School of English
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| School of English | |
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| Contact information | |
|---|---|
| Address | Castle House, The Scores St Andrews KY16 9AL |
| Phone | 462666 |
| Fax | 462655 |
| Website | http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/english |
| Head of School | Prof L Hutson |
Contents |
Introduction
The School of English in St Andrews is ranked best in Scotland and fifth in the UK in The Times Good University Guide 2009, The Guardian University Guide 2009 and The 'Independent' Good University Guide 2008. It was awarded a 5* rating in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The School of English has more than twenty-five permanent members of staff with specialist expertise in all fields and periods of English and Scottish literature, including Creative Writing. Their website is http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/english/.
History
Organisation
The first year English modules are usually some of the biggest classes in St Andrews. The required modules for obtaining permission to proceed are EN1003 Ghosts and Doubles: An Introduction to Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature (semester 1) and EN1004 Explorers and Revolutionaries: Literature 1680-1830 (semester 2). These provide a general overview of the subject and to any true literature student should not prove problematic. In fact, it is often complained that students are "babied" during first year. This feeling generally changes in second year.
Second year, while still fairly substantial in size is much smaller than first year. The required modules are EN2003 Mediaeval and Renaissance Texts (semester 1) and EN2004 Drama: Reading and Performance (semester 2). Generally, students find this year much more challenging. For anyone with a particular interest in Mediaeval and Renaissance texts (as the title suggests) this is an excellent module and will introduce you to the right professors for when dissertation time comes around. Reading and Performance only came into existence as a module in 2007 and some of the kinks are still being worked out.
Eight modules in English are required for Single Honours students, three will be drawn from three 'compulsory sets' which aim to ensure a broad balance of reading, four more are a free choice from an extensive list of modules, and the last is the dissertation.
The English dissertation is one of the most flexible in the entire University. The word limit is 10,000 words (unless you'd rather write more, or less), on any literary topic. Unless you'd rather be a creative writer, or gloss a poem, or do pretty much anything else. There is some complaint that contact time with one's dissertation supervisor is painfully brief - just 90 minutes over the entire semester. The dissertation is due in early January, and this is really the only hard-and-fast rule.
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