- The Percy building,
which houses the School of Literature, Language
and Linguistics,
really creates a sense of community.
It's a space where we can all come together
to explore our literary ideas.
- We offer an English literature course,
which covers not just English literature
but literature in English from around the world,
whether that's texts in translation,
like contemporary Japanese fiction,
whether it's literature written in English in India
or the Caribbean, or elsewhere in the world,
or literature from the Americas.
We also offer joint degrees
in literature and history, literature and classics,
language and literature,
and of course, literature and creative writing.
- So, what is creative writing?
Creative writing is producing imaginative writing,
new writing, across a range of genres.
Screenwriting, theatre script writing,
fiction writing, creative non-fiction writing.
Imagine that, you can write memoir,
you can write about music.
And of course, poetry as well.
What you try to do as a student is to experiment.
And that's what we encourage you to do
here at Newcastle University.
And we're here to guide you
as creative writing professionals.
The people you're gonna be taught by
are people who love writing,
are passionate about writing,
who write themselves.
- What is distinctive about studying English
at Newcastle University is that
there is a really close relationship
between teaching and research.
So, students coming here get to work
with specialists who are teaching
out of their research expertise.
We work with the students to expand their knowledge
of literature of all periods.
We also help them develop their critical skills,
their reading skills, but also, crucially,
we teach them writing skills.
We teach them how to write.
- We're really aware, as a school,
that the transition from school to university
can be a challenging time for students.
Everything's different.
They're leaving home, often,
moving into new accommodation,
meeting new friends,
encountering new subjects, different ways of learning.
So, our real concern from the day that they arrive
is to make them feel comfortable
and part of a shared community here.
- In terms of work placements and study abroad,
we have lots of opportunities for our students.
Our study abroad connections range from
America to Australia,
from Korea to Brazil,
and plenty of places in Europe too.
- So, alongside your work in lectures and seminars
and tutorials,
there are a wide range of other opportunities.
This includes, for example,
participating in the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts,
in which we bring authors from across the world
to come to speak at Newcastle
and to share their ideas with you.
- In some of the creative modules, especially,
we've had authors and playwrights come.
And some of my best writing, I think,
has come from things like that.
- I really love how the course is structured
because I've got to study such a wide range
of historical periods
and really tailor it to my interests,
as I've learned what I love.
- I've really enjoyed the teaching
and I think that the staff are really inspirational.
- One of the big things is
that a lot of them have their own published work
which you can go and look at.
And, I mean, there's a lot of incredible work published,
both critical work and creative work.
- So, I did not do any creative writing before uni.
Like I was quite essay centric,
whereas now I quite enjoy the freedom and the creativity.
I feel like it's definitely loosened me up,
in terms of I'm willing to take risks more and enjoy myself.
- I definitely would recommend Newcastle University.
It has been ...
I would, yeah, I'd say it's been
the best year of my life, at the moment.
I'm loving the university community.
I have some amazing friends
and I am really enjoying my course.
So, yeah, a hundred percent I'd come here
if you're thinking about it.
(bright resounding music)