English (BA)

Semester 1

Week beginning 22 September 2025

• Monday: 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm
• Friday: 10am to 1pm

Full details of your individual academic timetable, including Semester 2 timetable which may differ, will be available via your university email calendar after you have completed online enrolment and set up your student login.

First year reading list

The books you will need to buy for your first year of university studies in English are listed below.

You can get these as paperbacks, eBooks (where available) or second-hand. If you get a second-hand copy, make sure it is the correct edition if that is specified.

Semester 1

ENU431: How to Read – Textual analysis

• Helen Oyeyemi (2006) The Icarus Girl
• Robert Eaglestone (2017) Doing English (4th edition) – you will refer to this book in some other modules too
• Catherine Hardwicke dir. (2008) Twilight

HAU401: Open to Interpretation – Introduction to critical and cultural theory

• Shakespeare (any edition) Titus Andronicus

Semester 2

ENU432: Reading and Writing in Practice

• Antonia Fraser ed. (2015) The Pleasures of Reading

Once you enrol, you will have access to this as an eBook via the library but you are welcome to buy your own copy.

• Monday 15 September
  • 9:30am to 1pm in Room: HI102, and;
  • 2pm to 4pm in Room: MC016

IMPORTANT: Please bring your photo ID with you to complete the ID verification check for Student Finance confirmation.

If you want a chat before Welcome, please get in touch and we can arrange a phone call, video call, or a time for you to come onto campus for a face-to-face meeting.

Helen Cousins

I will be your Academic Personal Tutor (APT) in your first year. I will be teaching some of your classes in Semester 1 and seeing you for one-to-one tutorials. You can get in touch with me if you have any concerns, issues or worries about your university studies.

Kerry Myler

I will be teaching you in Semester 1. I encourage students to develop their digital skills and how to work together effectively. I am the Academic Personal Tutor (APT) for second year students.

In Semester 1 of your first year, you will take 2 modules:

• How to Read: Textual Analysis (Mondays)
• Open to Interpretation: Introduction to Critical and Cultural Theory (Fridays)

What?

‘How to Read’ explores a range of strategies used in English studies to analyse texts from a variety of written, visual, digital, and spoken texts. This will build on the analytical skills that you have been developing throughout your school and college studies. Strategies will range from close reading to contextual readings.

In ‘Open to Interpretation’, you will develop your ability to think critically. It introduces you to the notion of critical theory and considers how a range of critical frames can be employed in reading, writing, performance and reflection, including feminism, psychoanalysis, Marxism.

How?

You will be working in a small group of English students to focus on your transition into university and to develop your capability to be successful academically in English. You will learn important skills of communication and working collaboratively in this module. We teach in a seminar-style way with lots of opportunities for discussion, activities and exploratory learning.

Assessment

Both modules will be assessed by coursework.