The London School of Journalism
The course is a distance-learning course, which means people from anywhere in the world can do it from home, by post or email. For each lesson the student receives the course material, which introduces the era and authors being considered, and asks set questions at the end. The tutor reads and assesses the student's answers to the questions.
Many of the books should be available from libraries. For purchasing books, visit our Book Shop offers a convenient and reliable service and books both new and second-hand. Some texts can be downloaded free from the internet, but this method should only be used as a quick and cheap temporary measure. It is much better, particularly when studying Chaucer and Shakespeare, to have a proper book with an introduction and comprehensive notes.
No. There is no need for the students to have any qualifications, or to take any exams. The course is mainly for pleasure, with no pressure, and no previous experience of studying English Literature required.
No. This is a distance-learning course. The tuition is all one-to-one between the student and tutor. Students who wish to have face-to-face discussions with a tutor, or with other students, would be better off enrolling for an evening class.
Your tutor will be an English Literature honours graduate, but the course is not taught to any formal academic standard. The course is our own and people do it mainly for enjoyment, without the pressure of having to adhere to academic standards. For most students this informal approach is an advantage, but if you want to do 'A' level or a degree this would not be a suitable course for you, and you should do an 'A' level or degree course instead.
The best preparation for a university course is to do 'A' level, or its equivalent in countries other than the UK, and our course is no substitute for an academic course of that type. We do not spend as much time on any one text as you would when studying at that level, we cannot give you formal training in writing academic essays, and we do not set exams or award a recognised academic qualification. Our course does, however, give a good introduction to English Literature which would stand you in good stead if you later went on to formal academic study. You would find you had a head start in terms of the books you had read and the written work you had done. So in an informal way our course would be good preparation for studying English Literature at university, but it will not give you an official academic qualification, and if you intend to go to university you must find out from the university what academic qualifications you will need before being considered for admission.
You have two years from the date of your enrolment in which to complete the course. Within that time period you can work at whatever pace you choose, and if you need more time you can apply for an extension.
You will recieve the LSJ Certificate at the successful completion of the course. This is not a specific academic qualification.
Please see the English Literature course page for current fees, or email us or visit the contacts page for the postal address and telephone number.
