BA Philosophy and English Literature

Program Overview

This BA Philosophy and English Literature program cultivates critical thinking, logical analysis, and argument assessment skills. Students delve into philosophical principles and literary genres while also exploring non-Western philosophies and less familiar literary studies. Taught in small seminar groups, this program provides personalized attention and encourages lively discussions. Graduates pursue careers in law, politics, management, and academia or continue their studies at the postgraduate level.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

With our BA Philosophy and English literature course, develop your critical and analytical skills and apply them to a variety of philosophical and literary texts. In philosophy, we will give you an understanding of the central philosophical principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to explore non-Western philosophies, such as Indian philosophy. Your first year will introduce you to the general skills required for all philosophy. You can also select modules from outside the department. In years two and three you will have the opportunity to explore your chosen topic in more depth. These may include studying philosophy in terms of ethics and animals, crime and punishment or religion. In your English Literature modules, you will read more of authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But you will also encounter aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, from children’s literature to publishing studies and the history of the book. 94% of students in the Department of English Literature said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2023).

Outline:

As you progress through your degree, your module choices become more diverse and specialised: you can pursue archive work, or look at the politics of literature. Everyone in the English Department, from new lecturers to professors, teaches at every level of the degree: this gives you the benefit of our expertise and makes you part of the conversation about our research and its impact outside the classroom. We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. In your first and second years, you will have a mix of lectures and seminars. In both subjects, you will be taught in small interactive seminar groups, encouraging discussion and debate with teaching staff and peers. Our small class sizes ensure that you will receive dedicated, individual attention. We encourage you to undertake work placements as they provide you with a chance to put your newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice as well as allowing you to gain valuable real-world experience. You can undertake a placement at any point in your degree and work in a company or charity relevant to your final year studies. Other students have chosen to study abroad for one semester in their second or final year. Partner institutions include universities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan or Australia.

Teaching:

In both subjects, you will be taught in small interactive seminar groups, encouraging discussion and debate with teaching staff and peers. Our small class sizes ensure that you will receive dedicated, individual attention.

Careers:

Specialist career modules throughout the degree will give you the chance to think about what career you would like and what skills you will need for it. Studying philosophy enables you to develop a range of transferable skills. In particular, skills in clear thinking, logical analysis and the critical assessment of argument are greatly valued in a variety of professional careers such as law, politics, management and marketing. Past graduates have found employment in the civil service, journalism, consultancy, finance, local and central government, and previous employers have included the Ministry of Defence, Cambridge University Press, local authorities and other universities. Some of our graduates choose to continue their studies at postgraduate level, or through conversion courses and teacher training.

• New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250
• New international students: £22,350
• UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government.
These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
• With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees.
For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.
• Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources.
You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs.