Program Overview

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English and Philosophy BA

Course Overview

English and Philosophy both explore and explain human existence. The great themes of literature and debates about language run together with the big issues of philosophy:

• what are the struggles, conflicts, and challenges of human life?
• how should we navigate the social, moral, and personal struggles that make up the drama of living?

Philosophy

You'll explore traditional topics such as ethics and philosophy of mind alongside emerging areas like environmental and social philosophy.

English

We cover the full range of English - language, literature, linguistics and drama from Old English to the present day.

Combining both subjects

You'll study each subject separately but equally.

The range of modules in both of these subjects at Nottingham is especially diverse - you'll be able to follow your interests wherever they take you. It also offers you scope to follow a theme by choosing modules that complement each other and look at the same topic in different ways.

There's lots of reading involved! Also plenty of opportunities to develop your own ideas and work with others.

An ideal degree to help you say what you mean and mean what you say.

Your departments

This course is a collaboration between two departments.

Find out more about what it’s like to study in the:

• School of English
• Department of Philosophy

Why choose this course?

• No set programme - build a degree that suits your interests
• Confidence of thinking - develop the skills and confidence to argue your views.
• Creative living - unleash your creativity - live in a UNESCO City of Literature, take part in the student-run New Theatre and on-campus Lakeside Arts, experience a vibrant visual arts scene and legendary music venues
• Future proofing - learn to apply your skills to a wide range of professions.
• Top 20 for English in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 and Complete University Guide 2024)

Important information

This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.

Indicative modules

Year one

• Reasoning, Argument, and Logic
• Mind, Knowledge, and Ethics
• Metaphysics, Science, and Language
• Philosophy of Religions
• Philosophy and the Contemporary World
• Gender, Justice, and Society
• History of Philosophy: Ancient to Modern
• Drama, Theatre, Performance
• Studying Language
• Studying Literature
• Beginnings of English

Year two

• The Nature of Meaning
• Freedom and Obligation
• Mind and Consciousness
• Knowledge and Justification
• Normative Ethics
• Being, Becoming and Reality
• Topics in Asian Philosophy
• Social Philosophy
• Philosophy of Art
• Continental Philosophy
• Intermediate Logic
• An Introduction to Metaethics
• Buddhism and the World
• Space, Time and Motion
• Islamic Theology and Philosophy
• From Talking Horses to Romantic Revolutionaries: Literature
• Literature and Popular Culture
• Modern and Contemporary Literature
• Shakespeare and Contemporaries on the Page
• Victorian and Fin de Siècle Literature:
• Language in Society
• Language Development
• Literary Linguistics
• The Psychology of Bilingualism and Language Learning
• Chaucer and his Contemporaries
• Ice and Fire: Myths and Heroes of the North
• Old English: Reflection and Lament
• Names and Identities
• Shakespeare and Contemporaries on the Stage
• From Stanislavski to Contemporary Performance
• Twentieth-Century Plays
• Employing the Arts
• Arts Work Placement Module

Year three

• Dissertation in Philosophy
• Communicating Philosophy
• Marx
• Environmental Ethics
• Advanced Logic
• Philosophy and Mortality
• Play, Games and Recreation
• Knowledge, Ignorance and Democracy
• Dirty Talk: Feminist Philosophy of Language
• Buddhist Philosophy
• Buddhism in the world
• Mind, Psychology and Mental Health
• Equality
• Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
• Authenticity and Existentialism
• Advanced Topics in Aesthetics
• Songs and Sonnets: Lyric poetry from Medieval Manuscript to Shakespeare and Donne
• Single-Author Study
• Reformation and Revolution: Early Modern literature and drama
• Modern Irish Literature and Drama
• Contemporary British Fiction
• Making Something Happen: Poetry and Politics
• One and Unequal: World Literatures in English
• The Self and the World: Writing in the Long Eighteenth Century
• The Gothic Tradition
• Advanced Stylistics
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language
• Language and Feminism
• Language and the Mind
• Discourse and Power: Health and Business Communication
• English Place-Names
• Dreaming the Middle Ages: Visionary Poetry in Scotland and England
• The Viking Mind
• Changing Stages: Theatre Industry and Theatre Art
• Theatre Making
• English Dissertation: Full Year
• Project-based dissertation

How you will learn

When you begin studying at university, you will probably find that you cover material much more quickly than you did while studying for your A levels. The key to success is preparing well for classes and then taking the ideas you encounter further in your own time.

• Lectures – provide an overview of what you are studying, using a variety of audio and visual materials to support your learning.
• Seminars and workshops – give you the chance to explore and interact with the material presented in lectures in a friendly and informal environment. You will be taught in a smaller group of students, with discussion focusing on a text or topic you've previously prepared.
• Workshops are more practical, perhaps through exploring dramatic texts, working with digital materials, or developing presentations.
• Tutorials – individual and small-group tutorials let you explore your work with your module tutor, perhaps discussing plans for an essay or presentation, or following up on an area of a module which has interested you.
• eLearning – our virtual-learning system, Moodle, offers 24-hour access to teaching materials and resources.

Peer mentoring

All new undergraduate students can opt into our peer mentoring scheme. Your peer mentor will help you settle into life at Nottingham, provide advice on the transition to university-level study and help you access support if needed.

Teaching quality

Over 95% of our class of 2020 graduated with a 1st or 2:1 degree classification. Source: UoN student outcomes data, Annual Monitoring (QDS) Analyses 2020.

Tutor's contributions to high quality teaching and learning are recognised through our annual Lord Dearing Awards. View the full list of recipients.

Teaching methods

• Field trips
• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Placements
• Workshops

How you will be assessed

A combination of essays and exams are the norm for most modules. Weekly reading summaries, oral and performance presentations, performances and online quizzes may also be used by individual lecturers depending on the module.

Assessment methods

• Commentary
• Dissertation
• Essay
• In-class test
• Portfolio (written/digital)
• Presentation
• Reflective review
• Written exam

Contact time and study hours

We provide a structure of lectures, seminars and tutorials around which you organise other study and commitments. Our minimum expected contact time with you is:

• Year one - at least 10 hours
• Year two - at least 9 hours
• Year three - at least 9 hours

Your lecturers will also be available outside of these times to discuss issues and develop your understanding. This can be in person and online. Weekly tutorial support and the accredited Nottingham Advantage Award provide further optional learning activities, on top of these class contact hours.

As well as your timetabled sessions you'll carry out extensive self-study. This will include course reading and seminar preparation. We also encourage lots of group activity - studying is more fun and more rewarding when done together.

As a guide 20 credits (a typical module) is about 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study).

Class sizes vary depending on topic and type. A popular lecture may have up to 200 students attending while a specialised seminar may only contain 10 students.

Your lecturers will usually be from our academic staff in English and Philosophy many of whom are internationally recognised in their fields.

Careers overview

This joint honours degree will help you develop a wide range of skills that employers are looking for:

• an eye for detail and close analysis
• analytical reasoning
• articulating complex arguments and lines of reasoning
• constructive criticism and discussion
• presenting and persuading
• excellent communication ability

The skills you develop will make you:

• resilient - as the nature of work changes you can adapt
• flexible - you can choose across different sectors as you develop and grow and opportunities arise

Typical careers for our students include:

• advertising and marketing
• business, consultancy and management
• journalism
• law
• education
• publishing

We also have a good record of our undergraduates progressing to Masters and PhD study.

Find out more about about career pathways and opportunities for both English and Philosophy students.

Graduate profiles

"I left Nottingham with ways of thinking which have enabled me to thrive on a sought-after graduate scheme, and to secure an exciting job thereafter."Luke Gallimore, BA Philosophy 2015. Now Head of Product Management, Monstarlab

Meet more of our graduates and how they think Nottingham has equipped them for the future:

• English
• Philosophy

Key fact

Only 14% of employers state that specific degree subjects are a selection criterion. (Institute of Student Employers recruitment survey 2019)

Job prospects

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Careers advice

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in , High Fliers Research).