English and Film Studies BA

Course overview

This joint honours degree gives you a unique insight into global film and literary culture. You’ll have the chance to explore the richness of English language and literature alongside cinemas from around the world, gaining the critical skills and cultural awareness valued by employers.

Compulsory modules introduce the principles of film studies and different elements of poetry, drama and prose. An impressive variety of optional modules will allow you to pursue your interests, from medieval literature to creative writing, global film genre to gender and sexuality in cinema.

Offered by the School of English with the Centre for World Cinemas and Digital Cultures, this degree allows you to study two different yet related disciplines in an exciting cultural hub.

Leeds is home to the Leeds International Film Festival and great independent cinemas including the famous Hyde Park Picture House. We’re also close to Bradford – home of the National Science and Media Museum and a variety of film festivals. It’s the perfect part of the world in which to explore these exciting subjects.

This degree offers you teaching of the highest standard, in a research-intensive environment where enthusiastic experts and students come together to explore film and literary culture. You’ll be encouraged to get involved in a range of activities and can also choose to take a work placement year or a study abroad year.

Additional highlights

Areas of staff expertise include: emerging cinemas from South Asia and the Middle East, decolonisation, LGBTQ cinema and issues, film theory, exhibition and curation, migration, African American literature, refugee literature and film, Shakespeare, Victorian literature, Hollywood, and European Cinema.

Specialist facilities

Leeds has fantastic facilities for students studying both literature and film.

As well as the rich cultural life of the city itself, our Language Centre offers an extensive lending library of foreign-language films for students of world cinema. The University library also houses extensive documents, manuscripts and early printed materials in its Special Collections, which are a valuable resource for your original research.

Our libraries also provide access to film streaming services including BFI Player and Kanopy. You can also enjoy a collective cinema experience in our large-screen lecture theatres, which we use for module film screenings.

Take a look around our libraries:

• Brotherton Library
• Laidlaw Library
• Edward Boyle Library

Course details

Year 1

You'll be introduced to the standard concepts and research skills in film studies through an original and democratic approach. Rather than adopting the common division between Hollywood and the rest of the world, modules will look at these concepts from the perspective of world cinema. At the same time, you’ll explore poetry, prose and drama to develop your understanding of literature.

Year 2

You'll engage with key critical concepts, theoretical frameworks, and methodologies in film studies whilst also gaining an in-depth understanding of key periods in English literature. You’ll also choose from an array of optional modules to explore different areas of film studies and literature, from Old English to refugee narratives and creative writing, various national cinemas, and an exploration of film genres across the globe.

Year 3

You’ll use the research skills you've developed in your Final Year Project, an independent piece of research on topic of your choosing. You’ll also encounter some of the latest approaches and thinking in film studies and choose from more optional modules that includes postcolonial literature, digital humanities, and the representation of minorities in Hollywood cinema.

Year 1
Compulsory modules

Introduction to Film Studies I (20 credits) - You’ll be introduced to the key concepts of film studies from the perspective of World Cinema, rather than adopting the usual division between Hollywood and the rest of the world. You’ll explore the three thematic blocks of ‘shot’, ‘colour’ and ‘sound’, as well as the key histories (from the silent period to the present day). You’ll also learn how to read a film and use film-specific vocabulary.

Introduction to Film Studies II (20 credits) - You’ll build on the knowledge and concepts introduced in the previous Film Studies module. You’ll explore a further three thematic blocks of ‘auteur’, ‘popular cinema & genre’ and ‘industry’.

Writing Matters (20 credits) - Writing and communication skills are vital to most professional careers, but they are especially valuable in the field of English studies. This module explores debates around a canonical literary text, examining theoretical approaches and rhetorical strategies used to write about literature. Students will hone their own writing skills by engaging ethically with the text and the ideas of others, developing structured arguments, expressing ideas clearly and concisely, working with feedback, and practising writing as a process. As a result, students will cultivate a deeper understanding of how writing works, learn how to share insights with greater efficacy and sophistication, and practice how to transfer this knowledge to future workplace contexts.

Reading Between the Lines (20 credits) - This module equips students with a critical vocabulary for sophisticated literary study, introducing the creative, argumentative and exciting discipline of ‘English Studies’. Through close analysis of specific texts across a range of periods and forms, students will encounter some of the varied theories that have shaped and continue to underpin the discipline. Students will find out how an English degree might change the way we read and see the world, while developing their academic skills through guided critical reading, collaboration with peers in group presentations and seminar discussions, and a variety of assignments designed to introduce them to the different formats of assessment required throughout the degree.

Optional modules

Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation (20 credits) - In this module you’ll study a rich array of modern fictions, by significant writers of the period, that will be used to illustrate a variety of narrative techniques. You’ll be introduced to major literary movements in fiction in the 20th and early 21st centuries, as well as learning a variety of critical strategies appropriate for analysis of this work. You’ll attain a clear view of some of the most important transformations of fiction in English and understand why these transformations mattered, in terms of ethical and cultural revolution.

Directing World Cinemas (20 credits) - This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the questions, theories, and controversies that have informed critical and theoretical debates on film authorship. You’ll also investigate the Anglophone dominance of such debates by drawing attention to the Eurocentric perspectives and power structures in Film and Screen Studies discourse and be exposed to a range of specific ‘worldviews’ that filmmakers from across the globe invest in their films.

Year 2
Compulsory modules

Critical Approaches to Screen Studies (20 credits) - Building on the foundation of knowledge you’ll have gained in Year 1 Film Studies modules, you’ll deepen your understanding of a range of conceptual frameworks for understanding film’s relationship to reality, other arts, viewers, and society at large. You’ll be encouraged to increase your critical awareness of, and engagement with, film and other screen-based media.

Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture (20 credits) - This module examines what it means to live as human beings on a more-than-human planet. We’ll investigate how literary texts from different times and places have understood the relationship between nature and culture. We’ll address human impacts on the environment in relation to historical phenomena such as colonialism. And we’ll explore the insights that literature can offer at a time of concern about climate change and other environmental issues.

Body Language: Literature and Embodiment (20 credits) - This module explores the relationship between embodiment, language and representation across a range of literary forms, genres, and periods, addressing questions such as: what does it mean to be ‘human’? Can technology change who we are? How do we navigate the relationship between the body and the mind? It examines how critical theorists and creative writers and life writers have treated and imagined this relationship between material bodies and literary representation, in order to better understand both the possibilities and limitations of literary expression.

Optional modules

Shakespeare and Global Cinema (20 credits) - You’ll study how Shakespeare, a major presence in Western film for many years, is adapted and performed in non-Anglophone cultures. This module looks at nine Shakespeare films, adapted from Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear, in five different languages: Japanese, Russian, Hindi, Mandarin and Tibetan. You’ll investigate what happens to Shakespeare when he moves into cultures entirely different from the Anglophone world, what kind of Shakespeare is being circulated, and whether it reinforces or challenges the ‘soft power’ or cultural pre-eminence that has always been associated with him.

African American Narrative: Eight Major Works (20 credits) - You’ll learn about the origins, and modern formation, of the African American literary tradition. You’ll focus on eight classic works from this autonomous tradition, considering each as an artwork in its own right and as a contribution in active dialogue with an emergent tradition of black letters. We consider the common store of historical traumas, cultural resources, and rhetorical figurations by which these texts have generated an alternative tradition to the Eurocentric lineages of the white American canon. Now known as African American literature, the modern development of this tradition—not just its periodic controversies and failures but its survival against the odds—thus provides us with our object of study, and anyone on this module will finish it knowing a huge amount more about African American cultural experience and its relationship to US power since 1900.

Film Programming and Exhibition: Curating for Cinemas and Festivals (20 credits) - You’ll explore the practice and theory of film programming, investigating topics such as the role of a film curator in the digital age, how the way in which films are presented impact an audience’s understanding and appreciation of the material and what decisions are made when films are presented at theatres, film festivals and archives. You’ll use your learnings to curate your own hypothetical film programmes, accompanied by programme notes and critical commentary.

Questioning Genre in World Cinemas (20 credits) - In this module, you’ll explore what we understand by the term ‘genre’ in film. You’ll take a polycentric approach to the study of genre, rather than focusing only on Hollywood, and evaluate questions such as ‘Is there one definition of genre?’ and ‘What are the core elements, conventions and iconography of genre films?’ You’ll begin with Film Noir and considers how other World Cinemas have engaged with this ostensibly American 'genre' before moving on to other case studies (which may include melodrama, action, and horror, amongst others).

Year 3
Compulsory modules

Final Year Project in English or Film Studies (40 credits) - You’ll create a project, either in the form of a written dissertation or digital documentary (podcast), that combines the skills you’ve gained in your first two years of study. You’ll carry out in-depth research into an agreed topic and present your findings, showcasing your ability to work independently, your vast research skills and your competence at communicating data.

Current Enquiries into Film Studies (20 credits) - You’ll extend your knowledge of film theory by interrogating the field of film studies in the 21st century digital, post-celluloid era. You’ll also advance your understanding of current developments in, and critical approaches to, world cinema, focusing on the transformations in film and film industries. The module also enables you to identify areas of current research that should complement the development of your Final Year Project.

Optional modules

Digital Englishes (20 credits) - In this module, you’ll explore how we use English language online and the ways that technology and society shape, and are shaped by, our choices in communication. You’ll compare early digital innovations (the 1990s world wide web, text messaging) with more recent platforms (Instagram, Twitter), using sociolinguistic frameworks to assess lexical innovation, orality markers, narratives, and multimodality (emojis, hashtags), evaluating their significance for English language practices. You’ll develop your skills in digital communications, creating a podcast that reports your research into an area of digital communication, for part of the module assessment.

States of Mind: Disability, Neurodiversity and Mental Health in Contemporary Culture (20 credits) - You’ll gain a solid awareness of the representation of cognitive impairment and disability in contemporary film and fiction and develop your knowledge of general social ideas surrounding disability in the contemporary world. You’ll learn to critically examine forms of discourse, operating as subtle readers of current disability theory.

Current Practice in Creative Writing (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to a specific approach to creative writing that draws upon a recent writing interest, or current practice, of the module leader. You’ll develop your creative writing and critical skills and your ability to read as a writer in relation to this specific approach. You’ll read exemplary published texts ‘as a writer’, dialogue with tutors and peers, draft and re-draft, write critically on relevant texts, and locate your own work in relation to those texts. Guidance and writing exercises from the tutor, a published writer, will help you develop new creative writing in an academic, professional context.

Learning and teaching

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

We ensure inclusive assessment by making sure all our students are assessed in a range of ways. Our assessments include: written and video essays, literature reviews, a mixture of live and pre-recorded presentations, sequence analysis, and exams.

You’ll regularly receive detailed feedback on your coursework, helping you to keep track of your progress. Our University library also runs extra classes on skills such as, structuring essays and exam techniques that you’ll be able to attend throughout your time at Leeds.

We work hard to make our reading lists diverse and that our teaching is carried out in a culturally sensitive way. Central to our approach is the inclusion of films and scholarly texts by female authors, queer authors and authors of colour.

Entry requirements

A-level: AAB including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature)

Other course specific tests:

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds offer: BBB at A Level including English and pass Access to Leeds.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: £9,250 (per year)

International: £24,500 (per year)

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24 and 2024/25
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students are set by the UK Government and will remain capped at £9,250 for 2023/24 and 2024/25. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation only as a consequence of future changes in Government legislation and as permitted by law.

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24 and 2024/25
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 and 2024/25 are available on individual course pages.

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

Read our guidance about applying.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2024

This course is taught by

School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
School of English

Contact us

School of Languages, Cultures and Societies Undergraduate Admissions

Email: artsadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

A degree in English and Film Studies will equip you with a wide range of transferable skills that will appeal to employers.

You'll be a critical thinker who can research different sources and form conclusions from the information you find. Your communication skills will enable you to explain and defend your views clearly, either verbally or in writing. As you’ve also gained organisational skills from managing two different subjects, you’ll be attractive to employers in all kinds of industries.

Graduates have gone on to succeed in careers in publishing, law, advertising and marketing, journalism, education, charity work, business and finance and the civil service. Many others have pursued postgraduate studies.

Careers support

The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies regularly hosts employability events where you can listen to Leeds alumni talking about their careers and ask them for advice.

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

Work placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.

Related courses