- School of English (Birmingham City University)
-
School of English 
Established 1959 Type English school Head of School Professor David Roberts Location Birmingham, United Kingdom Campus City North Campus Affiliations Birmingham City University, Faculty of Performance, Media and English, National Academy of Writing Website [1] The School of English is part of the Faculty of Performance, Media and English (PME) at Birmingham City University. The School offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, is home to the Research and Development Unit for English Studies, and has an association with the National Academy of Writing.
Contents
History
The origins of the School of English can be traced back to the Department of English & Secretarial Studies in the Birmingham College of Commerce in the 1950s. In 1959, the department began offering the external University of London BA English degree. One of the graduates during this period was the celebrated novelist Jim Crace.
During the 1960s, the department became the Department of English & Foreign Languages in a Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, and this became one of the constituent faculties when the City of Birmingham Polytechnic was formed in 1971.
During the 1980s, the department became the Department of English & Communication Studies in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. In 1985 the English degree was revised and renamed BA English Language & Literature. At the time this was one of the few single honours courses that allowed students to combine literary and linguistic study.
When polytechnics were given university status in 1992, Birmingham Polytechnic became the University of Central England in Birmingham. English and Communication Studies went their separate ways, Communication Studies to Art & Design, and English (now the School of English) to the Faculty of Computing & Information Studies, which was eventually renamed the Faculty of Computing, Information & English (CIE).
In 2004, the School joined the Faculty of Law & Social Sciences. Following a faculty reorganisation in the renamed Birmingham City University in 2007, the School of English found itself in the Faculty of Performance, Media & English (PME).
Present Day
The School still offers an integrated BA degree in English Language and Literature, but it has added popular routeways in Creative Writing and Drama. There is now a postgraduate course in Writing, run in association with the National Academy of Writing, which sees the School’s work showcased in venues such as Foyles bookshop, the Royal Court Theatre and the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Research has grown exponentially in recent years. The School has made a strong return to every Research Assessment Exercise since 1996[1][2][3] and currently boasts scholars and writers of international renown in all its constituent fields, whether literature, linguistics, drama or creative writing. There have been major funded research projects from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the work of members of the School features regularly in world-leading journals and publishing houses.[4]
The School is home to the Research and Development Unit for English Studies (RDUES). Founded by Professor Antoinette Renouf and formerly at the Universities of Birmingham and Liverpool, RDUES carries out research in corpus linguistics and has developed the WebCorp Linguist's Search Engine.
Courses
- Undergraduate
All courses are honours degrees of Bachelor of Arts (BA).
- English Literature (Single Honours)
- English (Single Honours)
- English (Single Honours, part-time)
- English and Creative Writing (Joint Honours)
- English and Drama (Joint Honours)
- English and Media (Joint Honours)
- English and Psychology (Joint Honours)
- English Language and English Literature (Joint Honours)
- English Literature (major) with English Language (minor)
- English Language (major) with English Literature (minor)
- Postgraduate
- MA in Writing, in association with the National Academy of Writing
- MA in English Linguistics (by distance learning)
- Supervision is provided for students wishing to pursue research leading to the award of MPhil and PhD degrees in English or in Philosophy.
Notable Alumni
- Frank Skinner – comedian
- Jim Crace – novelist
- Fiona Phillips – television presenter
- Deborah Leary OBE – inventor and entrepreneur
References
- ^ 1996 RAE result, Unit of Assessment: 50 English Language and Literature (as 'University of Central England in Birmingham')
- ^ 2001 RAE result, Unit of Assessment: 50 English Language and Literature (as 'University of Central England in Birmingham')
- ^ 2008 RAE result, Unit of Assessment: 57 English Language and Literature (as 'Birmingham City University')
- ^ School of English staff research profiles
External links
- School of English website
- Research and Development Unit for English Studies website
- WebCorp website
- National Academy of Writing website
Campuses Birmingham Conservatoire · Bournville · Millennium Point (City Centre) · City North · City South · Gosta Green · Margaret Street · Vittoria StreetFaculties Art and Design · Business · Education, Law and Social Sciences · Health · Performance, Media and English · Technology, Engineering and the EnvironmentSchools Acting · Art · Conservatoire · English (National Academy of Writing) · Jewellery · Media · Visual ArtsFacilities Adrian Boult Hall · International Project Space · New Technology Institute · City North Sports Centre · Screen Media LabRelated topics Categories:- Education in Birmingham, West Midlands
- Birmingham City University
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
