Department profile / Department of British Studies | Institute of English and American Studies

Diversity of research activities and courses

Diversity does not mean that we have abandoned the traditional materials on which the work of English departments is based all over the world. The traditional fields of literature and history are amply represented in our work: there are courses on English Romanticism, the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf, the age of Elizabeth I, 18th-century English history, the British Empire, and several other topics and periods (with a strong emphasis on post-1945 literature, history and politics). On the other hand, we offer a great deal that is traditionally not part of the profile of English departments. Also, besides staple courses that continue for years, each year we offer a number of new courses that reflect the interests of the staff.
Here are some of the special fields that are represented at our department, reflecting the academic interests of our instructors, and some of the courses that we regularly offer (for a complete list of courses on offer, click on the home page of our staff members).

There is a continuing interest in Irish studies, reflected in a variety of courses on Irish literature and culture, as well as in the research projects and publications of our staff members.
Gender studies are also a major feature of our academic and teaching profile, with publications and courses on women writers, the treatment of gender in literature, film and popular culture.
Several staff members have done research and offer courses in postcolonial topics: on the history of the British Empire, on the literature and culture of what used to be the colonies, on multicultural Britain, and on the presence of colonial themes in English literature and culture.
Several instructors specialise in various aspects of literary and cultural theory, publishing articles and offering courses on psychoanalysis, gender studies, theories of love and other theoretical issues.
There is a strong emphasis on contemporary literature and culture, with a nymber of courses devoted contemporary poetry, fiction, and drama, the work of Salman Rushdie, contemporary women writers, contemporary Scottish fiction and film etc.
Visual culture is strongly represented at the department: there are courses on English art history, media studies (adaptation, video clips) and several courses devoted partly or entirely to film.
Another field that appears in our courses is popular culture: apart from the film courses, we regularly offer courses on science fiction, crime, fantasy and other popular genres.