Theatre studies and English literature is a combination that explores two related but distinct forms of storytelling and textual engagement. English literature develops your ability to read closely, to understand how texts are constructed and what cultural work they do, and to engage with a tradition of writing that spans centuries and cultures. Theatre studies examines performance as a specific mode of expression and communication, asking how texts are brought to life in production, how theatre functions as a social and artistic practice, and how practitioners from writers and directors to designers and performers collaborate to create live work.

At Glasgow, this part-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to engage with theatre and literature in a different national academic and cultural environment. Glasgow has close connections with the professional theatre industry, providing opportunities to learn from and engage with practitioners of national and international standing. You will develop your analytical skills across both disciplines, reading literary texts from a range of periods and traditions alongside a wide range of theatrical texts and productions.

The programme develops your capacity to write analytically and persuasively about both literature and performance, and to move between the two frames of reference with confidence.

Graduates of theatre studies and English literature programmes move into education, theatre-making, arts administration, dramaturgy, scriptwriting, criticism and journalism, publishing, cultural programming and community arts. The combination of close reading, critical thinking and cultural knowledge is valued across a wide range of professional contexts, and many graduates use the degree as a foundation for postgraduate study in drama, English, performance studies or education.