English Studies in Global Context

BA English Studies in Global Context is the undergraduate programme designed for students looking for a global humanities degree, with core elements in literary studies and language studies, plus interdisciplinary courses in film, theatre and performance, world history, international relations, rhetoric and media analysis, and translation and interpreting.

Students on the programme acquire a range of practical and transferable skills, including advanced skills in English and intercultural communication as well as proficiencies in writing, editing, and all-round content-creation that are highly appealing to employers in a wide range of industries.

New courses specifically equip students with the tools to think about and work with AI, from ‘Literature and AI, a course in the science fiction and fantasy of intelligent machines, to ‘Digital Humanities Research and Practice’, an advanced workshop module working with agentic AI and other technologies to develop digital tools and artefacts.

Students also experience a rounding humanistic education – the ‘liberal arts’ reimagined for the new era – which sets them up for careers as lifelong learners, able to grow in response to new challenges and to remain curious and flexible in the unpredictable world of tomorrow. Opportunities for postgraduate study at globally-leading institutions are outstanding.

Why should I study English Studies in Global Context at XJTLU?

• If you want to become an effective intercultural communicator with a significant cultural and intellectual background;
• If you are interested in English and in language and literature studies in general;
• If you are fascinated by other cultures, other life-worlds, other times and places and different ways of thinking and being;
• If you ever wanted to be a writer – someone who can conceive original ideas and communicate them in powerful words;
• If you want to learn the skills of research in the humanities – learning how to ask the right questions about any text or any act of communication;
• If you want to learn how to think critically, creatively, and across disciplines;
• If you want to gain subject-specific and transferable skills for careers and/or further study, without narrowing your focus yet.
• You can choose to study in Suzhou for four years or transfer to the University of Liverpool in the final two years;
• You can earn two degrees: an XJTLU degree recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Education and a globally respected University of Liverpool degree.

By the time you graduate from the BA English Studies in Global Context programme, you will have:

• the skills to approach the study of English language and literature
• the ability to analyse different types of texts in English
• professional skills in translation and interpreting
• an awareness of English as an international language
• proficiency in English speaking and writing