English Literature and Creative Writing

During your first year you’ll attend lectures each week that offer stimulating introductions to the novels, poems, short stories, plays, and films studied. You’ll attend literature seminars, where you’ll enjoy guided discussion and tailored activities that enhance your understanding of these texts and relevant contexts. Make sure to allocate time every day for reading - the beautiful Shankland library or one of Bangor's lovely coffee shops provide a perfect backdrop.

In first year, you will typically have 9-12 weekly contact hours. Each English literature module includes lectures and seminar. Creative Writing modules are taught through workshops. In addition, every tutor and lecturer will have a weekly office hour, which gives another opportunity for feedback and contact. Some modules also include regular timetabled study groups, in which you can informally discuss texts with fellow students. While there is a strong emphasis on independent reading and study, seminars and lectures are designed to guide your studies and prepare you for assessments.

Assessments come in many shapes and forms on our modules, but they are always designed to help develop your skills, boost your employability, and allow you to engage with course material in intellectually stimulating ways. While you can expect to research and write essays and give presentations, you will also have opportunities to showcase your ideas and research in alternative ways, for instance, by producing creative responses to the texts we study. Sometimes, you will be able to choose between a more traditional essay-style assignment and an alternative assessment. A small number of modules feature exams or class tests.

While the exact volume of reading depends on your classes, English Literature modules typically cover a longer text (such as a novel, a play, or a short story), a film, or a selection of poems every week. Sometimes, you will be asked to read a critical essay or theoretical piece to prepare for seminars. We carefully design modules to help you manage the reading load, by alternating longer and shorter texts, but planning is key! We always encourage students to plan their reading well in advance and offer guidance on how to tackle the reading load for specific modules.

Yes, you will be encouraged to share your work with your tutor and your peers in the workshop setting. It's important to say that no one is ever forced to do this! However, most students find workshops, not only a lot of fun, but also most beneficial in terms of moving through the editing process. Workshops are friendly, supportive, safe, and most importantly, push you to make your writing the best it can be. Over time, students tend to find their confidence soars in this space and many go on to enjoy sharing their work in progress at our open mic night, Versify.

Yes! There are many opportunities to engage with writing outside the classroom. Bangor University has an active Writers' Guild which meets twice a week. Here you are invited to workshop, chat, discuss or simply crack on with your own writing.

Y Llechan (The Slate) is our visiting writer programme which runs in both semesters. Y Llechan offers the opportunity to hear renowned and emerging writers reading their work and to engage in conversation with them in Q&A sessions.

Versify is the name of our monthly open mic night at a local tap room. Attended by staff and students alike, this well-loved evening offers you the chance to share your work or simply sit back and enjoy the spoken word.