Departmental news

PLCRG co-convenes “The Academy in the Age of Utmost Catastrophes and Conjunctural Crises”

In cooperation with Warwick Social Theory Centre, the ECLS Palestinian Literature and Culture Reading Group convened the timely seminar “The Academy in the Age of Utmost Catastrophes and Conjunctural Crises” in attempt to critically address the role of academy and the challenges it faces in this excessive historical moment where the forces of neoliberal globalization, right-wing neofascism, fundamentalism, Zionism, and settler-colonialism compound and unleash imperial wars and genocides on a world scale.

Three critically insightful talks addressed the question with focus on Palestine, Kashmir and the UK, including a contribution by Abdeljawad Omar from Birzeit University entitled “The Shell and the Wound: On the University in Palestine,” a second contribution by Mudasir Amin from Warwick University entitled "Education as Erasure: Mapping the modalities of Indian state's academic repression in Kashmir," and a third one by Louisa Munch from Warwick University entitled "The University against the Banality of Evil: What UK academia can do in the fight against fascism.”

The talks instigated an open and genuine conversation to discuss further the challenges, exploring commonalities and interconnectedness as well as potential resources of hope and social change. Moderated by Nadia Hajal-Backleh.

Thu 12 Mar 2026, 08:10

Undergraduate English Modules 2026/27

The English Undergraduate module list for the 2026/27 academic year is now available for students to view online.

This page provides a comprehensive overview of the modules offered by the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies

Students are encouraged to explore the available modules ahead of the options application window, which will open on Thursday 12 March and close on Wednesday 18 March.

The full module list can be viewed here: UG Modules 2026/27

Students who would like to discuss their options or ask questions about English modules are also welcome to visit the English stand at the Module Fair, taking place in FAB (ground floor) from 1pm–4pm on Wednesday 11 March.

Further information about the application process can be found here: Options Information

Fri 06 Mar 2026, 16:28

Louisa Toxvaerd Munch on Sunday Morning Live: Student Loans and the Importance of Critical Thinking

We are pleased to share that Louisa Toxværd Munch spoke this past Sunday on the BBC programme Sunday Morning Live, addressing the pressing issue of student loans and highlighting the vital importance of critical thinking in today’s society.

Wed 04 Mar 2026, 12:59

The University of Warwick invites applications for two Assistant Professors in Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry is seeking colleagues who will establish a vigorous research program that is closely aligned to our priority research themes: Sustainability, Energy and the Environment, Health and Data and Modelling.

Wed 25 Feb 2026, 17:10 | Tags: news Polymers Synthesis and Catalysis Chemical Structural and Synthetic Biology Research news Energy Materials Measurement and Analytical

Warwick English convenes "A Biography of Palestinian Cinema" with Saleem Albeik (novelist & film critic)

On 4 February 2026, the Warwick ECLS Palestinian Literature and Culture Reading Group convened a useful, insightful and engaging seminar on Palestinian cinema and films made by Palestinians between two axial events in Palestinian history: the 'Stone Intifada (1987-1991) and the current genocide (2023-).

Saleem Albeik - a Palestinian French novelist, film critic, and editor, defining himself as a refugee, son of a refugee, and grandson of a refugee who has experienced exile twice - was kind and generous in sharing with us the fruits of his recent work entitled A Biography of Palestinian Cinema: Limitations of Spaces and Characters (2025), published in Arabic by the Institute of Palestine Studies.

The seminar was open to Warwick students and staff, who engaged productively during the Q&A, mainly that some students are currently researching Palestinian films and others like to approach them comparatively with, say, Kurdish films. After the seminar, students expressed their interest to engage further and have the opportunity to discuss some outstanding matters that were left unanswered because of the time limit, including questions of methodology, thematic focus, cinematic mediations, the research process itself, the contribution of diaspora filmmakers and critics, as well as questions of production, circulation and accessibility in the world market. Students and staff walked out with a list of films in their diaries to watch.

Mon 16 Feb 2026, 07:40

The importance of Warwick’s Palestinian Literature and Culture Reading Group: An interview with convenor Nadia Hajal-Backleh

Tue 27 Jan 2026, 08:09

Associate Fellow Dr Emrah Atasoy writes for The Conversation

Article Title: How George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four predicted the global power shifts happening now

Authors: Emrah Atasoy (University of Warwick) and Jeffrey Wasserstrom (University of California, Irvine)

Publication Date: 19 January 2026

Tue 20 Jan 2026, 08:03

Louisa Toxvaerd-Munch on RADICAL with Amol Rajan

Louisa Toxvaerd-Munch did an episode of RADICAL with Amol Rajan on BBC 4 on ‘Knowledge, Nostalgia and The Value of a University Education’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Mon 12 Jan 2026, 11:48

Professor Claire Blencowe Awarded Prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant to study the role of religion in power struggles over mining

The Department of Sociology are delighted to announce that Professor Claire Blencowe has been selected to receive a prestigious Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. The grant, worth £1.8 million, will enable her to lead a 5-year, cross-continental, cross-faith investigation of the role of religious authority in extractive industry struggles.

Tue 09 Dec 2025, 14:12 | Tags: Blencowe Research good news

Congratulations to Emrah Atasoy

Associate Fellow Dr Emrah Atasoy received an IASH Heritage Collections Research Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh to work on Archiving Futures: Utopia, Dystopia, Environmental Crisis, Identity, and Inequality in Edinburgh’s Special Collections (January-July 2026).

Project Details:

Project Title: Archiving Futures: Utopia, Dystopia, Environmental Crisis, Identity, and Inequality in Edinburgh’s Special Collections

Host Academic: Mathias Thaler, Professor of Political Theory, the School of Social and Political Science, the University of Edinburgh and Chair of Political Theory

Summary of the Project:

This project explores utopian and dystopian visions with a focus on environmental crisis through Edinburgh’s special collections. Drawing on rare books, activist archives, and historical materials, it investigates how these sources imagine identity, inequality, and resilience while engaging with questions of governance and social organisation. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the research combines literary analysis, political theory, and decolonial thought to critique anthropocentrism and structural exclusions. It examines whether speculative imaginaries reinforce exclusionary worldviews or create possibilities for more inclusive and ecologically grounded futures. By connecting archival storytelling with contemporary environmental humanities, utopian and dystopian studies, and future studies, the project aims to respond to the growing need for innovative methodologies that link cultural narratives to real-world societal challenges.

Thu 04 Dec 2025, 09:33