The Department of English has a long and distinguished history in literary studies. It is housed in a converted Victorian villa, close to the heart of the beautiful city of Bristol, and next door to the Graduate School.
The Department of English is distinguished by its strong commitment to literary studies, as a serious yet immediately pleasurable academic discipline, together with an awareness of how much there is to gain through dialogue with other disciplines in the University and beyond.
The research of the English department staff covers literature, poetry and drama from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period, using many perspectives and literary theories, such as reception and critical theory, deconstruction, post-structuralism, feminism and queer theory, and comparative literature.
We pride ourselves on our accessibility to students, and on our distinctive emphasis on small group research-led teaching. The undergraduate course ranges from the Medieval period to the present day, and it affords ample opportunity for individual students to pursue their own enthusiasms, whether by topic, period or critical approach.
We offer five undergraduate degree programmes:
We also have a lively and diverse graduate community in English and excellent support for postgraduate work both for taught MAs and for research students working at MPhil, MLitt, and PhD levels.
The Department of English is an active and lively part of the School of Humanities and offers many activities and events for staff and students.
Departmental seminars are held regularly throughout term time, and conferences are organised throughout the year, such as the International Arthurian Congress, and in collaboration with other departments in the Faculty of Arts.
The staff of the English Department also participates enthusiastically to the activities of various centres and projects: