Duration and Mode of Study

Three years full- time, or four years with a year abroad.

Course Aims

The BA English and History degree is designed to bring together two naturally complementary subjects by grouping modules in clusters that support and enrich each other. Both departments offer you the opportunity to study a full range of English and History modules from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Course Structure

First Year

In your first year you split your studies between english and history, taking core modules on the history of the English Language, strategies for reading, and the investigation of the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries within their theatrical and cultural context. You will also take core modules on medieval, early modern, and modern European history.

Second Year

In your second year you will continue to divide your studies equally between the two subjects. In English you study the core modules on Chaucer, Medieval Literature, and Literature 1660-1789. In History, you take the core module Perceiving the Past, which enables you to think critically about the past and how we interpret it, along with two further modules available from a wide range designed to enhance your understanding of important concepts and theories. Students wishing to write a History dissertation in the third year must however take Historical Research Methods in place of the history option.

Third Year

In your third year you write a supervised dissertation on a topic of your choice. If you write an English dissertation you must choose an additional five modules, two in semester one and three in semester two across both departments. If writing a History dissertation you will choose a further two options each semester. Modules are avaiable in both departments that cover a broad range of topics, allowing you to tailor your studies towards your interests. You must choose at least one of the three modules on Literature 1789-1870, Literature 1870-1945, and Post War to Postmodern Literature. You must also take at least one additional taught module in the department in which you are writing your dissertation. 

Information about core and optional modules taught in the School

For further information about the BA English and History degree, contact the School of English