Discover the story behind the story

Literature and Society English

Literature and Society

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Discover the power of stories on society

If you choose Literature and Society at VU, you won't just read books, of course. You will learn to read with a critical eye and how to apply various theories from structuralism, postmodernism, feminism and post colonialism. You will also dive into visual translations of books such as film, television series, comic books and book-illustrations. Why the visuals? Well, 19th-century novels often contain meaningful illustrations, and fans of the Game of Thrones television series have probably read the books as well. Again: one influences the other.

Why are some books seen as literature and others marginalised? An interesting question if you look at it from a social welfare standpoint. During the course you will look at your own culture and unravel how it directly affects everything. You will learn how to reflect on your own views, discuss the culture you grew up in and surround yourself with, and look at where your opinions come from and what they are based on. Learning to see the world around you from different perspectives is a skill you'll learn to master - that will help you out the rest of your life.

During the course, you will learn how to write academically and creatively. You will learn to find your own voice, how to receive and give feedback on your work and also learn about the process of publishing.

This bachelor's track is taught in English, which means that you will attend lectures with both international and Dutch students. It is a unique study that focuses on literature and also pays attention to linguistics. Are you a passionate reader, critical thinker and want to understand the influence of a story on society? Then the Literature and Society study is for you.

This study starts 1 september.

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Taster Day

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VU Bachelor's Day

8 February 2025

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1st year
2nd year
3rd

The first year

You will engage in various reading techniques, research methods and learn to write English at an academic level. You will get an overview of the major literary movements and dive into the wide range of classic literature, from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" (including the movie) to Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," and unravel that text from fifteen different theoretical perspectives. You will read books by American and British writers such as Chaucer, Austen, Conrad and from other English-speaking countries, for example, by the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie.

Courses

English Language Test
Literary Theory
Literature, Culture and Society
Orientation Literature and Society 1
Academic English CIS-L&S Grammar
Academic Skills 1
Genre and Literary Analysis
Academic English CIS-L&S Writing
Academic Skills 2
Creative Writing L&S
Literature and Globalization
Orientation Literature and Society 2
Life writing
English: International Communication
Shakespeare on Film

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.

The second year

In this year you will receive a historical overview of literature, ranging from Renaissance texts to the present. You examine different genres and countries of origin and investigate why, for example, novels and poems have a certain status and comic books and fan fiction do not. You will learn to be a creative writer yourself, get to work with different writing styles and become acquainted with the process of editing and publishing. One of your projects will be creating a literary magazine, together with your fellow students.

Courses

Global English
Transatlantic Travel Writing
American Literature 1914-present
Presentation
Pronunciation
Writing 2
Philosophy CIS-L&S-MKDA
Early Modern Literature and Ecocriticism
History of Knowledge
Creative Writing and the Publishing Industry
British Literature 1900-present
Novel and Identity: Women Writers in the Eighteenth Century

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.

The third year

The third year is all about your specialization. You can study in an English-speaking country for five months, choose a minor from another bachelor's program or intern at a publishing house, bookstore or other literary organization. In the second semester you will write your bachelor thesis on a topic related to one of the two specializations: English Literature in a changing world or English literature in a visual culture.

Courses

Bachelor Thesis Literature and Society English
Literature in a Changing World 1
Literature in a Visual Culture 1
Literature in a Changing World 2
Literature in a Visual Culture 2
Career Orientation

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.

1st year
The first year

You will engage in various reading techniques, research methods and learn to write English at an academic level. You will get an overview of the major literary movements and dive into the wide range of classic literature, from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" (including the movie) to Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," and unravel that text from fifteen different theoretical perspectives. You will read books by American and British writers such as Chaucer, Austen, Conrad and from other English-speaking countries, for example, by the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie.

Courses
English Language Test

Literary Theory

Literature, Culture and Society

Orientation Literature and Society 1

Academic English CIS-L&S Grammar

Academic Skills 1

Genre and Literary Analysis

Academic English CIS-L&S Writing

Academic Skills 2

Creative Writing L&S

Literature and Globalization

Orientation Literature and Society 2

Life writing

English: International Communication

Shakespeare on Film

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.
2nd year
The second year

In this year you will receive a historical overview of literature, ranging from Renaissance texts to the present. You examine different genres and countries of origin and investigate why, for example, novels and poems have a certain status and comic books and fan fiction do not. You will learn to be a creative writer yourself, get to work with different writing styles and become acquainted with the process of editing and publishing. One of your projects will be creating a literary magazine, together with your fellow students.

Courses
Global English

Transatlantic Travel Writing

American Literature 1914-present

Presentation

Pronunciation

Writing 2

Philosophy CIS-L&S-MKDA

Early Modern Literature and Ecocriticism

History of Knowledge

Creative Writing and the Publishing Industry

British Literature 1900-present

Novel and Identity: Women Writers in the Eighteenth Century

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.
3rd
The third year

The third year is all about your specialization. You can study in an English-speaking country for five months, choose a minor from another bachelor's program or intern at a publishing house, bookstore or other literary organization. In the second semester you will write your bachelor thesis on a topic related to one of the two specializations: English Literature in a changing world or English literature in a visual culture.

Courses
Bachelor Thesis Literature and Society English

Literature in a Changing World 1

Literature in a Visual Culture 1

Literature in a Changing World 2

Literature in a Visual Culture 2

Career Orientation

This year's complete course schedule can be found in the Studyguide.

After a bachelor’s track of Literature and Society, you can specialise by following a master’s programme. When you graduate as a literary expert, you could work as an editor, translator, publisher, researcher or teacher. Your employers could be in Government, NGOs, schools, literary events companies or even: your own freelance business.

Discover your future prospects

Student in a square with other people in the background

Literature and Society English