English Literature Courses in the U.K.

Open University

• The Open University (OU) specializes in distance-learning courses, with students choosing to enroll directly into a degree course or an entry-level course, which teaches the basics of the field of English literature without the pressure of exams. These shorter introduction courses take a wider view of the arts, including English literature, whereas an OU degree course in English literature grants a graduate a B.A. qualification. The degree course includes an option to study such modules as children's literature and the nineteenth-century novel.

  The Open University
  P.O. Box 197
  Milton Keynes
  MK7 6BJ
  011-44-8453-006090
  open.ac.uk

Oxford University

• Oxford University makes up one-half of the prestigious Oxbridge duo, along with Cambridge University, and a degree from Oxford is sure to make a student's resume stand out to employers. One of the largest English departments in the U.K., Oxford's Faculty of English offers both "straight" English courses and courses that combine English literature with other subjects, such as modern languages and history. Courses at Oxford consist of both seminars and tutorials; in the latter, students are invited to explore their ideas about a text in conversation with a tutor, who will guide their progression through the course.

  Faculty of English Language and Literature
  St. Cross Building
  Manor Rd.
  Oxford
  OX1 3UL
  011-44-1865-271055
  english.ox.ac.uk

Edinburgh University

• English literature students studying at Edinburgh University have a chance to combine their studies with modules in Scottish literature. Thus, students in the department will be engrossed in works by the likes of Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson as well as by Henry James and Samuel Beckett. In addition to offering access to extensive resources and facilities, Edinburgh's English department is also the oldest in the country and is set amid a city that has been listed by UNESCO as a "World City for Literature." The department was confirmed as one of the three best in the U.K. by the 2008 U.K. University Research Exercises.

  English Literature Department
  University of Edinburgh
  David Hume Tower
  George Square
  Edinburgh
  EH8 9JX
  011-44-1316-503620
  www.englit.ed.ac.uk/

LSJ

• The London School of Journalism (LSJ) offers distance learning courses in English literature, with students reading and learning about authors and poets from throughout English history. The course is broken down into nine sections, with each concentrating on a different period of history; at the end of each section students answer questions designed to bring out important points within a text. The course is flexible in nature and designed for the enjoyment of students rather than as a route to a qualification, with students encouraged to concentrate upon the experience of reading without having to worry about coursework. Authors studied in the course include Shakespeare and Jane Austen.

  The London School of Journalism
  126 Shirland Rd.
  Maida Vale
  London
  W9 2BT
  011-44-2074-328140
  english-literature.org