Employability and the English Literature Degree

Abstract

In this essay, Stephen Longstaffe suggests that integrating employability into the curriculum of an English Literature degree can offer both intellectual challenge and practical advantages to students. Using the model of the University of Cumbria’s English Literature degree, the chapter argues that the subject can better ensure its survival as a university discipline by developing a critical model of ‘English in the World’ to inform teaching and learning throughout the undergraduate degree. It suggests that improving students’ employability in this way can lead to greater student satisfaction and improved graduate employment. Through designing and supervising student projects, academics can also engage with a range of potential stakeholders with possible benefits for understanding how ‘impact’ might be better incorporated into future research projects.