English/English and Film Studies

Snapshot

Why Study at Dundee?

If you enjoy reading and writing, want to develop skills in independent and imaginative critical thinking and have a lively interest in culture and creativity, then English at Dundee is for you.

Studying English not only gives you the chance to enjoy an immensely varied and surprising range of creative work of all sorts, it also enriches your understanding of the world you live in. We introduce the subject in a way that reflects its world-wide diversity. We teach literature from Anglo-Saxon times right up to today, alongside writing from the Americas, from post-colonial countries and from Scotland. There have also been exciting new developments at Dundee. These include the introduction of creative writing options and the growth of Film Studies. You can now take Joint Honours in English and Film Studies; working in these two subjects in an interactive way, you will find that your appreciation of both literature and film is enhanced. Similarly, creative writing will enrich your experience of English. All our programmes, however, are designed to stimulate your individual tastes and interests, whoever you may be.

With twelve full-time staff, supported by teaching fellows and assistants, we are medium-sized with an atmosphere of friendly informality. We work hard to make students feel at home so they achieve their very best. Dundee is both traditional and innovative. We develop our courses with a consciousness of today's student needs and preferences, while reflecting our commitment to the cutting-edge ideas in our field.

Do you enjoy reading stimulating and worthwhile books? Then come and study literature: four years is a long time to study something you don't enjoy. English is both a challenging and engaging subject, which gives great opportunities to debate issues in stimulating ways. English offers the opportunity to develop your own enthusiasms within a structured programme which will teach you to think about a range of personal, cultural and historical topics. Besides Film, English can also be studied in conjunction with many other subjects, in Joint or Combined Honours formats. It has natural areas of overlap with History, Philosophy and Politics, to name but a few.

You can take modules in English (or English and Film) at Levels 1, 2 and 3 thus completing a three-year degree, or progress further to an Honours 4th year.

Employability

English is an adaptable subject, opening a flexible range of career options. Employers are often drawn to English graduates as they possess good written and spoken communication skills. They have also received rigorous training in working independently and thinking critically. Indeed, statistics show that students of English are often better at securing 'graduate-level' posts than comparable humanities graduates.

Teaching is a regular occupational choice of our graduates but by no means their only available career path. Graduates, in recent years, have gone into such careers as: newspaper journalism, television journalism, second-hand bookselling, academic research, law, commercial management, banking, the civil service, and web design. In fact, our graduates find themselves prepared for a wide variety of occupations, though there are especially high numbers entering the cultural industries and public service.

Teaching and Assessment

Our methods aim to be both lively and innovative. Consequently, English has received the highest ratings for Teaching Quality Assessment. We also topped the UK overall in a recent Guardian league table. We employ a wide range of methods, from lectures and film screenings to small-group teaching. Most modules are assessed by tailored combinations of coursework and formal examinations, but students encounter a great variety of assessment approaches.

Coursework can consist of essays, or oral introductions in seminars, or a course diary, or a quiz, or a number of other possibilities. The formal examinations are either two hours long, or three. Several of our courses make no use of a formal exam; no course is assessed by formal examination alone. The weightings given to examinations and coursework vary from course to course.

Another reason we rated Excellent: we take account of student views and needs, through a system of consultation at every level - class representatives, staff-student committee, questionnaires, etc. We also encourage intellectual and presentational skills which will be of real use in later life. It has been said that English aims to help students "develop the insight of an artist, the analytical precision of a scientist and the persuasiveness of a lawyer." We agree. All modules are supported online in Blackboard, the University's Virtual Learning Environment.

Special Features

The learning experience of Dundee's English (and Film Studies) students is greatly enhanced by the research expertise and passion each of our English lecturers bring to the classroom. Indeed, many staff members are leading figures in their field. For example, Professor Peter Kitson is both President of the English Association and the British Association of Romantic Studies. Also, Dr David Robb recently won the Scottish Academic Book of the Year prize for his study of the poet, Alexander Scott.

Dundee has had a long tradition in supporting creative writing; former creative writing fellows have included John Burnside, Don Paterson, Collette Bryce and Tracey Herd. English's new chair in Creative Writing is the award winning novelist, Kirsty Gunn. She is the author of four novels, a collection of short stories and a collection of fiction, essays and poetry. She is the recipient of several awards and prizes including the prestigious Scottish Arts Council Bursary for Writing; her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast, and translated into ten languages.

The Film Studies team has strong links with the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, Dundee's unique cinema and art gallery, and help organise film programmes which bring together students and the general community.

The department is also home to the JOOT Theatre Company, a drama group run by Dr Jodi-Anne George which specialises in Medieval and Early Modern theatre. The company is largely comprised of current English students and has recently been invited to perform at the Sorbonne in Paris.

The English department also offers Erasmus exchanges with three European Universities: Salzburg, Freiburg and Thessaloniki.

In 1999 English came first in the UK in the annual Guardian league table for teaching and has been consistently high in the table ever since. In the most recent Guardian league table, Dundee continued its run of high scores, gaining 93% student satisfaction and a place in the Top 10. In 1997 English was awarded the highest rating in Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) and repeated this success in 2002, receiving the highest gradings in a review by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). The closing words of the public report are as follows: "Staff are committed to maintaining the quality of the provision and in this are innovative and self-reflective. This concern for quality, exhibited throughout the review, allows the reviewers to feel secure that quality and standards in respect of English are being effectively maintained and enhanced."

Programme Content

Notes on Programme Progression

Level 1

Level 1 modules give you a basic critical and theoretical understanding by analysing a wide range of examples of literature (or literature and film), from the earliest available texts to the present day.

Level 2

Level 2 applies the knowledge gained at Level 1 to particular aspects of literary or film history, surveying texts from key genres and periods.

Level 3

At Level 3, you begin your detailed study of specific genres, styles and themes and periods choosing from a wide range of options.

Level 4

At Level 4, the modules on offer reflect the research specialisms of members of staff. The result is an extremely varied range of choices, often based on interdisciplinary topics using a wide range of approaches. These modules will continue your in-depth studies and you will also have the option to carry out a personal research project in the form of a dissertation.

MA Degree Structure and Overview

Visit the MA overview page for general information on our MA degree programme.

2010 Entry Requirements

2011 Entry Requirements

Your Application

What skills, qualities and experience do I need?

The Dundee MA degrees follow the distinctive pattern of many Scottish universities by offering a broad-based education that requires you to study a number of different subjects in Levels 1 and 2 (Level 2 only for the Advanced Entry Honours degrees). You do not have to finalise your choice of degree course until you are better able to appreciate both the nature of the subjects you are studying and the relationships between them. However, you must make an initial choice of course on the application form and we would expect you to provide some evidence of your enthusiasm for your chosen course and details of any relevant experience.

We use a range of learning methods at Dundee: you will be expected to respond to the information and advice provided by academic staff, especially in lectures; to prepare for and participate in tutorial discussion or to work in practical classes; to work individually or in groups on set assignments such as essays and projects; and to 'read round' the subject. Consequently, we are looking for evidence that you are capable of working systematically, of responding to the guidance of your teachers, and that you have both the ability and enthusiasm to successfully complete a degree programme.

English at Dundee gives you the opportunity to study writers and writing from a wide range of literatures in English, from across the world, and evidence of an interest in both standard English authors and also in (for example) American, European, Scottish or Post-Colonial writing would particularly help you. The same goes for indications that you have studied, or simply enjoy reading, pre-twentieth century writing, in all genres. Let us know, also, about any direct experience you may have of being involved in staging plays. We should also point out that it is a requirement for entry into the English Programme that you have attained at least a B pass in Higher English, or a C pass in A-Level English.

We all enjoy going to the movies, and many of us have a fairly wide acquaintance with recent films and with current film stars. In applying for the English and Film Studies course it is naturally appropriate to indicate to us that you are keen to keep up with current cinema and that you go to see films a lot. However, it would help you even more to be able to indicate a knowledge of, and interest in, film which goes beyond being up-to-date with what's on, and which suggests that you are interested in thinking about film, both in terms of its history and diversity, and in terms of the techniques and technologies involved in it. Do you read books about film? Do you read serious criticism of films? Are you as interested in films of the past as you are in films of the present day? If you can show evidence on any such points, it will help your application.

Tips for your application

What is important to us, in your application, is the evidence provided by the grades you have attained, or are predicted to attain, in your examinations, along with whatever you and your referee can point to indicating both your special interest in any of our subject areas, and your general liveliness of mind.

Your personal statement is an opportunity to say why you should be offered a place to study in Dundee. We are looking for applicants with an ability to express opinions clearly with reasoned support and evidence, who are open to critical guidance, and who have a commitment to high standards of achievement in all they do. These qualities can be demonstrated through academic attainment, paid or voluntary work, and extra-curricular activities of all kinds.

Referees should concisely indicate your analytical abilities, communication skills, capacity for academic work, and commitment to your studies. We will be interested to hear about examples of initiative, leadership, and any evidence of organisational skills. Indicators of a positive outlook and engagement with social and cultural activities will be welcome, as will an assessment of your potential to develop in the university environment.

We will consider applications to one or more MA courses at Dundee: each application will be considered on its merits. We are looking for applicants who either have achieved, or will achieve, the published requirements in terms of Highers, Advanced Highers, A-Levels or acceptable alternative qualifications.

Advanced Entry Honours Degree

It is possible to study for most of our honours degrees in 3 years if you have the required grades and subjects as listed in the Entry Requirements section. There are definite advantages to considering this route as the time needed to study is reduced by one year which enables you to start working and earning earlier.

Contact

Karen Simpson
Admissions & Student Recruitment
University of Dundee
Nethergate
Dundee
DD1 4HN
Scotland

Telephone: 01382 384 028 (from the UK)
Telephone: +44 1382 384 028 (from outside the UK)

Email: ContactUs@dundee.ac.uk