Student Profile - Ceri
Ceri is studying English Literature at Bangor University. She tells us about the course, her favourite modules and what's her plans after graduation.
Why Study English Literature?
At Bangor University you can embrace your love for reading while building the foundation for a successful career. Our degrees foster skills of effective communication, critical thinking, and problem solving that make graduates stand out to future employers.
You will be taught by world-leading experts from day one. Alongside lectures, you will benefit from small seminar groups, one-to-one project supervision, workshops, and regular drop-in sessions. Predominantly assessed through coursework, the degree features a variety of assessment methods that support the development of knowledge and skills.
Our degree provides a strong foundation of subject-specific knowledge and skills, preparing you to choose from an exciting range of module options as you progress. You will develop and pursue new interests and have the chance to undertake independent research on a topic of your choice in a dissertation project.
Our module range allows you to explore a variety of literary forms across 1000 years of literary history. You will discover different genres – such as the Gothic, Comedy, and Children’s Fiction – and important themes, including gender and sexuality, the environment and climate, and globalisation.
Our degree emphasises that English Literature does not only mean literature from England, offering students the opportunity to explore postcolonial and four nations literatures and perspectives. We have strong expertise in Welsh Writing in English and our teaching highlights the European contexts of British literature.
At Bangor, you will be part of a lively and caring community with excellent pastoral support. You will have a chance to immerse yourself in reading but also go on theatre visits and field trips, to listen and talk to visiting writers, to attend research seminars, to explore Bangor’s special collections and archives, and to get involved in vibrant student societies and reading groups.
STUDENT PROFILE Anayia Patel
BA English Literature
"The variety in modules means that the reading content ranges from the medieval period, to contemporary times. This gives me such an expansive and intriguing outlook on English Literature that I had not experienced before."
Got any questions? Chat to students and staff
Do you have a question about life as a Bangor University student? Our ambassadors will be happy to help you find the answer.
They can tell you more about studying here, about the amazing Clubs and Societies we have, and how they made friends and settled in to life at university.
If you have any questions about the course, our lecturers are on hand to help. Below are some examples of frequently asked questions. Can you think of any more?
- What are the qualities of a successful English Literature student at Bangor?
- How can I prepare myself to study English Literature at Bangor?
- How will I know that English Literature at Bangor is the right choice for me?
Skills you'll gain whilst studying an English Literature degree
There are plenty of transferable skills you'll learn whilst studying English Literature, our graduates graduate with skills that are highly sought after in todays job market. Alongside the ability to write and to speak well, and to synthesise information effectively, our degrees provide you with;
- time management and self-discipline skills
- oral and written communication skills;
- problem-solving abilities, including careful analytical evaluation;
- critical thinking and assessment skills, including the ability to self-consciously examine your own and others’ writings;
- independent and flexible thinking;
- and an ability to synthesise, absorb and critique multiple and conflicting sources of information.
These skills you learn whilst studying English Literature can lead you into a range of different career paths. Some career paths you might want to consider include:
- primary / secondary school educator;
- academic librarian;
- arts administrator;
- archivist;
- civil service;
- librarian;
- proof-reader;
- editorial assistant;
- journalist;
- public relations;
- web content writer;
- advertising copywriter;
- academia;
- and creative writing.
Your Careers Starts Here
0:00 [Music]
0:06 I think this is the absolutely perfect opportunity for our students to
0:10 start and to build their confidence, to develop techniques for liaising or
0:18 or for speaking with employers and it's in a safe environment because it's actually on
0:22 campus. Something for everybody. Be brave make sure that you actually talk to some employers
0:29 and if you ever go to an event like this before make sure that you find out who's going to be
0:34 here and do a little bit of homework so that you can use your time really wisely.
0:39 [Music]
0:42 We were lucky enough to have fairs of this nature but I think I personally went from
0:47 University to the Anglesey council at first just as an administrative role and I would never have got
0:53 that without my degree so it's just a combination of everything. We're looking for graduates who are
0:59 graduating in the summer and there may be openings then to become trainees with us.
1:04 [Music]
1:06 We provide workshop for students ahead of career fairs so that they can get the most out of the
1:12 fair, we try and help them with their networking skills and feeling confident about approaching
1:18 potential employers and what kind of questions that they should be asking. They're very well
1:23 aware that at the end of their academic careers with us that they're going to be competing in a
1:29 labour market with thousands of other students so we want to focus on producing confidence, aspiring
1:35 and resilient students that can effectively compete in the labour market. I think we've
1:39 got a very good mix of employers across many different disciplines that would appeal to a range
1:46 of students that we have within the college and the feedback that we're getting is very positive
1:51 [Music]
1:54 Ask as many questions and actually it's okay to have a different Viewpoint of stuff
1:58 that's what we're trying to promote be curious and find out a different solution
2:02 to problems. I think Bangor University is a place close to my heart I'm an ex-student
2:06 here having graduated 26 years ago, I'm thrilled to be able to come and talk
2:11 to people like myself who 26 years ago needed that help and guidance.
2:16 [Music]
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0:07 It's really nice after covid to come back and be in one place and meet potential employers face to face and really
0:14 see what's out there. It's hard to ignore all the opportunities that are ahead of me when they're
0:20 literally in the room in front of you and it's so nice to be out and about networking and meeting
0:25 people who have never done it before. Know what you want coming in filter out what you don't want
0:30 look for what you do want. Come prepared and ready to sort of present yourself as an opportunity
0:36 rather than just being given an opportunity, you know have confidence in yourself too. See yourself
0:41 as an asset and sell yourself to these potential employers.
0:48 So at this point, this event is really really crucial for me because I'm in my final year now so I am already looking for a
0:54 graduate job and obviously I've spoken to so many employers to generate leads so when I graduate and
0:59 I've got a pipeline where I'm going to go and I've got a job planned already.
1:04 So my best advice for future students would be to would be literally just get involved take part especially
1:10 in Bangor University. Bangor University has so much to offer, this is going to help
1:14 you build not your academic skills but your interpersonal skills which are really really
1:18 crucial in this competitive job market these days you don't only need academic skill you need
1:23 interpersonal skills as well these activities are a really important part of your studies.
1:28 [Music]
1:32 It's really done well and I would like students to come in and you know like see this fair this festival
1:38 especially I would like to like request all the advice all the you know International
1:43 students to come and see that yes there are more like opportunities than you think there is.
1: 49 [Music]
1:51 So we've been developing like CV work right now so I've had a look at my CV and what sort of things I want to do
1:56 so that's really helped me for future career advice and things like that. It helps students explore different places they can go
2:02 ask questions that tutors or professors may not be able to ask. Come prepared
2:07 that's a massive thing do your research and even if it's just a five minute search into the
2:11 business do it. Don't be worried about asking silly questions because ask any question that you want
2:16 to ask they'll answer anything. Know what you're looking for it's a massive help if you go in there
2:20 with you don't really know what you're going to do your anxiety about this sort of thing
2:24 will go up massively know what you're going to do and you're going to be perfectly fine.
2:27 [Music]
Our Research in English Literature
Our teaching and supervision are based on world-leading research and creative practice. We have research strengths in medieval and early modern literature; the history of the book and publishing; and Welsh Writing in English. Our research reaches an international audience while engaging closely with our local environment and collections, including the university’s outstanding archives. In the most recent REF, our research was ranked 14th in the UK for world-leading publications.
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