Department of English Studies | BA English Literature and History (with Year Abroad)

BA English Literature & History (with Year Abroad) at Durham University

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Delve into the excitement of the literary past and acquire a range of both literary-critical and historical knowledge.

The Joint Honours in BA English Literature & History is a cross-disciplinary course, which develops and assesses skills that are common to both disciplines alongside others that are specific to each. The course offers you the opportunity to acquire a range of both literary-critical and historical knowledge.

The English part of your degree not only provides a thorough grounding in the ‘great tradition’ of English Literature – from Chaucer and Shakespeare through to Plays, Poems and Novels written in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries and in Literary Theory, but it also offers a wide range of imaginative and carefully designed modules.

The History element offers you one of the most varied, exciting and wide-ranging courses in the country. You will explore the full range of History from the end of the Roman Empire to the present day. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, this would increase the course from three years to four.

In the first year of your degree, you'll get an introduction into the disciplines of Literature and Advanced Historical Study. In the second year, you are required to engage with a range of periods and styles of Literary and Historical Study. The third year will include a dissertation as well as optional modules for both subjects.

Academically, we inspire our students to develop as analytic, sensitive and creative readers and writers, yet an English Studies degree is worth so much more. We aim to transform students into independent thinkers with the ability to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. It’s this skill set, coupled with effective organisational and research skills, that makes them so highly valued across a range of work environments. Outside of the classroom, we offer regular lectures and workshops that focus on personal development and key employability skills.

Graduates progress into a diverse range of careers and sectors, including roles in arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, technical writing, business, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, the third sector and government.

History's aim is to make you better at thinking, speaking, and writing for yourself; and better at critically assessing the words that others speak and write. Thinking analytically, arguing clearly and concisely - these are fundamental skills in many jobs. Our graduates have gone on to find successful careers in a wide variety of fields. They work in teaching at schools and universities, in museums and galleries, in law, finance, banking and accountancy, the Civil Service, the charity sector, media, journalism, and the military and further study.

Our students acquire many skills which are readily transferable to a whole range of professions. You will learn to search for, gather and process information, to evaluate evidence and to express yourself clearly and succinctly, both verbally and in writing.

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