Theatre and English BA (Hons)

Compulsory

• DR16aa - Why Performance Matters
• DR16bb - Performance and the World
• EN1606 - The Reader’s Toolkit

  Most people take reading for granted, but active, well-informed, interpretative and critical reading is a highly advanced skill. And with the rise of AI and disinformation, it is one of the most important skills in the world today. This module focuses on the key skills of critical and close reading, as central to the study of literature, but also more widely to allow you to sort out truth from troll. The central aim of this module is to enhance and develop students’ engagement with primary and secondary texts as central to your critical thinking abilities. Students will learn how to analyse and interpret complex texts in various genres, making use of the established techniques and approaches of the discipline. They will engage with the idea of critical reading as a culturally-informed act that must be learned and developed. Teaching is shaped around the goal of developing students’ “reading resilience”, that is, the ability to read, discuss, and write about, varied and challenging texts with confidence. Through discussion, group workshops, lectures and individual tasks, students will become proficient in working with literary and rhetorical texts, learning skills that are essential throughout the degree.

• EN1607 - Writer’s Toolkit

Optional

• DR16aa - Why Performance Matters
• DR16bb - Performance and the World
• DR16cc - Acting
• DR16dd - Making Theatre
• EN1608 - Literature and History

  The purpose of this module is to study selected texts in light of their historical, political, cultural, religious, and other contexts. Through the study of a selection of five texts that belong to a particular period or genre, the module will introduce students to the historicist study of literature while at the same time training them in close textual analysis.

• EN1609 - Writing and Difference

  This modular block introduces key critical and cultural concepts in modern literary studies and gives students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of these ideas through engagement with a wide range of texts.

• EN1610 - Literary London

  Brunel is proud of its West London location and celebrates being a campus university in one of the most exciting cultural capitals in the world today. London is defined by its modernity, its complex history, its challenges, its diversity and, of course, by its global centrality. This module aims to introduce students to the study of the literature of London, introducing key critical approaches and engaging with texts from a range of cultural backgrounds. Students will learn about London’s rich and varied literary traditions and forms; acquire theoretical perspectives; build a literary critical vocabulary; engage in debates about the meaning and role of London in literature; and reflect on creative practice and literary production in relation to London’s diverse past and present.

• EN1611 - World Literature

  Brunel campus is a global majority campus with over 150 different countries represented and well over 150 different languages spoken. It is located in West London, one of the most culturally diverse places on earth, and is just down the road from Heathrow airport. Since its inception, postcolonial studies and diversity in general have always been at the forefront of our programs. This truly innovative module aims to introduce students to the study of World Literature, presenting key critical approaches and engaging with texts from contrasting cultural locations. Students will learn about rich and varied world literary traditions and forms; acquire theoretical perspectives; build a world literary critical vocabulary; engage in debates about the meaning and role of world literature and reflect on creative practice and literary production in world contexts.

Optional

• DR26cc - Performance Perspectives

  This modular block investigates key areas of contemporary arts and performance practice and research, analysing existing work through specific research fields and introducing students to critical practitioners and core academic practices such as research, writing and presenting. It also equips students with foundational concepts for analysing performance in relation to society and power.

• DR2621 - Performance Lab

  Transform your curiosity into dynamic performance creation. Engage with performance to pose questions, probe specific topics, and unravel issues. This module advances your performance making skills and empowers you to view performance not just as an art but as a potent mode of inquiry into the world around you.

• DR2628 - Applied Theatre Project

  Become a creative powerhouse. This module invites you to create and evaluate applied theatre workshops and performances tailored for specific audiences. Dive into collaborative ventures within student companies, where collective working becomes the heartbeat of your creative process.

• DR2629 - Music Theatre

  This module introduces you to the exciting ways in which music contributes to theatre and performance. You will learn about different approaches to using music  and practically explore them by creating work that draws on specific performances and practitioners. Gaining practical insights through performance, you will reflect on the contribution of performances and practitioners to theatre, culture, and politics.

• DR2631 - Acting as a Critical Practice

  This modular block extends students’ knowledge of acting by introducing realist and non‑realist approaches as critical tools for representing social realities, while developing experience in devising theatre on social issues and themes. It also builds collaborative rehearsal and performance skills and strengthens students’ ability to articulate how artistic practice relates to political, social and economic contexts.

• EN2612 - Genre Fiction
  This module will investigate the concept of genre fiction in twentieth and twenty-first century literature and explore how genre shapes the production and reception of texts. You will understand the changing status of genre fiction and the new contexts that have emerged for its critical study.
• EN2614 - The Novel: The Nineteenth Century

  The nineteenth century was an era of innovation. Technological invention, scientific breakthrough, geographical discovery, imperial expansion, the abolition of slavery, the rise of the middle classes, the emergence of mass culture, and an ever-stronger push for women’s equality. Within this culture, the novel – as its name suggests, a literary genre founded on newness – came of age. Through the chronological study of a representative selection of five texts, the module will introduce the key generic elements of the nineteenth-century novel, and chart changes in their deployment over the course of the century. Particular attention will be paid to Realism and Gothic. In addition to narrative form, a range of social and cultural contexts will be suggested as a means of accounting for, and understanding, textual features. Stress will be placed throughout on close textual analysis.

• EN2615 - Literary Movements: Modernism

  Have you ever felt overwhelmed by everything that’s going on in the world? You are not alone! Written during the opening decades of the twentieth century, the texts we study on this module were processing a modern world that was changing rapidly and radically. There were new technologies and ideas, empires were in decline, religion was losing its hold, and established class and gender relations were disintegrating. Then the First World War happened, followed by revolutions, a global pandemic, economic depression, and the rise of fascism. Writers responded in different ways. Some, like TS Eliot, Virginia Woolf, and Katherine Mansfield, experimented with content and form, confronting topics that were formerly taboo or using language and structure that shattered convention. Others, including Daphne du Maurier, Dorothy L Sayers, and Christopher Isherwood, used more ‘realist’ styles to work through their anxieties and concerns. Examining novels, short stories, poetry, and experimental artistic manifestos – by these writers and more, and from diverse perspectives – we will explore a modern world in crisis.

• EN2616 - Literature and Revolution: Romanticism

  The political events of the late eighteenth century – the American War of Independence, French Revolution, and Napoleonic wars – dramatically changed lives, ideas, and aesthetics in Britain. From the mid 1770s to the mid 1820s, the period we now call Romanticism signalled profound changes in the form and content of literature. Working in a range of genres, including the novel, pamphlets, poetry, and philosophical, satirical, and travel writing, Romantic writers responded to a set of urgent, ethical, aesthetic, and environmental changes. In the module we consider the ‘first generation’ (Wordsworth, Coleridge, William Blake) and ‘second generation’ Romantics (Shelley, Byron, and Keats), and important political writers such as Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, and William Godwin. Alongside these now-canonical names we read a diverse range of women and Black writers who contributed just as significantly to key Romantic debates: Anna Aikin, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Ottobah Cugoano, Ouladah Equiano, Hannah More, Ann Radcliffe, Mary Robinson, Ignatius Sancho, Mary Shelley, Helen Maria Williams, Dorothy Wordsworth, Phillis Wheatley, and Anne Yearsley

• EN2617 - Texts and Afterlives: Shakespeare

  Shakespeare died over 600 years ago, but his works maintain their relevance, captivating readers and audiences worldwide. In this module, you will study Shakespeare at an advanced level, in greater depth, and with an emphasis on the types of study skills required for advanced critical work in the fields of ‘book history’ and ‘performance studies.’ Using advanced methods of analysis, you will explore early modern texts, both in their original contexts and in their subsequent manifestations in print. You will consider language, performance, and the visual layout of text – both in Shakespeare’s time and in the present day. Overall, you will gain an understanding and experience of the concept of the Shakespearean text as an artefact and art form, one constantly evolving through criticism, editorial intervention and performance

• EN2618 - Contemporary Fiction: Britain and Ireland

  This module introduces students to a range of contemporary British and Irish fiction, developing knowledge of the variety and complexity of contemporary writing and its relation to social and cultural context. The module examines texts which employ a range of themes, forms, and styles. It asks what we mean by the term ‘contemporary’ and encourages analysis of the relationship between texts and the historical moments in which they are produced and consumed.

• EN2619 - Postcolonial Writing

  Postcolonial writing often comes out of difficult circumstances. Its writers sometimes risked everything to publish what they needed to say. These are the new pioneers of Literature in English, whose works would inspire and define the writings of the future. In this module, we get to grips with key concepts encountered in postcolonial studies, which have been developed to investigate phenomena including colonialism and resistance, multiculturalism and globalization, racism, and Islamophobia. Using these, we will explore works by important and fascinating writers, whose texts show a variety of perspectives on colonialism and its legacies, including those of imperialists and the peoples they tried to suppress.

  This is a 15 credit module.

Compulsory

• DR3626 - Contemporary Theatre Project

  Become a creator of original performance works, drawing from your interdisciplinary experiences. Navigate the dynamic interplay between performance-making and the ever-changing contexts of local, national, and international stages. This module equips you with tools to not only create but also market your work effectively.

• DR3627 - Drama, Theatre, and Performance Dissertation

  Undertake a substantial research journey, crafting a written dissertation that contributes to the field. This module is designed to empower you to plan, design, and execute a specialised project. Develop research skills, critically evaluate your project, and leave an indelible mark on the academic landscape.

• EN3621 - English Special Project

  This module asks you to produce a 10,000‑word extended piece of work - a 500‑word plan followed by a 9,500‑word dissertation - where you carry out independent research on a topic that interests you and fits your subject area.

Optional

• DR3628 - Advanced Acting

  Elevate your acting in this performance-focused module. Intensive workshops and theatre productions await you. Dive into the techniques of acting pioneers and let the stage become your workshop for honing your skills.

• DR3629 - Anti-Racism and Performance

  Ignite change as you explore anti-racism through the lens of performance. Navigate the historical landscapes of Critical Race Theory and delve into the intricate relationships between race, racism, and colonialism. This module is your gateway to understanding how performance becomes a powerful tool for social repair, protest, and activism.

• DR3631 - Advanced Musical Theatre

  Fine-tune your instrument—voice and body—in this practical module. Develop rehearsal and performance skills, seamlessly integrate singing, dancing, and acting, and embark on a journey of critical self-reflection on your evolving practice. Explore the industrial context of the musical theatre performer and master the art of auditioning with confidence and flair.

• DR3625 - Professional Practice and Development

  Prepare for your journey from university to professional practice with this module. Gain sector-specific insights and align academic experiences with career goals. The module develops crucial skills for post-graduation challenges, ensuring graduates emerge academically enriched, focused on key employment areas, and prepared for life after university.

• DR3626 - Contemporary Theatre Project

  Become a creator of original performance works, drawing from your interdisciplinary experiences. Navigate the dynamic interplay between performance-making and the ever-changing contexts of local, national, and international stages. This module equips you with tools to not only create but also market your work effectively.

• DR3627 - Drama, Theatre, and Performance Dissertation

  Undertake a substantial research journey, crafting a written dissertation that contributes to the field. This module is designed to empower you to plan, design, and execute a specialised project. Develop research skills, critically evaluate your project, and leave an indelible mark on the academic landscape.

• DR3DDD - Movement and Physical Theatres

  This module develops your skills in movement and physical theatre, with a focus on advanced physical and choreographic techniques. You’ll explore how to devise work that’s critical, complex and emotionally engaging, and create and reflect on a performance shaped by contemporary socio‑cultural or historical contexts.

• DR3EEE - Performing the Now

  This module gives you the chance to explore a recent or emerging area of arts research in depth, surveying existing and new work and developing your own informed, distinctive response. You’ll also engage with the critical academic practices that help you explore and share ideas, building research skills you can use within and beyond the academy.

• EN3622 - Literature, Culture, Society: The Victorians

  Shaped by industrial revolution and radical social reform, the Victorian period was a time of enormous historical and literary change, introducing key values, institutions, and narratives still shaping modern Britain. Typical of Brunel’s innovative approach to more traditional period studies, this module examines three integral 19^th century ‘case studies’, each focused on a specific aspect of Victorian literature and culture: ‘Class, Conflict, Identity’, ‘Crime and Sensation’, and ‘Women and Society’. Its aims are to explore some of the ways in which Victorian literature might encode or challenge particular cultural assumptions; to analyse the relationships between literary forms and social contexts; and finally, to consider how the knowledge of the period may contribute to the interpretation of texts produced during this time.

• EN3XXX - Literature and Identity

  This module explores representations of identity within a selected body of literature, chosen each year to reflect the Module Leader’s expertise and research interests. It introduces students to key debates in identity studies, enables them to recognise how these ideas are expressed and developed through literature, and develops their ability to apply theories of identity to texts such as plays, poetry, biographies, short stories and novels.

• EN3625 - Post-War and Late Twentieth-Century Literature 1945 - 2001

  Brunel English has consistently been a national leader in contemporary literary studies for over two decades. We have a complex and increasingly global understanding of what contemporary literatures can and should mean. In this module we consider the period of the latter half of the 20th century starting with the Second World War which had a major impact on almost every aspect of 20^th century life, with radical implications for society, politics, economics, and culture. This module confronts this shifting global context with a focus on both established and experimental writers, developing students’ awareness of Post-War and Late Twentieth-Century Literatures via a focus on fiction’s negotiation with history. The module foregrounds key sensibilities of this period through an initial discussion of postwar life and art, then moves forward to explore the emergence of the ‘postmodern’ condition. It concludes by examining the experimental fiction of various leading British writers, also considering the influence of late-twentieth century theorists, such as Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson, and Judith Butler.

• EN3626 - Special Topic: Violence

  When it was first launched the Violence module caused quite a stir with its combination of contemporary critical theory and inspiration from the Finnish phenomenon-based learning, leading to a feature on the module in the TLS.  Violence, sadly, represents a shaping force in contemporary life, a site or mode of influence dominating government, society, culture, and the media. This module aims to develop students’ awareness of violence and its representations within modern culture, enlisting a variety of cultural materials, literary, visual, conceptual and technological. It asks a series of questions as regards violence and coercion as they surface in everyday lives, splitting its focus between conceptual understanding and textual readings. Part one, ‘Bioviolence and Biopolitics’, looks at biopolitical theories of power, force, violence, coercion and exclusion as introduced by philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Georgio Agamben, and Roberto Esposito. By contrast, part two, ‘Discourses of Coercion 2015-2020’, applies the theory to case studies taken from contemporary events, such as #Blacklivesmatter, Grenfell Tower, Coronavirus, Zombies and of course serial killers.

• EN3627 - Author Study: Jane Austen

  Focusing on Austen’s work in relation to adaptation, this module explores the forms of fiction she inherited as a young writer – the novels of Frances Burney and Ann Radcliffe – and how she adapted these models to her own work and concerns. It then considers how Austen was adapted in her turn, in a number of extremely popular films and series, to think about how the late eighteenth century ‘courtship’ and marriage plots continue to be reinvented through to the contemporary period. Texts may include: Radcliffe The Italian 1796, Austen Northanger Abbey (1803/ 1818), Frances Burney Evelina, or the History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), Austen Lady Susan (1794/1871), Austen Pride and Prejudice (1813), Robert Z. Leonard d. Pride and Prejudice (1940), Simon Langton d. Pride and Prejudice (1995), Sharon Maguire d. Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001), Chris Van Dusen’s Bridgerton Season 1 (2020).