Undergraduate BA (Hons)

English and Film

Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology

Attendance

Full-time

Course

Three year

Next enrolment

September 2023

Introduction

In a nutshell

Our English and Film degree is characterised by the richness of literature and the study of film in its critical and creative context. You’ll explore both art forms individually, as well as examining the relationship between them.

As part of your English modules, you’ll build your core skills in critical and creative thinking, equipping you with the tools you need to analyse a range of literary texts. You’ll also gain an appreciation of how literature reflects the social and historical contexts in which it was written.

Alongside your study of literature, you’ll consider the cultural and creative impact of film. From exploring developments in American and British cinema, you'll also have the opportunity to examine cinema from across Europe, Latin America, Asia and beyond; evaluating the role of cinema as a major entertainment industry as well as thinking about film as a political and socio-cultural property along the way.  

Want to find out more about English and Film studies at Salford? Why not sign up to an upcoming Open Day?

You can also follow our English team InstagramTwitter and Facebook accounts, which are led by our English teaching staff so you can find out how we tell our story through English, Creative Writing and Drama.

You will:

  • Study a wide range of literature and film from around the world
  • Develop an understanding of the relationship between texts and their social and historical contexts
  • Discover how cinema has become a significant part of international culture
International

students accepted

This is for you if...

1.

You want to explore the richness of English literature alongside cinema from around the world.

2.

You would like to develop your ability to critically analyse both film and literature.

3.

You want to launch a professional career in the media and creative industries.

Course details

All about the course

Designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of two creative disciplines, this English and film degree explores subjects as diverse as postmodern literature, popular fiction, the history of cinema and the world’s most powerful film industry: Hollywood. You’ll also be introduced to the expectations of university-level study, developing the skills you need to excel in your academic work.

As you move into the second and third year of your degree, you’ll shape your studies to focus on the areas of English and film that interest you most. Currently available options range from exploring contemporary American cinema and learning the skills required to become a successful film journalist, to examining the female gothic, exploring literary representations of "Gender, Race and Empire", and workshopping your screenwriting skills. This is your chance to develop a strong portfolio of work in your chosen area.. What’s more, you’ll be learning from leading academic staff who are both committed teachers and active researchers in their fields.

Explore what each of our English and film modules involves in our full course breakdown below.

Year one

Critical Approaches to Film

You will evaluate a range of critical approaches to film in relation to the social and cultural developments that informed and influenced them. Throughout the module, you will focus on key approaches such as film as art, film as propaganda, film as mass culture, authorship, genre and ideology.

Popular Fictions

You will be introduced to key concepts relating to the study of popular fiction including critical attitudes towards it. The module develops knowledge of the publishing industry and literary genres with a focus on crime literature spanning from Conan Doyle’s Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

Film Form, Film Meaning

During the course of this module, you will look at the idea of film form and how it contributes to the meaning of a film. Considering various components such as narrative, cinematography, editing and sound, this module aims to answer the basic question of: What is a Film?

Classical Hollywood Cinema

This module introduces the idea of ‘classical Hollywood’ cinema and its role in the development of our understanding of film. Analysing Hollywood as an organising structure for film production, you will identify the production methods employed by the Hollywood studios, the production techniques and practices widely termed as the ‘classical Hollywood style’, and the economic rationale behind the establishment of Hollywood.

Discovering Literature

Writing and storytelling are as vital now as they have been since history began to be recorded by writers and storytellers. In this module, you will explore and learn about the importance of these fundamentals of literature from different approaches, different forms, different periods, and in their use in various media across time.

Year two

British Cinema

This module is designed to provide you with an introduction to the history of British cinema, its institutions, its stars and some of its production personnel.

The Romantic Period

Study literature emerging in a time of revolution and consider themes such as the rights of man, of woman, and of slaves, the sublime, childhood, empire, the self, and the gothic. This literary period refines and develops literary forms and styles from previous eras, as well as pursuing artistic experimentation, so this module explores language and form in detail in relation to key themes within their historical and cultural context.

Choose from two Film and two English modules from the following indicative list (the top four modules are Film options):

Film Journalism

You will learn to write in a concise and entertaining manner in this module, acquiring the writing and editing skills necessary to undertake film reviews, features and interviews. Whilst the module will focus on film-related matters, the skills learned will be highly transferable into other journalistic realms.

Cinema Asia

Building upon several ideas covered in Year one, you will begin to take a more in depth look at the range of cinema produced across Asia. In addition to covering a variety of cinematic traditions from countries including India, China, Korea and Japan, you will also articulate the differences in aesthetic forms and strategies and critically assess the place of Asian cinemas in the increasingly global film industry.

Comedy and British Cinema

Focusing on comedy films produced within British cinema, this module will enable you to identify different characteristics associated with various styles of British film comedy. You will also analyse formal strategies employed by comedy filmmakers and various performance techniques utilised by a range of comedic performers within British cinema.

Contemporary American Cinema

The landscape of American film-making has been affected by a range of economic, social and cultural changes in recent years. This module will consider these tumultuous changes as well as address conflicting definitions of independence within a global marketplace, and the importance of marketing strategies within contemporary film-making.

Utopias and Dystopias

Learn to understand the complex relationship between utopian ‘thinking’ and ‘real-world’ thinking by studying and debating representations of utopian societies; you will also study a variety of dystopian texts by authors such as Anthony Burgess, Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and Ray Bradbury.

Attitudes to English

This module will trace the origins and development of prescriptive attitudes and linguistic insecurity, and the extent to which these ideas are relevant to contemporary users of English. Topics include received pronunciation, grammar and ‘morality’, and politically correct language.

Literature, Adaptation and the Screen

On this module, you will study a range of literary texts and their screen counterparts, including SherlockPsycho, and Gone Girl. Topics for seminar discussion may include: theories of adaptation and genre; issues of authorship/ auteurship; the integral role of technical arts such as scenography, music, sound production; the importance of context. Students will also be introduced to the writing techniques associated with adaptation: treatments, synopses, step outlines and script writing.

Victorian Literature: Progress and Panic

You will enhance your skills in close analysis, studying 19th Century writing within a range of historical and theoretical contexts. Texts include novels, poetry, and non-fiction and the module covers a range of issues including class, culture, urban experience, women’s writing, decadence and identity.

Revival and Revolution: Irish Literature 1890-1930 (English)

You are introduced to Irish literature in English from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You will examine the main texts produced in this period and relate them to the political, social and historical circumstances in which they were produced. 

Gender, Race and Empire

This module examines constructions of gender, race and empire in fictional and non- fictional texts from the last thirty years of the nineteenth century. We will consider how scientific, literary, political and other texts construct and reimagine the roles of men and women, colonisers and colonised peoples, animals and the environment during this transitional period between the Victorian and the Modern.

Reptiles of Genius

This module studies the most characteristic mode of writing in the eighteenth century: satire. It will allow you to gain an appreciation of the complexities of satire as a mode of writing: you will learn to recognise what it is, what it tries to do, and who writes satire and why. Satire was practised in a wide variety of genres, ranging from drama through poetry to fictional and non-fictional prose. These written forms will be explored, as will visual satire and how to read it.

21st Century Women’s Writing

This module will explore a range of contemporary texts written by women and will include novels, short stories, poetry and other forms of writing including memoirs, creative non-fiction, and journalism. As a consequence, you will learn about the socio-political and cultural climate of today’s society as it affects and is shaped by women.

The Female Gothic

You will analyse a selection of Gothic novels and novellas by women, and learn about the themes of Gothic writing as well as explore the significance of various recurrent tropes and features such as: the uncanny, Gothic spaces and places, the absent/dead mother, voyeurism and surveillance.

Introduction to Screenwriting

The module examines fundamental aspects of fictional storytelling: narrative structure, character development, character types, relation of character to plot, and the use of subplots. The module goes on to explore differing conceptual and technical approaches used in screenwriting for theatre, TV and film. You will workshop your screenplay in class, which can be written in any genre or style appropriate to screen work to produce a finished script that is a whole linear narrative.

Year three

Postmodernism

This module explores recent and contemporary texts in relation to critical issues such as authorship, narrative structure, linear progression, and identity. Selected texts will include novels, films and short stories.  

Choose three Film and two English options from the following indicative list (the top five modules are Film options):

Sequential Art (Comics and Graphic Novels)

You will study important examples of international comic strips, series and ‘graphic novels’. At a time of proliferating texts inspired by material introduced in comics, a section of the module will look at film and TV adaptations, evaluating the importance of comic-derived material to the modern media landscape. The unique ways in which comics can be said to create meanings will be highlighted, and you will experience creating a narrative with expert guidance. Themes studied may include: Comics and Childhood; The Graphic Novel Era: Comics ‘come of age’; Alan Moore; Comics, Ideology and Form: Case Study of 1970s British Comics; Fandom; Comics and Other Media.

Hollywood Masculinities-Dissertation Only

This will let students explore key (transitional) representations of men and masculinity throughout Hollywood history. Beginning with an examination of the pre-code ‘mob men’, moving to representations of men (and dangerous women) in film noir and 1980's muscular hero action pics, among other key masculine characterisations, the module will analyse how the representation of Hollywood’s leading men has always been an altering document, drawn and redrawn to meet the demands of the day. Critical skills concerning gender, identity and representation theories will come to bear on one of the burgeoning, most hotly-debated areas of the film discipline.

Film Programming and Curating for Cinemas and Festivals

Building on the previous year’s ‘Film Distribution and Exhibition’, this module will focus on creating programmes for independent cinemas and film festivals. In order to provide the understanding needed of the various industrial contexts involved, you will look at areas and activities such as:

  • Film Festivals: - What is a film festival? 
  • Festival development and change: The Edinburgh International Film Festival case study  
  • Programming festival retrospectives: Case study in film at the Viva Spanish and Latin American Festival 
  • Independent Cinemas in the UK
  • Understanding the market and programming an independent cinema’s weekly list
  • Curating special programmes and seasons: Case study of States of Danger and Deceit - European Political Thrillers in the 1970s (HOME Manchester)
  • Initiating Cultural Interventions and working with cinemas: Case study of Chinese Film Forum UK

Alternatives, Independents and the Marginal

Different and radical forms of production and distribution, particularly in the age of the internet, have questioned the existence of a universal, stable film 'mainstream'. However, institutions such as financial backers, major awards and festivals have received feedback that their measures for success are failing to recognise and include women, people of colour, ethnic communities and queer/trans groups. The same limitations are detectable in the mainstream cinema 'canon'. This module asks, what is the canon of cinema? What supports it, how should we evaluate its effects, and that which is beyond it? 

Film and Theory– Dissertation Only

Building upon work undertaken in Year One and Two, this module will provide you with the intellectual tools to undertake a detailed theoretical analysis of film.

British Theatre Post-1950

This module contextualises post-war British theatre in terms of naturalism, the avant-garde and the epic mode. A range of play texts will be explored in relation to form, narrative, action and character while exploring the ways in which they engage with issues of class, sexuality, gender and national identity.

The Language of Names

Names are all around us, and this module explores the linguistic structure, history, development and political significance of names and naming, focusing on the UK but with reference to other countries as well. You will have an opportunity to examine the names of people and places in real life and in literary and other creative contexts.

Shakespeare and the Play of Thought

This module explores the various ways in which cultural intertextuality informs and shapes Shakespeare's approach to character and action. To gain a broader understanding of how Shakespearean drama can be seen as 'the play of thought,' we will analyse Shakespeare's work in terms of literary theories including new historicism, cognitive linguistics, and gender studies.

Alternative Ulster

This module will discuss literature written during the period known as the Northern Irish ‘troubles’, the Peace Process and after. It will consider poetry, prose, drama and film produced in this period, as well as other visual sources (mural, video and performance art) to consider a variety of ways of representing the conflict. While a historical narrative will be presented in the first lectures and seminars, the focus will be on considering how form and content intersect in these fictive representations.

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this. 

What will I be doing?

TEACHING

As part of your English and Film degree, your timetable will include a breakdown of your scheduled lessons with timeslots for you to explore your independent research interests. Your classes will be based at either our Peel Park or  MediaCityUK campus.

This English and film programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lectures are formal and will consist of a lecturer addressing a large group of students. Seminars and tutorials are smaller and informal. They are either entirely student-led sessions or a combination of student and tutor-led.

As part of your film studies, there will also be a series of screenings and talks by visiting experts.

ASSESSMENT

An important aspect of our English and film university courses is how we assess you. As well as giving us an indication of how you’re doing, they will also help to inform you of areas you’re working well in, and areas you need to work on.

You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods including traditional essays, presentations, written analysis and longer pieces based on your own research interests.

Be a part of a creative, supportive community

All our English and Film, TV and Radio courses are delivered by the Salford School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology. Our focus is to ensure that you have the skills you need to pursue your dreams, and we encourage our students, past and present, to collaborate with each other and achieve great things.

Each year - through the Create Student Awards – our School rewards the incredible achievements and successes of our final year and postgraduate students.

Whatever you choose to study with us, you’ll be mentored and supported by experts. And once you graduate, it won’t end there. You’ll join a thriving alumni network across Greater Manchester and beyond, meaning you’ll be supported professionally and personally whenever you need it.

EXPLORE OUR ENGLISH FACILITIES

Fancy learning your craft using the same type of equipment you’ll use when you’re working? Study with us, and you’ll become confident and comfortable with industry-standard kits and facilities. You won’t just be left to work it out on your own – our experienced tutors and technicians will show you how to master everything we have on offer.

Explore our English facilities at the University of Salford.

MEET THE ENGLISH TEACHING STAFF

Are you looking to learn more about the background of our English tutors and demonstrators, or put a face to a name?

Find out who'll work with you throughout your academic journey at the University of Salford.

Explore the English faculty at the University of Salford

Employment and stats

What about after uni?

EMPLOYMENT

Your BA English and film studies degree will enable you to secure professional roles in a variety of related industries, including journalism, cinema programming, teaching and the direction of film festivals. Our recent graduates have also gone on to work in areas as diverse as the film distribution sector, arts administration and education. What’s more, you’ll be well equipped with a portfolio of work that you can use to evidence your critical analysis skills and establish yourself as a professional within the creative industries.

FURTHER STUDY

Graduates showing strong academic and research skills can pursue a further postgraduate path through  our Postgraduate programmes  on a full-time or part-time basis subject to a satisfactory proposal. 

A taste of what you could become

A journalist

A writer

A teacher

A film distributor

And more...

Career Links

The English and Film course boasts strong industry links with several local culture organisations including HOME Manchester, Greater Manchester Arts Centre, The Salford Film Festival, and the Viva: Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. You will gain an in-depth insight into film distribution and exhibition through work placements during the Film Exhibition and Distribution module.

Requirements

What you need to know

APPLICANT PROFILE

To gain a place on this English and Film degree, you should have a keen desire to pursue academic work and a passion for all things literature and film. In preparation for this course, you should also be exploring texts from a wide range of genres, as well as developing your own ideas around a variety of subject matter. So, if you’re well-read, open-minded and able to form your own arguments, you’re the type of applicant we’re looking for.

Standard entry requirements

GCSE

English Language at grade C/level 4 or above (or equivalent). Maths at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent) is preferred but not essential.

UCAS tariff points

104-120 points including a humanities subject area

A level

104-120 points with a Grade C in a Humanities subject. Film Studies or Media Studies preferred but not essential. General studies accepted.

T level

Merit

BTEC National Diploma

DMM including a humanities subejct area

Access to HE

Pass Level 3 Access to HE Diploma  with 104–120 points in a humanities subject area

Scottish Highers

104-120 points including a humanities subject area

Irish Leaving Certificate

104-120 points including a humanities subject area

International Baccalaureate

30-31 points

European Baccalaureate

Pass Diploma at least 71% overall, including a humanities subject

International students

We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.

If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5.

We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take the Pre-Sessional English course to gain entry onto this degree.

Alternative entry requirements

Salford Alternative Entry Scheme (SAES)

We welcome applications from students who may not meet the stated entry criteria but who can demonstrate their ability to pursue the course successfully. Once we have received your application we will assess it and recommend it for SAES if you are an eligible candidate.

There are two different routes through the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme and applicants will be directed to the one appropriate for their course. Assessment will either be through a review of prior learning or through a formal test.

How much?

Type of study Year Fees
Full-time home 2023/24 £9,250per year
Full-time international 2023/24 £15,120per year

Additional costs

You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery and general subsistence on trips and visits.

Scholarships for International Students

If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships. Explore our international scholarships.

Apply now

All set? Let's apply

Enrolment dates

September 2023

September 2024

UCAS information

Course ID QP33

Institution S03