English, Major (0009)
- Western Sydney University Major Code: 0009
Previous Code: M1053.1
Available to students in other Western Sydney University Programs: Yes. Check that your program has the available credit points required to complete the subjects in this field of study. Any requisite requirements must also be met. Consult your Program Advisor for further advice.
The English major invites students to explore contemporary approaches to language, literary study and writing, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and creative writing. The English major focuses on the imaginative workings of language, and students can study a wide selection of modern and classic literature, as well as the relationships between written texts and other media such as film and information technology. Students also have the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work. Career prospects include publishing, editing, teaching, writing and advertising.
Location
| Campus | Mode | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Bankstown Campus | Internal | enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au |
| Bankstown City Campus (from 2023) | Internal | enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au |
| Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road | Internal | enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au |
| Penrith Campus | Internal | enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au |
Major Structure
Students must successfully complete 80 credit points as follows.
Please note all Bachelor of Arts students including Pathways to Teaching, Dean’s Scholars and double degrees must complete the structure under the heading Bachelor of Arts.
Please note all Bachelor of Creative Industries students including double degrees must complete the structure under the heading Bachelor of Creative Industries.
This specialisation is available to students in other Western Sydney University programs. If the specialisation is available on your campus, the program structure allows space for enrolment in the specialisation and pre-requisite requirements can be met, please follow the structure under the heading Bachelor of Arts. Consult your Program Advisor for further advice.
Note: Not all subjects will be offered each year. Subjects will be offered on a rotational basis.
Bachelor of Arts Students
Arts students must complete the four compulsory subjects below and must complete four subjects from the Level 2 / Level 3 subject pool with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3. See below.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Subjects | ||
| COMM 1004 | Approaches to Text | 10 |
| LANG 1015 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 10 |
| LANG 2035 | Methods of Reading | 10 |
| LANG 3094 | The Value of Literature | 10 |
| Pool Subjects | ||
| Select four subjects at Level 2 / Level 3, with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3 | 40 | |
| Total Credit Points | 80 | |
Bachelor of Creative Industries Students
Creative Industries students must complete their Introduction to Major subject as part of the core requirements of the program, prior to enrolling in this major.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| LANG 1015 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 10 |
Creative Industry students must complete the three compulsory subjects below and must complete five subjects from the Level 2 / Level 3 subject pool with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3. See below.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Subjects | ||
| COMM 1004 | Approaches to Text | 10 |
| LANG 2035 | Methods of Reading | 10 |
| LANG 3094 | The Value of Literature | 10 |
| Pool Subjects | ||
| Select five subjects from the Level 2 / Level 3 subject pool with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3 | 50 | |
| Total Credit Points | 80 | |
Pool Subjects
Bachelor of Arts students must complete four subjects from the list below, with a minimum of 2 subjects at Level 3.
Bachelor of Creative Industries students must complete five subjects from the list below, with a minimum of 2 subjects at Level 3.
Note: Not all subjects will be offered each year. Subjects will be offered on a rotational basis.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 Subject Pool | ||
| LANG 2015 | Cultural History of Books and Reading | 10 |
| COMM 2016 | Experimental Writing and Electronic Publication | 10 |
| COMM 2020 | Introduction to Film Studies | 10 |
| LANG 2033 | Literature and Decolonisation | 10 |
| LANG 2050 | Medieval and Early Modern Literature | 10 |
| LANG 2036 | Modern Australian Poetry and Poetics | 10 |
| HUMN 2044 | Representing Everyday Life in Literary and Visual Cultures | 10 |
| LANG 2039 | Sexual/Textual Politics in Victorian Women's Writing | 10 |
| LANG 2044 | The Gothic | 10 |
| PERF 2024 | The Musical | 10 |
| LANG 2048 | Working Grammar | 10 |
| LANG 2051 | Writing and Reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy | 10 |
| COMM 2043 | Writing Fiction | 10 |
| Level 3 Subject Pool | ||
| LANG 3001 | 19th Century American Literature | 10 |
| LANG 3002 | 20th Century American Literature | 10 |
| COMM 3005 | Australian Textual Studies | 10 |
| LANG 3019 | Children's and Young Adult Fiction | 10 |
| LANG 3018 | Children's Literature: Image and Text | 10 |
| COMM 3006 | Cinema and Experience | 10 |
| LANG 3100 | Comedy and Tragedy: Dramas of Death and Rebirth | 10 |
| LANG 3069 | Contemporary Irish Writing | 10 |
| LANG 3027 | Creative Non-Fiction | 10 |
| COMM 3013 | Creative Writing Project | 10 |
| LANG 3028 | Crime Fiction | 10 |
| LANG 3029 | Culture, Discourse and Meaning | 10 |
| LANG 3033 | Film and Drama | 10 |
| LANG 3050 | Introduction to Stylistics | 10 |
| LANG 3059 | Law, Literature and Culture | 10 |
| LANG 3061 | Literary Animals | 10 |
| LANG 3062 | Literature and Philosophy | 10 |
| CART 3001 | Modernism | 10 |
| COMM 3024 | Modernity and Cinema | 10 |
| LANG 3066 | Postcolonial Literatures: Partition, Dependence and Exile | 10 |
| LANG 3068 | Race in Literature | 10 |
| CULT 3020 | Representing Crime | 10 |
| LANG 3072 | Short Fiction in the Americas | 10 |
| LANG 3086 | The Novel | 10 |
| LANG 3087 | Women's Writing | 10 |
| LANG 3089 | World Literature in Translation | 10 |
| LANG 3091 | Writing and Society | 10 |
| COMM 3041 | Writing For Performance | 10 |
| COMM 3042 | Writing Poetry | 10 |
Equivalent Subjects
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this Major for students who passed these subjects in 2016 or earlier.
LANG 3008 - Applied Critical Methods, no longer offered
LANG 3017 - Children's Literature, replaced by LANG 3019 Children's and Young Adult Fiction
COMM 2045 - Critical Discourse Analysis, replaced by LANG 3029 Culture, Discourse and Meaning
LANG 3032 - English Literature After 1830, replaced by LANG 3094 The Value of Literature
LANG 2018 - History of the English Language, replaced by LANG 3034 Historical Linguistics
LANG 3063 - Literature, History and Culture, no longer offered
LANG 3064 - Literatures of Decolonisation, no longer offered
CULT 3022 - Queering Text, no longer offered
COMM 3032 - Social Semiotics, no longer offered
LANG 2042 - Studies in Postcolonial Literature, replaced by LANG 3066 Postcolonial Literatures: Partition, Dependence and Exile
COMM 2038 - Special Topics in English, Text and Writing, no longer offered
LANG 3085 - Text and Discourse in English, replaced by LANG 3030 Discourse Analysis
LANG 1028 The Sound of Language
LANG 2046 - The Structure of English, replaced by LANG 2041 Structure of Language
COMM 3043 Writing Portfolio
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this Major for students who passed these subjects in 2019 or earlier.
BEHV 3013 - Humanities Internship, no longer offered as part of this major
LANG 3092 - The Space of Literature, no longer offere
LANG 3088 - Women, Travel and Empire, no longer offered
Note: The Level 3 subject BEHV 3013 Humanities Internship cannot count towards completion of the English Teaching Specialisation (Birth-5/Birth-12) or the Education Studies Major - Primary English Teaching Specialisation for students enrolled in programs 1708 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth - 5/Birth - 12), 1651 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary), 1822 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) Dean''s Scholars, 6017 Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth-5/Birth-12), 6019 Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) as this would not satisfy the professional accreditation requirements for NESA.