Students undertaking English and Irish at Queen's explore the literatures and languages of both traditions in the widest possible sense. From the earliest writings in Anglo-Saxon to contemporary Anglo-Irish, British, and 'global' literatures, students study English in its historical, linguistic, cultural, material and ideological circumstances. The Irish language forms an integral part of Irish cultural life as a medium for education, music, literature, drama and television. Spoken for over 2,000 years, Irish boasts a vast early literature of world significance.
English and Irish Degree highlights
English Studies at Queen's has an extraordinary heritage, as represented by its globally esteemed writers, such as Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and T.S. Eliot Prize recipients Paul Muldoon and Ciar��n Carson, among others.
Global Opportunities
- English at Queen's offers a range of Study Abroad opportunities, from the Erasmus programme with a range of European partners, to the chance to study at a number of partner institutions in the United States.We welcome applications from European students who would like to attend Queen's under the Erasmus programme. This programme enables students who are already enrolled at a university in Europe to take time out from their own institution and spend either one semester or a full academic year at Queen's. Additionally, the Study Abroad programme is particularly popular with students from North America, Canada and Australia.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/International/International-students/Studyabroad/StudyAbroad/
Industry Links
- We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including, for example, BBC Northern Ireland.
World Class Facilities
- The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry is named after our illustrious alumnus and recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature. Today, it is the hub for creative writing and poetry at the University and is staffed by some of the most highly-regarded practitioners in poetry, scriptwriting and prose in the UK and Ireland, such as Professor Ciar��n Carson, both recipients of the TS Eliot Prize for Poetry.Our state-of-the-art multimedia language centre provides students with learning facilities unparalleled elsewhere in UK and Ireland, and includes a Language Lab with the latest language learning and translation software (including SDL Trados suite).
Internationally Renowned Experts
- Professor Mark Burnett is a leading scholar of the place of Shakespeare in the contemporary arts and is director of the Kenneth Branagh Archive.
- Dr Marilina Cesario is an expert on Anglo-Saxon science and collaborates widely with astrophysicists in reassessing our understanding of pre-modern scientific thinking.
- Dr Edel Lamb is an international expert on early modern child theatre companies and is currently developing a project on theatre rivalry and riots in Shakespeare's London.
- Dr Gail McConnell explores the interface of literature and voice in her role as co-director of the AHRC-funded 'Listening to Voices: Creative Disruptions with the Hearing Voices Network' project.
- Dr Alex Murray's monograph on the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben (2010) has been translated into Turkish, Japanese and Chinese and his latest book Landscapes of Decadence: Literature and Place at the Fin de Si��cle appeared in 2016 from Cambridge University Press.
- Dr Glenn Patterson is the Rooney Prize and Betty Trask Prize-winning author of ten novels. He writes regularly for BBC Radio Three and Four, The Guardian and has made a number of documentaries for Irish and British television. His co-authored screenplay for Good Vibrations was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Student Experience
- From Personal Tutors to peer mentoring, we work closely with students to ensure they are supported at every stage of their degree.
- A thriving cultural scene organised by our undergraduate and postgraduate communities, from the English Society and Poetry and Pints to the Lifeboat and the Yellow Nib, makes studying English at Queen's a unique proposition.
http://www.lifeboatbelfast.co.uk/ - Students can work with our visiting Fulbright Scholars, leading US academics who spend a semester at Queen's each year.
Micheal McCann (Stage Two)
Careers
Career Prospects
Introduction
Studying for an English and Irish degree at Queen's will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen's are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline, including English. In particular, employers value the initiative, imagination, creativity and independence of thought fostered by the English degree.
http://www.prospects.ac.uk
Employment after the Course
The following is a list of the major career sectors that have attracted our graduates in recent years:
Publishing, Media and Performing Arts
Public Relations
Advertising
Librarianship
Fast Stream Civil Service
Management Consultancy
Many of our former graduates have risen to the top of their fields and include many famous figures; for example:
Seamus Heaney, Nobel prize-winning poet;
Paul Muldoon, academic and poet;
Stephen Rea, actor;
Helen Madden, writer and actor;
Annie Kelly, journalist and writer;
Annie Mac, radio presenter.
Alumni Success
Hannah Webb
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/StudentsandGraduates/ImproveYourEmployability/StudentCareerStories/HannahWebb/
Professional Opportunities
Teaching in Irish-Medium education is a popular option for our graduates, who enter the profession after a postgraduate conversion course (PGCE) in education at Queen's. Irish at Queen's has links with a number of employers including the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), the BBC, Irish Language Broadcast Fund and other media companies. An G��m, Foras na Gaeilge and other schools and community groups in Belfast provide opportunities for placements for students.
Additional Awards Gained(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)
Prizes and Awards(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)
Degree plus award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.