English and History with Foundation Year
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
English and History with Foundation Year
Overview
This course provides an exciting and wide-ranging engagement with the power of human creativity and the rich heritage of literary expression, as well as a deep understanding of historical events, people, and cultures.
Why Study This Course
- Ranked 1st in the UK for Teaching Quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
- 2nd in the UK for Teaching (NSS 2023)
- Vibrant engagement with English Literature and History
- Dedicated team of research-active lecturers
- Student support and tailored feedback
- Opportunities to explore literary culture, including visiting speakers, research seminars, and literary awards
Course Summary
Studying English Literature at BGU provides an exciting and wide-ranging engagement with the power of human creativity and the rich heritage of literary expression. On this course, you will study great works of literature from Ovid to Ali Smith and from Shakespeare to Bernardine Evaristo, Salman Rushdie, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, enriching your learning with explorations into creative and environmental writing, detective fiction, world literature, drama, children’s literature, film, Victorian, Romantic, and contemporary literature.
While studying History at BGU, you will explore a range of fascinating topics spanning a number of historical eras, in a variety of local, national, and global contexts. You will analyze data, images, and texts, construct arguments, and engage in original historical research. You will also look at how history is encountered within the community and take a work-based placement at a school, archive, museum, or other site that fits your career goals and direction.
Key Facts
- Award: BA (Hons)
- UCAS code: QV3F
- Duration: 4 years
- Mode of study: Full-time
- Start date: September 2025
- Awarding institution: Bishop Grosseteste University
- Institution code: B38
What You Will Study
As a student on this course, you may study some or all of the modules listed below.
Foundation
- Self as Learner
- Resourcing Learning
- Critical Engagement
- Critical Thinking
- The Digital Learner
- Effective Communication
- Reflective Learning
- Academic Writing
Year 1
- Introduction to Literary Studies
- The Gothic: Transgressive to Shock
- Poetic License: Lines and Lyrics
- Shakespearean Worlds
- Histories of Identity: Sexuality, Race, Class, and Gender
- The Early Modern British Isles: From Reformation to Revolution
- The Historian’s Craft: Doing History at University
- The merrie folk of Late Medieval England: from king to the poorest widow
Year 2
- Victorians Unbound
- Literature & Identity: Self or Subject?
- People and Places: Researching Local and Regional History
- The Dark Arts: A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and Folklore
- The City in Global History: The Rise of Urban Societies in the Modern Age
- Writing Multicultural Britain
- Literature for Children and Young Adults
- Reading the Popular
Year 3
- Becomings: Women & Writing
- Modern Drama: The Inconstant Stage
- Creative Destruction: The Atlantic World in the 17th and 18th centuries
- The Long Weekend: Britain between the wars
- The Future Unwritten: Late 20th- and 21st-century Literature
- Romantic Horizons
- English Dissertation
- ‘The Sun Never Set and the Blood Never Dried’: The British Empire in the 19th Century
- History Dissertation
- The Global Cold War
- Tales from Medieval England: Monsters, Margins, and Manuscripts
- Modernism: Make It New!
- Writing the Environment
- Kill Your Masters: The French and Haitian Revolutions
Entry Requirements
Application for this course is via UCAS, although there is no formal requirement for UCAS points to access the course (normally GCSE English or equivalent is desirable). As part of your application, you will have the opportunity to speak with a member of BGU Admissions staff to resolve any questions or queries you may have.
Different degree subjects may have specific entry requirements to allow you to progress from the Foundation Year. Whilst not a condition of entry onto the Foundation Year, you will need to have met these by the time you complete the first year of this four-year course.
How You Will Be Taught
There is no one-size-fits-all method of teaching at BGU – we shape our methods to suit each subject and each group, combining the best aspects of traditional university teaching with innovative techniques to promote student participation and interactivity.
Assessment
Assessment in English Literature is designed to give you the oral, written, and digital skills to be confident and successful. Through a staged process of development, you will learn how to express yourself persuasively and reflectively across a range of media. You will write short essays and a long dissertation, deliver oral arguments and create presentations, build portfolios, and develop personal projects. There are no exams.
In History, we believe in utilizing assessments that will accurately test your key skills, knowledge, and understanding. We select only those assessments that will enable you to learn, improve, and progress over the course of the degree program and which will prepare you for challenges beyond university, such as job interviews, creative presentations, professional exchanges of ideas, report writing, and project management.
Careers & Further Study
English
Studying English Literature at BGU equips you to succeed in a diverse range of professions, including creative and professional writing, publishing, editing, human resources, public policy, journalism, social media, and public relations fields, marketing, technology, librarianship, teaching, and a wide range of creative and media industries.
History
Studying History at BGU enhances your employability by focusing on highly desirable and transferable critical thinking and analytical skills, professional writing practices, and the art of constructing persuasive arguments.
Possible future careers for History graduates include education in the schooling and heritage sectors, marketing, journalism, and publishing, law and policing, public policy, information research and management, working as an archivist, librarian, or museum curator. History is a highly respected qualification amongst the Top 100 Graduate employers in the finance, commercial, legal, and logistics sectors. Successful graduates of this course are also able to continue to study for a PGCE or Master's degrees at BGU and elsewhere.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Overview:
The BA (Hons) English and History with Foundation Year is a four-year undergraduate degree program that provides students with a strong foundation in both English literature and history. This program is designed for students who want to develop their critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills while exploring the rich heritage of literary expression and the fascinating world of historical events.
Objectives:
The primary objectives of the program are to:
- Equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful undergraduate study in English literature and history.
- Introduce students to a wide range of historical eras and topics, from pirates in the early modern Atlantic World to civil rights campaigners in the 1960s.
- Develop students' critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills through diverse methods of assessment.
- Prepare students for a variety of future professional opportunities in fields such as writing, editing, publishing, education, marketing, journalism, and research.
Outline:
Year 1: Foundation Year
The Foundation Year provides students with a solid grounding in the essential skills and knowledge required for successful undergraduate study. Students will study eight modules covering various topics such as:
- Self as Learner
- Resourcing Learning
- Critical Engagement
- Critical Thinking
- The Digital Learner
- Effective Communication
- Reflective Learning
- Academic Writing
Years 2-4: English and History
Throughout Years 2-4, students will delve deeper into the study of English literature and history, exploring various genres, periods, and themes. The curriculum includes modules such as:
English modules:
- Introduction to Literary Studies
- The Gothic: Transgressive to Shock
- Poetic License: Lines and Lyrics
- Shakespearean Worlds
- Histories of Identity: Sexuality, Race, Class and Gender
- The Early Modern British Isles: From Reformation to Revolution
- Whodunit? Deciphering Detective Fiction
- Becomings: Women & Writing
- Modern Drama: The Inconstant Stage
- Victorians Unbound
- Literature & Childhood: Grimm Neverland
- Literature & Identity: Self or Subject?
History modules:
- People and Places: Researching Local and Regional History
- Creative Destruction: The Atlantic World in the 17th and 18th centuries
- The Dark Arts: A History of Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore
- The City in Global History: The Rise of Urban Societies in the Modern Age
- The Long Weekend: Britain between the wars, 1918-1939
- Writing the Environment
- The Future Unwritten: Late 20th- and 21st- century Literature
- Romantic Horizons
- Modernism: Make It New!
- English Dissertation
- History Dissertation
- The Global Cold War, 1945-1991
- Kill Your Masters: The French and Haitian Revolutions
Assessment:
Assessment methods in this program are designed to evaluate students' knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking skills. The assessment strategies may include:
- Short essays
- Annotated bibliographies
- Presentations
- Digital projects
- Reflective journals
- Academic essays
- Dissertations The program utilizes a diverse range of assessments, ensuring that students encounter various formats and develop comprehensive skills for success.
Teaching:
The program utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including:
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Practical workshops
- Coursework
- Work-based placements Small group seminars and workshops provide students with opportunities to discuss lecture topics and engage in active learning. The program also features guest lectures and field trips, enriching the learning experience and providing students with real-world insights.
Careers:
Graduates of this program are well-equipped for a wide range of careers, including:
- Creative and professional writing
- Publishing
- Editing
- Human resources
- Public policy
- Journalism
- Social media
- Public relations
- Marketing
- Technology
- Librarianship
- Teaching The program also prepares students for further study in related fields, such as postgraduate degrees in English literature, history, or education.
Other:
- The program is offered full-time, with a start date in September.
- The program awards a BA (Hons) degree upon successful completion.
