School of English - AUTh

What we examine:
Texts from the Anglophone world (written, oral/aural, cultural, virtual, digital, etc.) coming from an evolving literary “canon”. Next to well-known authors (like William Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, or Virginia Woolf) new names are added, ones of authors either excluded from the list based on their gender or race identity, or marginalized due to their linguistic particularity (for example, Renaissance women, contemporary Caribbean and South African authors, indigenous Australian women poets). We read literature in close relation to the broader cultural production not only of Britain but also of the Anglophone world (the Commonwealth countries and the USA) and Europe in general (taking into consideration the consequences of Brexit), as well as in mutual dialogue with the Greek literary and cultural production and the respective socio-historical contexts.

How we approach the texts:
Diachronically (examining the literary movements and cultural currents from the Middle Ages up to now), intertextually (tracing common concerns and trends in authors/artists whose works converse), through diverse theoretical approaches (for example, feminism, psychoanalysis, formalism, Marxism, deconstruction, post-colonial thinking), in correlation with the (historical, social, cultural, economic) contexts in which these texts were produced, as well as experientially (through creative projects and tasks, games and traineeship visits to schools).

In other words …
We perceive literature as a living organism which mutates, adjusts to and reflects the environment in which it is born, and not as a static and fossilized body. 

The language used in classes, discussions, papers and exams is English and the texts we focus on are English too. We learn to think through another language, literature and culture, while we simultaneously engage them in a dialogue with Greek (or our mother tongue). Our ultimate goal is to study and attempt a deeper understanding of what we are currently experiencing, enhance our critical thinking and creative potential so as to reject passive acceptance and actively participate in everyday life. The perspective of another culture, language, literature and historical time aims at broadening our perception of current reality and at helping us discover its complexity.

Extroversion
The Department aims at cultivating contact and dialogue with society, as well as promoting lifelong learning through conferences, symposia, book presentations, workshops, seminars, visits to schools or private institutions and collaborations with national and international institutions and universities. Based on the Anglophone literature and culture, we exchange information and ideas with the broader public, prompting an active dialogue with and reflection on contemporary political and social issues. 

Knowledge and Skills

The Department courses offer knowledge related to:

• The literary production and cultural history of Britain as well as those of other Anglophone countries
• The literary currents and the contexts in which these appeared, and also
• The critical theories of narrative and culture 

This knowledge can prove extremely useful in diverse research fields and professional environments. 

The skills you will develop through the programme of the Department relate to:

• the enhancement of critical thinking, reading and analysis (oral and written) of diverse genres (literature, theatre, film, digital culture)
• the understanding of multiculturalism in the Anglophone literatures of the world
• the familiarization with research tools and academic language through essay writing, supervised research papers, as well as creative writing
• the practice in using technology in conducting research, as well as familiarization with its legal and ethical use
• professional training (as regards teaching, research, writing and editing, etc.)

and finally …

• the ability to be creative, dynamic and efficient in contemporary multicultural and interacting societies.