English with Creative Writing, BA (Hons)

Course summary

Why study BA English with Creative Writing at GoldsmithsThe degree is ideal if you are curious about literature, with the imagination to turn that curiosity into creativity.

• This flexible BA English with Creative Writing degree allows you to choose from a range of topics – comparisons of literature across different cultures and art forms (also known as comparative literature), American literature and culture, and diverse aspects of language use in linguistics modules.

• Goldsmiths has one of the most established and long-running creative writing centres in UK Higher Education, and many of our graduates are now leading writers and editors in their field.

• Our teaching staff of celebrated writers and scholars are ready to support you and your work as a Goldsmiths student.

• We’re regularly visited by literary guest speakers, and our students have recently enjoyed events with Ali Smith, George Saunders, Bernadine Evaristo, Nikesh Shukla, Michael Rosen, Eimear McBride and Howard Jacobson.

• Our forward-thinking approach to the fields of creative writing and literary studies is supported by our hosting and running of the Goldsmiths Prize, awarded annually to work that pushes the boundaries of the novel.

• Your literary and creative studies will be supported by lectures and seminars that will give you practical advice to help you improve your essay writing and refine your research strategies.

• Our location on the doorstep of central London means that you will have easy access to one of the most diverse, historic, and dynamic literary centres in the world.

Year 1 In your first year, you'll take the following compulsory modules: Explorations in Literature Genre Foundation Workshop in Creative Writing Ideas in Practice Creative-Critical Project Year 2 In your second year, you will study the following compulsory module: Creative Writing Workshop You will also choose one module from each of the following pairs: Reading the Past or The Long Nineteenth Century Communicating the Climate Crisis (Goldsmiths Connected Curriculum) or The Goldsmiths Elective The Goldsmiths Project or Work Placement (English) Optional modules You'll then take 2 modules from an approved list. This list is published annually by the Department of English and Creative Writing. Examples of recent modules include: Homer and Contemporary Literature Staging Women’s Voices: Feminism and Writing (Enlightenment to now) Poetry since 1945 American Gothic Language and Society Aesthetics Black British Literature Year 3 In your final year, you'll take a compulsory modules: Creative Writing: Project Development Challenging World Literature: Diversity and Difference or Modern and Contemporary Literatures Optional modules You'll choose 2 to 4 modules (60 credits) from a list provided annually by the Department of English & Creative Writing. Recent examples include: Caribbean Women Writers Decadence Writing Lives Discourse Analysis: Language, Culture and Politics Shakespeare’s Sisters: Contemporary Women’s Writing 1960s to the present Contemporary Indigenous Literatures and Cultures American Crime Fiction Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.