English
About the major
An English major will introduce you to a wide range of literary and cultural works including novels, films, poems, and plays, extending from medieval times to the present day. You will encounter the richness, breadth and depth of the discipline’s research and teaching culture as you explore some extraordinary and exciting texts.
Areas of specialisation may include:
- Australian, American, British and World literatures
- creative writing
- cultural, gender, postcolonial and transnational studies
- Old and Middle English (800-1500); Early Modern (1500-1750); Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century; Modern and Contemporary Literatures
- film, multimedia, linguistics, and language studies
- literary theory
You will explore questions about genre, form, period and place across a wide range of works in English. You will learn to analyse, explain and appreciate the formal and linguistic features of texts, aspects of their genre and history, and their dynamic role in local and global cultures. You will formulate and pursue meaningful theories of critical analysis, reading communities and literary value.
We offer a broad and dynamic discipline that prepares students for careers in the media, the arts and cultural industries; in public service and in industry; in teaching and academia; in any vocation that demands intellectual flexibility critical thinking, and the ability to communicate. The cultural knowledge and critical skills provided by an English major are not only marketable for a large number of employment opportunities; they also inform your whole life, enabling you to live a life that is rich with possibilities.
Requirements for completion
The English major and minor requirements are listed in the English unit of study table.
Advanced coursework
Requirements and units of study for advanced coursework can be found on the advanced coursework units of study page.
Honours
An honours year in English allows you to specialise further in your area of interest. It offers students the opportunity to work independently and creatively in a community of scholars that includes both their peers and the staff of the discipline. A number of honours graduates each year continue on to postgraduate study in Australia or abroad.
During their honours year, students will write a thesis of 15,000 words, complete three 4000-level seminar units and participate in the mid-year honours conference.
Honours admission requirements
Admission to honours is via the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and requires the completion of a major in English with an average of 70 percent or above.
Prior to commencing, you will need to ensure you have completed all other requirements of the Bachelor of Arts or other bachelor degree, including Open Learning Environment (OLE) units. For pre-July 2024 students, where undertaking Bachelor of Advanced Studies, a second major is also required.
Requirements and units of study for honours can be found on the English honours units of study page.
Contacts and further information
- Discipline website: Discipline of English
- School of Art, Communication and English
