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English

BA/BSc (NFQ Level 8)
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This course is available through the following application route(s)

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Study English at UCD if you are an enthusiastic reader, writer and thinker who loves literature. Strengthen your understanding of narrative, poetic and dramatic forms. Enlarge your critical vocabulary and historical awareness. Explore how the study of literature intersects with questions of gender, politics and cultural theory. Learn how to research a topic, evaluate evidence and present your ideas in a cogent, persuasive way. Become a creative and dynamic critic yourself!

About This Course

Study English at UCD if you are an enthusiastic reader, writer and thinker who loves literature. Strengthen your understanding of narrative, poetic and dramatic forms. Enlarge your critical vocabulary and historical awareness. Explore how the study of literature intersects with questions of gender, politics and cultural theory. Learn how to research a topic, evaluate evidence and present your ideas in a cogent, persuasive way. Become a creative and dynamic critic yourself!

You will study themes and contexts of literature from around the world, from Medieval to contemporary times. Modules are taught in a variety of ways ranging from small in-depth seminars taught by a single lecturer, to larger, collaboratively-taught classes and research driven modules. Throughout your degree you can choose from more than 60 modules on different aspects of literature including:

First Year

Reading World Literature • Literature & Crisis • Contemporary Irish Writing • Literary Genre: The Art of Criticism & the Craft of Writing • How to Read Poetry • Horror Literature • Children’s Literature • Comics & Fantasy

Second Year

Critical Theory • Reading Medieval Literature • Irish Literature in English • Modern American Literature • Renaissance Literature • Romanticism • Global 19th Century Literature

Third Year

Reading Ulysses • Apocalypse Then: Old English Literature • Yeats & the Arts • Writing Black • Reading Gender and Sexuality • The Modern Short Story • Social Networks in Fiction • Global Science Fiction • Masculinities & Manhood • Contemporary Irish Women’s Poetry • Global Eco- Literature • Making Shakespeare • Literature & Science

Assessment is through end-of-trimester essays and written examinations, as well as a range of continuous assessment methods, including worksheets, presentations and project work.

Study English

Archaeology Irish/Gaeilge
Art History Irish Folklore
Celtic Civilisation Irish Studies
Drama Studies Italian
Film Studies Latin
French Maths
Greek Music
Greek & Roman Civilisation Linguistics
Geography Philosophy
German Spanish
History Sociology
Information & Communication Studies Statistics
Portuguese

Studying English (BSc Social Sciences) as a minor with one of the following:
Sociology Geography

We have links with: Albert-Ludwigs- Universität, Freiburg, Germany; Sorbonne Université, France; University of Turin, Italy; University of Verona, Italy; University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Coimbra, Portugal; University of Barcelona, Spain; University of British Columbia, Canada; University of Miami, USA; University of Otago, New Zealand; University of California, Davis, USA.

Graduates of English work across a wide range of industries, including: Broadcasting and Journalism, Cultural Production and Arts Management, Public Relations, Business/Finance, Publishing, Law, Politics, Policymaking, Teaching, Heritage, Management Consultancy, Tourism, Humanities Research, Digital Media and Tech.

Choose from a wide range of MA options including: Creative Writing, Literature and Culture (with strands in American, Gender, Sexuality and Culture, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary, Renaissance) Film Studies and Writing for Stage and Screen, Irish Writing. See www.ucd.ie/englishdramafilm/study/ postgraduate for more detail.

UCD School of English, Drama and Film
p. +353 1 716 8321
e. stacy.grouden@ucd.ie


Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 2 Core Modules
 ENG20780 Critical Theory Autumn  10
Stage 2 Core Modules
 ENG20410 Reading Medieval Literature Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 option modules.
ENG20450 Writing and Performance in the Age of Shakespeare: Renaissance Literature Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 option modules.
ENG20490 Romanticism Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 option modules.
ENG20430 Modern American Literature Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 option modules.
ENG20440 Reading the story of Ireland: Irish Literature in English Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 option modules.
ENG20790 Global 19th C. Literature Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31950 Architecture and Narrative Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31960 Apocalypse Then: Old Eng. Lit. Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32000 Contemp. Irish Women's Poetry Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32030 Theatre of Martin McDonagh Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32050 Reading Joyce Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32070 Medieval Celluloid Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32110 Literature and Science Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32380 Sexuality and the State in Irish Drama and Culture Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32560 Writing Black: African American Literature and Racial Consciousness Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32640 Girlhood in 21stC American YA Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32670 Dark Romanticism Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32780 Presenting Tennessee Williams Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32840 Literature and Justice Autumn  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31930 Irish Fiction After 2010 Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31980 Women and the Novel in Romantic-era Britain Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32180 Poetry in Performance Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32270 Pursuits of Happiness: Fictions of America Since 1945 Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32600 Creative Non-Fiction Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32690 Writing Habits Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 CRWT30240 Making Comics Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 DRAM30200 Queer and Trans* Theatre and Performance Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31900 Yeats and the Arts Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31940 Global Science Fiction Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31990 Reading Gender and Sexuality Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32020 Detecting Fictions: the Crime Novel in America, Britain and Ireland Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32080 Social Networks in Fiction: from Jane Austen to Conan Doyle Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32090 Masculinities and Manhood in Irish Writing and Culture Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32130 Irish Gothic Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32200 Sexuality & American Modernism Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32220 Popular Fiction in Britain Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32680 Global Renaissance Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32760 Life Writing: Text and Self Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32810 Irish Poetry, Global Diplomacy Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32820 Reading South Africa Spring  10
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32510 Writing Dublin Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32520 Ugly Feelings Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32740 King Arthur: History & Romance Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG31780 Contemporary European Crime Fiction Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32300 Making Shakespeare Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31950 Architecture and Narrative Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31960 Apocalypse Then: Old Eng. Lit. Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32000 Contemp. Irish Women's Poetry Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32030 Theatre of Martin McDonagh Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32050 Reading Joyce Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32070 Medieval Celluloid Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32110 Literature and Science Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32380 Sexuality and the State in Irish Drama and Culture Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32560 Writing Black: African American Literature and Racial Consciousness Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32640 Girlhood in 21stC American YA Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32670 Dark Romanticism Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32780 Presenting Tennessee Williams Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32840 Literature and Justice Autumn  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31930 Irish Fiction After 2010 Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31980 Women and the Novel in Romantic-era Britain Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32180 Poetry in Performance Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32270 Pursuits of Happiness: Fictions of America Since 1945 Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32600 Creative Non-Fiction Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32690 Writing Habits Autumn and Spring (separate)  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 CRWT30240 Making Comics Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 DRAM30200 Queer and Trans* Theatre and Performance Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31900 Yeats and the Arts Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31940 Global Science Fiction Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG31990 Reading Gender and Sexuality Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32020 Detecting Fictions: the Crime Novel in America, Britain and Ireland Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32080 Social Networks in Fiction: from Jane Austen to Conan Doyle Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32090 Masculinities and Manhood in Irish Writing and Culture Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32130 Irish Gothic Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32200 Sexuality & American Modernism Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32220 Popular Fiction in Britain Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32680 Global Renaissance Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32760 Life Writing: Text and Self Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32810 Irish Poetry, Global Diplomacy Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 2 of:
Students should choose 2 x 10 credit modules. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives
 ENG32820 Reading South Africa Spring  10
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32510 Writing Dublin Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32520 Ugly Feelings Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32740 King Arthur: History & Romance Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG31780 Contemporary European Crime Fiction Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Students should choose 1 x 5 credit module. Students may take additional modules from the list below in place of electives.
 ENG32300 Making Shakespeare Spring  5

Studying English at UCD has empowered me to develop a profound understanding and appreciation of literature. It has also given me the opportunity to implement the craft of writing, critical thinking and analysis, helping me to develop how I articulate my ideas in academia and everyday life. The School of English, Drama and Film has an extremely friendly and dedicated staff. Each lecturer that I have interacted with has been so helpful and approachable. The lecturers and tutors are very passionate about their subject. This is conveyed through their various teaching styles, making for a very enjoyable and enriching experience.

Adesewa Awobadejo, English Graduate

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General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to English:

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2024
 Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates		 Closed
showAudience-audienceInt SBU3
Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science
Full-Time
Commencing September 2024
 Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates		 Closed
showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates		 Apply
showAudience-audienceInt SBU3
Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)
Non EU Undergraduates		 Apply
showAudience-audienceEU DN520
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Application through CAO Apply via CAO
showAudience-audienceEU DN700
Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science
Full-Time
Commencing September 2025
 Application through CAO Apply via CAO
* you can change options at the top of the page

Additional special entry route(s) to English:

These options have additional eligibility requirements to cater for specific applicant cohorts. You should not apply via these routes before consulting the requirements or contacting the responsible UCD office.

ROWCLASS Apply to   Application Type  
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt BAU5
Joint Honours
Bachelor of Arts		 Full-Time

Commencing September 2025		 Access Progression Pathway
Access Progression Pathway
Application to this Non-EU Access Progression Pathway is by invitation only. If you are not currently enrolled on an Access programme at UCD, your application will be marked as invalid.
If you are not a current Access student, but you are a non-EU applicant seeking admission to an undergraduate degree, please submit an application via the "Undergraduate Degree (Non-EU)" course type.		 Apply
showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt SBU3
Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science		 Full-Time

Commencing September 2025		 Access Progression Pathway
Access Progression Pathway
Application to this Non-EU Access Progression Pathway is by invitation only. If you are not currently enrolled on an Access programme at UCD, your application will be marked as invalid.
If you are not a current Access student, but you are a non-EU applicant seeking admission to an undergraduate degree, please submit an application via the "Undergraduate Degree (Non-EU)" course type.		 Apply
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