The Cambridge University Course
The Cambridge English Tripos is a three year course leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. It is divided into two parts: Part One is taken as a set of exam papers and an optional dissertation and portfolio at the end of the second year, while Part Two is taken in the form of exam papers and compulsory and optional dissertations at the end of the third year. It is possible to change into and out of the English course at the end of the second year; candidates moving into the English course at this stage will usually take a two year Part Two, involving an extra exam paper.
Part One includes two compulsory papers, on Shakespeare and Medieval Literature, and a range of choices among the remaining papers, which include three period papers, 1550-1700, 1688-1847, 1830-Present, a Literary Criticism paper, papers on European Languages and Literatures and on English Language for Literature, and several papers on early medieval literature. Candidates who wish to may substitute a portfolio of essays (in place of one of the period papers) and/or a 5,000 word dissertation. The total number of elements in Part One, comprising exam papers, dissertations and portfolios, is seven.
In Part Two, there are five elements, including two compulsory papers, Tragedy and Practical Criticism, a compulsory dissertation (7,500 words) and either two optional papers or one optional paper and one optional dissertation. In Part One, English Literature is defined as the literature in English of the British Isles, whereas in Part Two, this definition expands to incorporate writing in English from anywhere in the world, as well as the Latin, French, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Literatures of the British Isles.
Studying English at Cambridge is an exciting prospect. The course, whilst very demanding, offers individuals the opportunity to follow their own preferences within a structured historical approach. At Jesus we try to encourage students to develop their own interests, within a supportive and challenging intellectual environment. We value independence of thought, scrupulous attention to texts and contexts, and above all an engagement with and pleasure in intellectual debate, language and culture, contemporary as well as historical.