English literature students study an exciting spread of modules ranging from literary classics by canonical writers like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and John Milton to the contemporary and the popular including work by Ian Fleming, Pat Barker and Carol Ann Duffy; in the first year students study 2 core foundation modules: Reading prose narrative; a study of the ways in which novelists construct narratives and different techniques they employ; and ways of reading; which looks at new critical and theoretical approaches to literary texts and films; students may also choose to take other literature modules focusing on drama and poetry; this course gives students a range of journalistic skills, and hands-on experience of producing work in a variety of styles, for different markets as well as gaining an understanding of how communication works, and the history and nature of the British media; topics include different theories about how communication takes place and lectures cover some of the key debates that have occupied the analysis of media communication in recent decades; students examine how the current form of media institutions came into being and consider their likely future structure; they debate the quality of the media, the nature and influence of new media technologies, and consider national and international media.