BA History and English Literature

For students with a love of History and English literature, this course is an ideal choice, as in addition to gaining subject-specific knowledge, students can also expect to develop a range of transferable skills typically much sought after by employers. The skills developed throughout this course will be applicable to a wide range of career paths. Why study this course? History and English Literature at Reading allows you to explore two subjects which have real affinities with each other guided by experts in both fields. Throughout the degree, you will have a wide range of options to choose from in both your departments, and we encourage you to tailor your degree to suit your own interests. Our History modules at Reading stretch from the medieval period to the present day, from British, European, and Russian history to American, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African history, and from political and economic history to social and cultural history. Our English modules offer you a solid grounding in a comprehensive range of texts, from medieval literature to contemporary and creative writing. This allows you to tailor your course to meet your own enthusiasms. We are a very research-active department with a century-long history of innovation in English Studies: we were one of the first departments to teach American and Canadian authors like Margaret Atwood. We continue to extend our curriculum, so that you encounter the best of what is being written now as well as the best writing from the past. After the course Our graduates can expect to be highly valued by a wide range of employers thanks to the broad set of transferable skills developed during the course. You will be enabled to think clearly and critically, to express yourself with confidence, both orally and in writing, and to work effectively both as an individual and within teams. Graduates have pursued careers in all areas of the private and public sectors, including journalism, publishing, TV production, web design, accountancy, law, banking and management. Most recently, Reading graduates studying these subjects have been employed by the House of Commons,the Football Association, the British Museum, MI5, Morgan Stanley, universities and local authorities. Some have gone on to find work further afield in Europe, Japan and the USA. Many of our graduates also demonstrate their love of History or English Literature as a subject by teaching it at all levels of the curriculum from primary to university level.