COURSE CODE: AQA English Literature A Level - 7717AB TYPICAL

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Grade 5 in GCSE English Literature

CAREER POSSIBILITIES

English Literature is well regarded by universities and because the course has both practical and analytical content is suited to a wide range of careers such as journalism, writing, teaching as well as careers in marketing and design and other artistic, literary and media occupations. Careers that centre on the ability to debate and evaluate evidence, such as those in the field of law, politics and other areas of humanities would find A Level English Literature a useful course to pursue. Alternatively, students’ immersion in a range of texts from across the literary canon will provide excellent framework from which develop a career in the arts.

THE PROGRAMME

Literature is the creation of another world; a world that we view and analyse through reading and discussion. Students who choose English Literature are not just looking to study a subject that is recognised and sought after by institutions of higher education, they are also fascinated by the variation of writing on offer.

Students who study A-Level English Literature will explore works established as part of the literary canon, as well as exciting, innovative texts from a variety of voices and cultures. Genre study is at the heart of A-Level English Literature. From the jealously fuelled furore of Shakespeare’s Othello to the kite fighting redemption of Hosseini’s Afghanistan, students will study a range of prose, drama and poetry texts through the lens of either tragedy or political and social protest writing. Students will also study a range of critical theory, including feminism and Marxism, and apply these to poetry and prose texts of their own choosing as part of their coursework area of study.

Areas of Study:

Tragedy Othello- William Shakespeare | The Great Gatsby – F.Scott Fitzgerald Richard II – William Shakespeare

Social and Political Protest The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood | The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini Songs of Innocence and Experience – William Blake

WHY STUDY THIS SUBJECT?

A Level English Literature offers students the opportunity to develop inference and deduction skills which are particularly useful to careers and courses that require you to break down rhetoric and formulate an informed argument. The content of the course enables students to explore the study of literature through the lens of genre and theory, which in turn encourages the independent study of a range of texts within a shared context. This unifying approach facilitates the inclusion of a range of wider reading, thus extending students’ experience and appreciation of literature beyond core set texts. This course allows students the autonomy to explore, debate and tackle challenging literary concepts and shape their understanding of the world around them.

Please note: This course will run subject to sufficient student numbers. Final decisions on course availability will be made based on demand and timetabling feasibility