Mastering English Literature
This course welcomes graduates from any discipline who want to return to study; whether you’re reigniting a passion, exploring a new direction, or preparing for postgraduate work. It’s an excellent pathway toward MA study in English Literature, Black Humanities, or Creative Writing, and equally rewarding if you’re learning simply for pleasure.
You’ll sample the University’s wide literary expertise, from Medieval writing and Shakespeare to 20thcentury and contemporary literature, environmental humanities, Black diasporic writing, and creative practice. It’s an opportunity to read widely, think deeply, and reconnect with the joy of learning in a supportive community.
Take a look at the short video below of current MA English Literature student David talking about his experiences on the course.
The MEL course has really been life-changing for me, and I had no idea that would happen when I signed up for it. Rediscovering academic study, falling in love with reading again and discovering texts I would never normally have come across, has all been an absolute joy. It’s also given me back confidence I'd lost and the opportunity to focus on something I feel passionate about. My hope now is to go on to complete an MA and then study for a PhD.
An excellent way to gain a real sense of the Masters courses. Feedback on written assignments is thorough and focussed on helping you improve. The tutors have such an infectious enthusiasm and passion for their subjects.
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Details |
Description |
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| When |
This course runs for 10 weeks on Wednesday evenings, 6 pm to 8 pm with a break for half-term academic year 2025-2026 term dates: 21 January to 1 April 2026 (no class 18 February) |
| Where |
University of Bristol Arts Complex, Woodland Road |
| Course tutors |
Marie-Annick Gournet, Philip Smallwood and Rachel Bentham |
| Description |
The course will support you to analyse texts and write essays to graduate standard by refreshing or refocusing your skills for the purposes of literary study. The course is designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship, and participants will have the opportunity to work with specialist tutors to produce an academic essay that could be submitted in support of an application for postgraduate study in a literary discipline. Students will have full access to the University library and student study centres. Guidance will be provided for students who wish to progress to an MA in English. |
| Course Outline |
Session 1: Introduction and reading strategies, meet the tutors This course gives a taste of a range of Masters level (MA) programmes at Bristol including:
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| Course fee |
£515 (2025-26 course fee). Payment can be made in instalments. |
| Previous qualifications/experience | Members of the public who hold a degree are welcome to apply. Please note that this course is not suitable for international applicants. |
Applications for this course are now closed.
Please direct any enquiries about this course to English-Lifelong@bristol.ac.uk.
Find out about our students
- Jamie Harrison"MEL turned out to be a good way to bolster my MA application as well as a practical preparation for graduate study. But it was also enjoyable and worthwhile of itself."
- Harriet's story"I learnt a lot about essay writing and about close reading. I’d never done that before: unpacking paragraphs and seeing other ways of reading books than as a straightforward form of entertainment, which was crucial before going on to the MA."
- Ed Parr"The well-structured course helped me to improve my academic essay writing skills and produce suitable writing samples for postgraduate applications."
Contacts
Please address any enquiries about the courses to:
Department of English Part-time Courses
School of Humanities
11 Woodland Road
Bristol BS8 1TB
Email: english-lifelong@bristol.ac.uk
Telephone: 0117 455 8271