We caught up with Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Literature, Dr Juha Virtanen, to find out more about studying English at Kent. Dr Virtanen shares the highlights:
Our unique project-based programs. At Kent, we are committed to preparing you for life after study. We will immerse you in the rich global traditions of English literature, and train you to write powerful, thought-provoking essays, stories or poems. But we will also equip you with the skills you need to apply your literary knowledge in the wider world. You might make a documentary film, assemble a journal, or plan and pitch an exhibition. In the Summer Term, you will undertake workshops in a range of useful skills, from computer programming to public engagement. When you leave Kent, you will take these skills with you, along with a portfolio of the projects you have created during your time with us. Moreover, these skills will all make you highly attractive to employers in a range of different careers.
Our large and varied staff. We are a large school, with expert scholars in all areas of literature from the medieval to the contemporary. Whether you love Jane Austen and Geoffrey Chaucer, dystopian fiction, or modern and contemporary poetry, we can cater to your needs. And because most of our modules are optional, you’ll be able to pursue a personal degree that you shape according to your interests and enthusiasms.
Our committed school. At Kent, we are determined to make a difference in the world. We host Europe’s only centre for the study of Indigenous Literature. We host projects like Refugee Tales or the Stitch-Off, where we join the public to tackle difficult problems such as immigration and women’s rights using the power of literature. We publish books and magazines that take the message to a wide audience. Join us and make a difference.
Our beautiful and green campus. Wander the wooded paths or gaze out of the roof-high windows of our sprawling hilltop campus. In March, the daffodils spring out in their thousands. In May, the bluebell woods are carpeted in purple. In July, Canterbury glitters down below, while the eucalyptus flutters in the breeze. And in December, if you’re lucky, the whole city is white with snow.
Our beautiful city. Join us in Canterbury, an ancient cathedral city in the idyllic Stour Valley. Step out your door, and you can be in the heart of a thriving town, with bars, clubs, cafes, theatres, shops and cinemas crammed into crooked medieval streets in the shadow of the mighty cathedral. Or step in the other direction, and you can be in miles of coppiced woodland, with Roman forts and forgotten railways slinking out of the trees. It takes less than an hour to reach London by train, and the beaches of Whitstable and Margate are just a short bus ride away.