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English  (ENJ1)

BA/BSc (NFQ Level 8) · Academic Year 2024/2025
School
School of English, Drama and Film
Attendance
Full Time
Level
Undergraduate
NFQ Level
Award
Bachelor of Arts
Mode of Delivery
On Campus
Programme Director
Dr Adam Kelly
Overall Programme Credits:
Programme Credits:
Stage 1
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 1
Core/Option: 55 Electives: 5
Stage 2
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 3
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 3
Core/Option: 60 Electives: 0
Stage 4
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Major/Minor Core & Option Credits:
Stage 2: 25
Stage 3: 25
Stage 4: 25

Curricular information is subject to change.

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!

The English programme is aimed at students who love reading, who value literature and appreciate its fundamental role in shaping society and the individual; it attracts students who wish to deepen and refine their critical engagement with a wide variety of English-language texts and cultures.  We educate students in the history of literary and cultural production, in current theoretical methods and approaches, and in a wide range of generic, historical and national literatures.  We promote our core values – independence, creativity, collaboration, critical reflection, cultural engagement, and social and political consciousness – through innovative teaching, learning and assessment methods.  The seminar, workshop and small group work are at the core of our teaching; in these supportive learning environments students and their lecturer/tutor come together in the spirit of mutual inquiry, reflection, discussion and debate.  Work is assessed by a variety of methods including exam, essay, reflective journals, presentations, worksheets, portfolios, creative writing, individual and group projects. Together these modes of assessment foster the development of a range of important qualities and proficiencies.  We work to equip our students with the knowledge, skills, resources and inspiration useful for a range of professions and beneficial for life, and to produce graduates capable of fulfilling their highest potential as critically-minded and creative citizens.  The challenges, experiences and opportunities provided in this educational environment prepare students for a variety of different workplaces.


1 - Situate a text within appropriate thematic, critical, historic and cultural contexts, and to interrogate it in the light of current critical debates
2 - Illustrate In-depth knowledge of literary production in specific time periods and cultures, and identify aesthetic innovations and trends
3 - Express nuanced understanding of form, genre and mode, and an ability to connect ideas across different periods and cultures
4 - Apply refined and sophisticated skills in detailed textual analysis and close reading, and highly attentive to the tensions and ambiguity of texts and language
5 - Apply ann extensive range of literary terminology to the analysis of texts in a range of genres and media
6 - Write with clarity, precision, depth and style, while demonstrating an awareness of genre (e.g. essay, reflective journal, oral presentation), modes of argument, rhetorical skills, and audience
7 - Possess confidence in their own critical judgments, informed by appropriate academic and theoretical skills
8 - Demonstrate a capacity for Innovative, independent thinking that is creative in approach and response to complex issues
9 - Articulate the value and radical transformative potential of literature and literary studies, and become an enthusiastic advocate for the discipline in wider society
10 - Foster a lifelong commitment to the value of reading with an ongoing desire to explore the rich variety of literary and cultural production and cultural history
11 - Research effectively, identify gaps in knowledge and locate and evaluate appropriate sources of information (including online resources, databases, digital tools)
12 - Advance to Postgraduate studies will all the necessary critical, writing and research skills

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.

UCD is Ireland’s Global University and its largest university with a track record in empowering students to enter a diverse range of careers that reflects the most diverse curriculum on the Island of Ireland. Consistently, over 90% of graduates are employed or in further study or training 9 months following course completion. The QS World Ranking on Graduate Employability has placed UCD at number 1 in Ireland for Graduate Employability since 2018. On the global stage UCD leads the Irish higher education sector and is the only Irish university to be ranked inside the world’s top 80 for Graduate Employability.

At University College Dublin we are aware that for many students, programme outcomes in terms of graduate jobs and career options is important. The purpose of this statement is to help you understand and appreciate the range of skills you may develop during your time at UCD and how you may develop your employability. Visit the UCD Careers Networks website and MyCareer, the UCD Career management Platform, to access career information, internships and graduate roles as well as information about the range of initiatives, supports and events available to you.

This programme provides opportunities for students to develop in areas such as:
  • Writing
  • Researching
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Presentations
  • Teamwork
  • Creativity
  • Global awareness
  • Social responsibility
  • Critical thinking
  • Self-awareness


This programme supports students’ career development and employability through:
  • Cultural awareness, resilience and self-confidence e.g. Study Abroad/ERASMUS
  • Social responsibility e.g. UCD In the Community and UCD Volunteers Overseas
  • Enhancing digital literacy skills
  • Development of critical thinking, problem solving skills and decision-making e.g. through individual and group projects and assignments
  • Development of self-reflection skills
  • Creativity and entrepreneurship e.g. elective modules at UCD Innovation Academy


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


Stage 2

At Stage Two, students must take BOTH Level Two core modules (15 credits). Students must make up 10 Level Two option credits in English and should select 2 x 5 credit option modules. Students can choose to take further modules in English as substitutions for elective credits.

Stage 3

At Stage Three, students must take 2 x 10 credit modules from Option List A and 1 x 5 credit modules from Option List B.

Stage 4

At Stage Four, students should take 2 x 10 credit modules from Option List A and 1 x 5 credit module from Option List B

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

See the UCD Assessment website for further details, including worked examples of how degree award GPAs are calculated

Module Weighting Info
 
  Award GPA
Programme Module Weightings Rule Description Description >= <=
BHACS014 Stage 3 - 50.00%
Stage 2 - 50.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47

BHACS001 Stage 3 - 50.00%
Stage 2 - 50.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47

BHACS023 Stage 3 - 70.00%
Stage 2 - 30.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47

BHACS027 Stage 4 - 50.00%
Stage 3 - 30.00%
Stage 2 - 20.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47

BHACS031 Stage 3 - 70.00%
Stage 2 - 30.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47