Literature Courses

Improve your literary understanding and analysis with top universities and get to know the literary greats with our literature online courses on Austen, Shakespeare, Burns, Wordsworth, Wilde and more.

Improve your writing skills or learn more about the literary greats, with our writing and literature online courses.

Degrees
1 Degree

Discover online degrees from leading universities. Develop your knowledge with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

The University of Newcastle Australia

Bachelor of Arts

Enrich your mind, diversify your skills and safeguard your future with our new work-ready arts degree at the University of Newcastle (UON).

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ExpertTracks
1 ExpertTracks

A series of courses designed to help you specialise your skills. Start a free seven-day trial, subscribe to keep learning at your own pace, and cancel your subscription whenever you like.

British Council

Exploring English: Language and Culture

Improve your English language skills while discovering key aspects of British culture, from Shakespeare to live music, and more.

3 courses

13 weeks

Introductory

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Courses
23 Courses

Learn new skills, pursue your interests or advance your career with our short online courses.

The University of Glasgow

Robert Burns: Poems, Songs and Legacy

4.8 (158 reviews)

Dig deeper into the life and works of Robert Burns, with this free University of Glasgow course.

3 weeks

4 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The University of Newcastle Australia

What Does It Mean to Be Human? An Introduction to the Humanities

4.3 (77 reviews)

Answer some of the big questions about being human, and get an introduction to the skills needed in the humanities.

3 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The University of Newcastle Australia

What Is Poetry? An Introduction to Literary Analysis

Understand the basics of poetry analysis and learn key skills for studying English literature by exploring a variety of texts.

3 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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UEA (University of East Anglia)

An Introduction to Screenwriting

4.8 (669 reviews)

This online course explores the key concepts and fundamental principles involved in the process of screenwriting.

2 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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Lancaster University
New

Shakespeare's Language: Revealing Meanings and Exploring Myths

Demystify renowned Shakespeare myths and get introduced to corpus-based methods for analysing his use of language in context.

4 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The Open University

Start Writing Fiction

4.7 (667 reviews)

Get started with your own fiction writing, focusing on the central skill of creating characters, with this hands-on course.

8 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The University of Edinburgh

How to Read a Novel

4.6 (280 reviews)

Get underneath the skin of a novel by understanding some of the main building blocks of modern fiction.

4 weeks

2 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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University of York

Poetry: How to Read a Poem

4.5 (274 reviews)

Discover what poetry can tell us about human emotion and learn key ideas and techniques for understanding and interpreting verse.

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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Learn flexibly online, for free

Explore the works of some of the world’s greatest writers and improve your own writing skills with short online literature courses, in-depth programs, or full postgraduate degrees. Start learning for free on desktop, tablet, or mobile.

Upgrade or buy Unlimited for extra benefits

Upgrade your course for ongoing access to the course content, tests, and the chance to gain a Certificate of Achievement. Buy Unlimited for access to hundreds of short courses in a year and the ability to keep access to courses you gain a certificate on.

Boost your career

Get ahead in your literary career with educators and experts from leading universities and organisations. Network with and learn from others all over the world.

Meet the people who love FutureLearn

"It was a fantastic course to do. I learnt new things that I wanted to know. It also helped me in understanding Shakespeare a lot and also in my studies."

Monika

Learner on Exploring English: Shakespeare

"A clear, concise and beautifully structured course. The video content is informative and lively, and the screenwriters are refreshingly down to earth in the way they talk about their processes. I am going to write a beat sheet, plough through a first draft without spending hours polishing each scene and I'm going to use some of the resources the course suggests. Thanks very much."

Mychaela

Learner on An Introduction to Screenwriting