Inspired, Research-Led Teaching
The curriculum at Exeter covers all periods from the Middle Ages to the contemporary moment with the “literary text” conceived in the broadest possible terms. From the Book of Genesis to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, from little magazines to comics and graphic novels, our curriculum equips students with the critical vocabulary and/or the creative skills to confidently work with a range of literary forms and genres. Alongside literature and creative writing modules, the Department is home to our Liberal Arts degree programme, which emphasises interdisciplinarity while enabling students to select a specialism (or Major). Our staff also teach on a number of workplace-facing undergraduate modules in Applied Humanities and the Creative Industries, which are popular career destinations for many of our students. We run a dedicated M.A. in Publishing.
We create a supportive environment in our classrooms to ensure that students are empowered to explore their ideas and develop into open-minded, critical thinkers. All of our colleagues are active researchers. Everyone brings their particular expertise into lectures and seminars and we believe that the breadth of their scholarship and methodological approaches help students in negotiating their own paths as independent researchers.
Teaching can take many forms from one-to-one consultations in office hours to small student-led study groups, seminars, lectures, writing workshops and field trips. Pastoral support is offered through our personal tutor system and through the University’s Student Wellbeing Services. Students take an active role in the life of the department through our Student-Staff Liaison Committee and our work with the university’s English Society.