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Information for Sophister Students

Junior Sophister Single Honour (SH) and Joint Honours (JH)

Students have the option of studying either English Studies (Single Honours) or English Literature (Joint Honours). The pathways available are Single Honours, Major with Minor and Joint Honours.

In the third and fourth years, you will choose most of your modules from a wide range of specialist options; in these years, modules are taught at an advanced level in small group seminars. Examples of third and fourth year modules may include: Creative Writing, Ulysses in Context, African and Caribbean Literature, Crime Fiction, Global Shakespeare, Modernism, American Writing, Children’s Literature, Popular Literature, and History of the English Language. All final-year students are expected to complete a Capstone project, which might be a dissertation, a study of material from the Library’s Open Collections, or a portfolio of Creative Writing.

Assessment is by a combination of submitted essays, journals, dissertation and end-of-semester examinations. In first and second year the weighting is approximately 66% submitted work and 33% final examinations. In third and fourth year it may vary depending on the modules chosen, although submission of a Capstone project is compulsory for all final year students.

Senior Sophister Single Honour (SH) and Two Subject Moderatorship (TSM)

In the Senior Sophister year, students choose from a very wide range of option modules. These modules are taught by individual members of staff in their own areas of expertise, in intensive seminars meeting for two hours a week. Students take term-long modules and the year-long Capstone Project. In principle all modules are open to TSM and SH students, though lack of some of the necessary linguistic background may make it very difficult for TSM students to take some of the language-based options.

Because the number in each of these modules has to be limited, a system for the choice of options has been devised in consultation with student representatives. Module choices are made by completing an Option Form. The link below gives you the full list of modules available in 2021-22.

Senior Sophister Course Structure

Senior Sophister Single Honour (SH)	Senior Sophister Two Subject Moderatorship (TSM) Majoring in English
Compulsory Module (1) - Capstone Project (independent research module)	Compulsory Module (1) - Capstone Project (independent research module)
Optional Choice Modules - Students must choose (4) options, 2 from each term.	Optional Choice Modules - Students must choose (4) options, 2 from each term.