Department of English
BA English & Drama
1
English & Drama Contents Why choose English & Drama at Royal Holloway?
4
Admissions and entry requirements
5
Degree structure
6
Teaching and assessment
8
Other information
9
Contact details General enquiries Debbie Wheeler debbie.wheeler@royalholloway.ac.uk Admissions enquiries EnglishDrama@royalholloway.ac.uk Department of Drama & Theatre T: +44 (0)1784 443922 drama@rhul.ac.uk royalholloway.ac.uk/drama Department of English T: +44 (0)1784 443214/5 english-department@rhul.ac.uk royalholloway.ac.uk/english 3
Why choose English & Drama at Royal Holloway? English and Drama are natural partners; the study of each augments, enriches and illuminates the study of the other. Our English & Drama Joint Honours programme is one of the most dynamic, flexible and varied on offer in the UK. Our programme has gone from strength to strength since its foundation over 25 years ago, drawing fully on the teaching and research excellence enjoyed by both contributing departments. Our core courses are specially designed for English & Drama and are taught by a joint team of lecturers from both departments, demonstrating our commitment to creating a stimulating and cohesive academic experience. Our combined resources are outstanding: we have over 50 members of academic staff, a range of visiting experts, a new purposebuilt theatre and rehearsal studios staffed by highly-skilled technicians, a resident professional theatre company, excellent library resources and professional links with arts organisations in London.
You can choose from a vast array of optional courses in both Drama and English literature, from Shakespeare to Stanislavski, from science fiction to Japanese Noh Theatre, and from playwriting to poetic practice. Throughout your degree, you will encounter a variety of learning experiences, from practical workshops to essay tutorials. We will enable you to make discoveries and unlock your potential, whether in creative work or in critical modes of expression. Our popular degree programme will provide you with a strong foundation for your future. Our graduates are employed in a wide spectrum of careers, including: acting, directing, theatre management, film, media and television, teaching, management, journalism, banking, advertising, law, administration, accountancy and PR, as well as postgraduate study at MA and PhD levels. For full details of our courses visit royalholloway.ac.uk
GRADUATE view
James Pidgeon, BA English & Drama, Programme Manager and Producer, Shoreditch Town Hall “Not only did Royal Holloway offer me a huge breadth of academic knowledge, it also taught me the importance of being organised, working efficiently in a team, being tactful and always communicating effectively in order to succeed. It is these elements combined with a concrete knowledge of my subject area that have really helped my career to develop.�
4
Admissions and entry requirements
Our standard offer is ABB with an A in English. Equivalent offers will be made for all other appropriate forms of qualifications (IB, Highers etc) or overseas qualifications. We welcome mature students who are coming to higher education via alternative routes. You will need to apply to all our full-time undergraduate degrees through UCAS via ucas.ac.uk You can email enquiries@ucas.ac.uk or call T: +44 (0)870 1122211 for general information and guidance on UCAS procedures. The UCAS code for Royal Holloway is R72 and the course code for English & Drama is QW34. We invite you to attend one of our Applicant Visit Days, where you will be able to visit both departments, meet teaching staff and students and explore our campus. Further details can be found on our website royalholloway.ac.uk
Typical offers •A levels AAB (A in English Literature) • BTEC National Diploma •B TEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Distinction, Distinction, Distinction • I nternational Baccalaureate 35-36 points (6 in HL English) (An A Level or IB in Theatre Studies is desirable but not essential. Please note that General Studies at A level is not accepted as one of our A level requirements). Alternative qualifications Special consideration is given to applicants without a conventional educational background, such as mature applicants and applicants returning to study through an Access course. We also consider all appropriate overseas qualifications. International applicants are expected to have considerable proficiency in the English language and the minimum levels we usually consider are an IELTS score with minimum sub-scores of 7, or a TOEFL score of 570.
5
Degree structure
This is a joint degree course, so you will take two units of English each year, and two units of Drama. These are organised as follows: Year one In your first year you will undertake a foundation year designed to equip you with skills and knowledge that are fundamental to the combined study of English and Drama. You will take two units in each department, studying alongside single honours students. These courses focus on the acquisition of the theoretical, practical and methodological skills necessary to develop a sophisticated understanding of the subject. Courses in the Department of English will introduce students to the study of the novel and to the study of poetry. The foundation course in Drama offers creative and critical approaches to the study of drama, and will introduce you to the practical elements of theatrical performance. First year courses: • Inventing the Novel • Introducing English Poetry • Theatre and Performance-making 1 • Theatre and Ideas 1 In addition, you will also take part in a series of foundation tutorials. Working in small groups with your personal tutor, you will learn a range of essential skills for making the transition from school to university.
6
Year two In your second year you will start to specialise, making your course choices based around the interests which you have formed in your first year. You will work with staff from both the English and Drama departments on a Shakespeare course specially designed for English & Drama students. Alongside this you will take one and a half units in the Drama department from a wide range of courses listed under the umbrella themes of Theatre and Performance-making 2 and Theatre and Ideas 2. In English, you will choose one and a half units from the full menu of options offered to all English students. Second year courses: • Shakespeare: Page to Stage • 1.5 units from a range of English options • 1 .5 units from a range of Drama options listed under Theatre and Performancemaking 2 and Theatre and Ideas 2
Year three In your third year, you will develop your own expertise. You will take part in the dedicated English & Drama Research Seminar led by staff from both departments. Themes vary from year to year. Recent examples have included: Peter Pan: An Awfully Big Adventure, Nation/Adaptation, Sound and Movement in Old English Poetry, Dislocating Shakespeare, and Pop: Text and Performance. Alongside this, you will choose a total of three units from the wide range of whole and half unit options offered by both departments. This should include ONE of the following: Special Author (one unit), Special Topic (one unit), Dissertation (one unit) and Methods and Processes with Final Year Project (two units). This framework offers you ample
opportunity to pursue your developing interests and specialisms in both English and Drama in your third year of study. Third year courses: • English Drama Research Seminar • ONE of the following: - Methods and Processes with Final Year Project (two units) - Special Author (one unit) - Special Topic (one unit) - Dissertation (one unit) •O NE or TWO units, as required, from the range of options available in the Drama and/ or English departments.
7
Teaching and assessment
The basic teaching session is usually two or three hours long. During that time there may be a formal lecture or a screening, followed by small-group discussions, seminars and practical workshops. Alternatively, you may work co-operatively for the whole teaching session on practical and theoretical projects. Independent research is presented, ideas are developed, texts are read and their problems and challenges tested. A full and varied range of assessment techniques is used, including: assessed
8
essays, dissertations, practical presentations and performances of all kinds and a small number of formal unseen examinations. Classes typically consist of between fifteen and eighteen students. Each student is assigned a Personal Tutor, with whom they maintain contact for the duration of the programme. The role of your Personal Tutor is to be the first point of contact should you have any queries or difficulties concerning your participation in your programme of study.
Other information
Our facilities Our beautiful campus is the focal point of student life and is home to an impressive range of modern facilities. You will be able to take advantage of three major performance spaces, including the brand new Caryl Churchill Theatre – a flexible fully-equipped 176-seat studio theatre – the atmospheric Boilerhouse and our unique Handa Noh theatre, the only permanently-standing Japanese Noh stage in Europe. You will also have access to rehearsal spaces, IT facilities, and extensive library facilities. Your future career Our graduates go on to succeed in a wide variety of careers; from acting, directing and theatre management, to film, media and
television, teaching, law and PR. Graduates also go on to further postgraduate study at MA and PhD levels. Royal Holloway has an excellent Careers Service available from the day you arrive to the day you graduate, and beyond. In your second and third years you will have the opportunity to apply to competitive internship programmes run by both departments. Our teaching and research To find out more about our academics and their research interests, visit our websites royalholloway.uk/english/research and royalholloway.ac.uk/dramaandtheatre/ research
9
7138 09/14
10
Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX T: +44 (0)1784 434455 royalholloway.ac.uk
12