BA (Hons) English and History

In your first year, you will build a strong foundation in both English and History. You will develop critical reading, writing, and research skills while exploring literature from a range of periods and contexts, alongside historical inquiry into early modern England, political thought, and the development of historical study. Modules include: 

• Literature and Contexts 
• Reading Poetry 
• From Cradle to Grave in England 1560–1720 
• From Machiavelli to Marx, Wollstonecraft to De Beauvoir: An Introduction to Political Ideas 
• The Pursuit of History 
• Introduction to the Study of Drama 

In your second year, you will expand your study into more specialised areas of English and History. You will explore Victorian and Gothic literature, develop practical research skills, and examine historical perspectives on empire, society, and cultural change. This year also prepares you for your final-year dissertation. Modules include: 

• Dissertation Preparation 
• Late Victorian Writing 
• Weird Fiction: The Gothic Genre 1818–1897 
• Listening to the Past 
• Mentalities of Empire 1750–1950 
• Shaping a Nation: Victorian Society, Culture, and the State 

In your final year, you will consolidate your expertise and undertake independent research through your dissertation. You will also study literature and history in modern and contemporary contexts, including urban culture, post-war literary rebellion, family history, and international conflict. Modules include: 

• Dissertation 
• Modernism and the City 
• Writing Rebellion: Literature 1956–70 
• Family Affairs: Blood, Contract, and Intimacy in Britain, 1837–2000 
• Seeing the Past: Representations of the Spanish Civil War