Department of Literature, Film, & Theatre Studies
The Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies offers degrees in
literature, film, drama, and creative writing, either as specialised paths or in
combination. The growing synergy between these fields is reflected in our
teaching. As staff tend to range across different fields, we offer dynamism and
variety with no loss of speciality. We also pride ourselves in being a friendly
department, responsive to the needs of individual students and committed to
providing an environment conducive to learning.
The Department has a strong international perspective, apparent both in the
background of its staff and in their research interests, which includes among
many others cultural history, drama and performance, world cinema, and the
literature and cultures of the Americas.
The quality of research in
the Department has been confirmed in the 2008 national Research Assessment
Exercise (RAE). More than half of our research was rated as 'internationally
excellent' or higher, with a further 40 per cent rated as of internationally
recognised quality. Essex’s position as a leading university for research in the
humanities was confirmed with history, art history and philosophy also achieving
high rankings.
The Department currently has around 50 full- and part-time teachers, 400
undergraduates and 100 graduate students, constituting a vibrant intellectual
community.