Program Overview

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English and Sociology BA

Overview

This degree gives you the chance to combine the study of two very human subjects. You'll learn about the ways in which societies are organised and structured, as well as one of humanity's most popular forms of cultural expression – literature.

Course Details and Modules

A joint honours degree allows you to split your time between two subjects, advancing your knowledge and skills in both areas.

• In your first year, you'll take introductory modules covering the key concepts and approaches in sociology, as well as core and option modules in English that will allow you to develop your academic writing skills and learn the foundations of English studies.
• Once you've established a good knowledge base, you'll deepen your understanding over the next two years.
  • In English, you'll take core modules that address literature's relationship to the environment and to the self while choosing between a wide range of option modules.
  • At the same time, you'll select from a range of modules in major topics in sociology such as gender, racism, and crime.
• Throughout your studies, you'll develop analytical and research skills that allow you to form your own conclusions from the information you find.
• In your final year, you'll get the chance to apply them to an independently researched dissertation in either subject.

Year 1 Compulsory Modules

• Reading Between the Lines (20 credits): This module equips students with a critical vocabulary for sophisticated literary study.
• Writing Matters (20 credits): Writing and communication skills are vital to most professional careers and are at the heart of English studies.
• Formations of Coloniality and Modernity (20 credits): This module sees you exploring coloniality and modernity including their key themes, how these ideas came to be formed, and both classic and contemporary debates surrounding them.
• Making Sense of Society: Reading Social Theory (20 credits): In this module, you'll be introduced to several core concepts and theoretical approaches in sociology.

Year 1 Optional Modules

• Understanding and Researching Contemporary Society (20 credits)
• Identities and Inequalities (20 credits)
• Modern Fictions in English (20 credits)
• Race, Writing, Decolonization (20 credits)
• Drama: Text and Performance (20 credits)
• Poetry: Reading and Interpretation (20 credits)

Year 2 Compulsory Modules

• Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture (20 credits): This module examines what it means to live as human beings on a more-than-human planet.
• Body Language: Literature and Embodiment (20 credits): At the heart of this module are big questions such as: what does it mean to be 'human'?
• Central Problems in Sociology (20 credits): This module focuses on some of sociology's key thinkers, sharing their ideas and how they have influenced one another.
• Sociology and Social Policy Research methods (20 credits): In this module, you'll learn more about different approaches to social research.

Year 2 Optional Modules

• Crime, Law and Regulation (20 credits)
• Disability Studies: An Introduction (20 credits)
• Sociology of Culture (20 credits)
• The Sociology of Religion (20 credits)
• The Sociology of Gender (20 credits)
• Crime, Race and Ethnicity (20 credits)
• Debates in Childhood & Youth (20 credits)
• Sociology and the Climate Crisis (20 credits)
• Social and Public Policy beyond the University (20 credits)
• Medieval and Tudor Literature (20 credits)
• Renaissance Literature (20 credits)
• Modern Literature (20 credits)
• Postcolonial Literature (20 credits)
• The World Before Us: Literature (20 credits)
• Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature (20 credits)
• American Words, American Worlds (20 credits)
• Contemporary Literature (20 credits)

Year 3 Compulsory Modules

• Final Year Project (40 credits): This module, in either English or Sociology, encourages independent, self-directed learning, and provides the culmination to the research strand emphasised in other modules.

Year 3 Optional Modules

• Sex and Suffering in the Eighteenth-Century Novel (20 credits)
• Telling Lives: Reading and Writing Family Memoir (20 credits)
• Home Bodies: Companion Animals in Contemporary Literature (20 credits)
• Postcolonial London (20 credits)
• Global African Writing (20 credits)
• Shakespeare and Global Cinema (20 credits)
• Refugee Narratives (20 credits)
• Fictions of the End: Apocalypse and After (20 credits)
• Bowie, Reading, Writing (20 credits)
• Sociology Dissertation (40 credits)
• Quantitative Social Research (20 credits)
• Disability and Development (20 credits)
• Research Skills for your Dissertation (20 credits)
• State Crime and Immorality (20 credits)
• Contemporary Children, Young People and Families (20 credits)
• Global Terrorism and Violence (20 credits)
• The Social Life of Data (20 credits)
• Gender, Technologies and the Body (20 credits)
• Sociology of Consumerism (20 credits)
• Protest and Social Movements (20 credits)
• Ethnicity and Popular Culture (20 credits)

Learning and Teaching

You'll benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning styles across your two subjects, allowing you to make the most of your tutors' expertise.

• Lectures, seminars, tutorials, and workshops are among the most common methods used.
• Our globally recognised research feeds directly into your course and shapes what you learn at Leeds with the latest thinking.

Assessment

We use different types of assessment.

• Written exams and essays are likely to be part of the mix, but coursework, project portfolios, and oral presentations will be included in some modules.

Entry Requirements

A-level

• AAB including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature).

GCSE

• Grade 4/C in Mathematics.

Alternative Qualifications

• Access to HE Diploma: Pass diploma with 60 credits overall, including at least 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher.
• BTEC: We will consider the level 3 QCF BTEC at Subsidiary Diploma level and above in combination with other qualifications.
• Cambridge Pre-U: D2, M2, M2, including D2 in English.
• International Baccalaureate: 35 points overall with 16 at Higher Level, including 6 in English at Higher Level and 5 points in Mathematics at Standard Level.
• Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level): H2, H2, H2, H2, H3, H3 including H2 in English.
• Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers: AB in Advanced Highers including A in English and AABBB in Highers, or A in English in Advanced Highers and AABBB in Highers.
• Welsh Baccalaureate: WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales.
• European Baccalaureate: 80% including 8.5 in English.

Fees

• UK: £9,790
• International: £26,500 (per year)

Career Opportunities

A degree in English and Sociology equips you with skills that are highly valued by employers.

• You'll have advanced communication skills, and you'll be able to research a topic thoroughly and draw your own conclusions by thinking critically about the information you find.
• Our graduates are attractive to a range of employers and have gone into careers in:
  • social work
  • the charity sector
  • the heritage sector
  • marketing
  • education
  • civil society and not-for-profit organisations
  • journalism
  • law
  • publishing
  • media
  • civil service
  • management consultancy and leadership

Study Abroad and Work Placements

Study Abroad

On this course, you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year.

• We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Latin America.

Work Placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability.

• On this course, you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private, and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

Related Courses

• Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA: This course is designed for students whose backgrounds mean they are less likely to attend university and who do not currently meet admissions criteria for direct entry to a degree.
• English and History BA: A joint honours degree that allows you to split your time between two subjects, advancing your knowledge and skills in both areas.
• English and Philosophy BA: This degree gives you the chance to combine the study of two very human subjects, exploring the ways in which societies are organised and structured, as well as one of humanity's most popular forms of cultural expression – literature.
• English Literature BA: This degree allows you to explore English literature across all genres and periods, from the medieval period to the present day.