prospectus

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ENGLISH
The School of English at the University of Kent
has established a reputation as one of the leading
departments in the country. In the Research
Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, our submission
was ranked 10th for research intensity with an
impressive 95% of our research judged to be of
international quality. With over 40 permanent
members of academic staff, the School is a lively
and intellectually stimulating environment.
Expertise and specialisms range from the medieval to the contemporary
including: British, American and Irish literature, postcolonial writing,
18th-century studies, Shakespeare, early modern literature and culture,
Victorian studies, modern poetry, critical theory and cultural history. The
School also counts a number of highly acclaimed and award-winning
creative writers among its staff, many of whom are both critics and
widely published authors of novels, short stories or collections of poetry.
We explore crossovers between creative and critical writing in all our
areas of teaching and research. The variety and flexibility of our
specialist postgraduate programmes, coupled with our inclusive
international community, fosters an atmosphere of cultural and
intellectual engagement and inquiry.
Postgraduate resources
The Templeman Library is well
stocked with excellent research
resources. There are a number of
special collections: the John Crow
Collection of Elizabethan and
other early printed texts; the
Reading/Raynor Collection of
theatre history (over 7,000 texts or
manuscripts); ECCO (Eighteenth-
Century Collections Online); the
Melville manuscripts relating to
popular culture in the 19th and
early 20th centuries; the Pettingell
Collection of 19th-century drama
(over 7,500 items); the Eliot
Collection; children’s literature;
and popular literature. A gift from
Mrs Valerie Eliot has increased
the Library’s already extensive
holdings in modern poetry. The
British Library in London is also
within easy reach.
Conferences and
seminars
Our research centres organise
many international conferences,
symposia and workshops. The
School’s research centres often
host conferences and symposia
during the Easter and summer
vacations and postgraduate
students are encouraged to
participate and attend. These
events represent an excellent
opportunity to meet fellow
research students and staff,
enrich your knowledge of your
discipline and expand your
research interests to other areas.
School of English postgraduate
students can choose to participate
in the annual postgraduate