BA
English Literature and History BA (Hons)
Delve into the excitement of the literary past and acquire a range of both literary-critical and historical knowledge.
How to apply Apply via UCAS
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
QV21
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
A*AA
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): per year
- Overseas (Full-time): per year
Overview
The Joint Honours in BA English Literature and 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 20th and 21st 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.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
QV21
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
A*AA
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): per year
- Overseas (Full-time): per year
What you'll study
In the first year of your degree, you will receive 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.
Core modules
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English (three modules)
Approaches to Literary Studies* Introduction to DramaIntroduction to the NovelIntroduction to PoetryRomance and the Literature of ChivalryEpic and the Literature of Legend (The module marked with an asterisk is a compulsory choice from within this list)
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History (three modules)
Decline and Crisis? Europe 1300-1500Transformations in the Late Antique Mediterranean, c.300-c.700 CEConnected Histories: Early Modern Europe, c.1450-1750The Atlantic Archipelago, c.1500-c.1750Modern Times: a Cultural History of Europe, c.1860-1960Power in AfricaImagining East Asia in the Modern WorldWars and Welfare: c.1900-1945The Rise and Fall of American Slavery
Core modules
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Shakespeare
introduces a broad range of Shakespeare’s work and will enable you to analyse in detail a selection of works from different periods of Shakespeare’s oeuvre and in different genres.
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Theory and Practice of Literary Criticism
introduces the presuppositions and principles of literary criticism and issues of knowledge, value and ideology arising from the practice of reading. You will develop an independent critical sense in your own practice of reading.
Optional modules
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In recent years optional modules have included: ChaucerOld EnglishRenaissance LiteratureLiterature of the Modern PeriodAmerican PoetryPostcolonial and World LiteraturesModern PoetryWriting Women: Gendering Literature, c.800-1600Literature and the InternetPoetry by the Book Medieval Islamic WorldModern China’s TransformationsBlack British HistoryPhotographic Histories A selection of our optional modules are available as elective modules taught within a single term.
Core modules
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Dissertation
In the third year you will produce a ,a large research project undertaken in either English Literature or History. This involves guided research on a topic of interest.
Optional modules
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In recent years optional modules have included: Restoration and 18th Century LiteratureOld EnglishOld NorseAmerican FictionPost-War Fiction and PoetryKeats and ShelleyThe Rise of Popular MusicLife Write Now: Reading Contemporary AutofictionCreative Writing Poetry / Prose Fiction1688: Monarchy and Revolution in BritainDeveloping AfricaMapping Eastern Europe in the Nineteenth and Twentieth CenturiesSexual Revolutions: The Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Britain and Beyond, 1920s–1970s
Learning
You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. The course requires a considerable amount of directed independent learning, consisting of reading primary and secondary sources, writing formative and assessed essays, and preparing tutorial and seminar assignments. Teaching is research-led from the outset, with a gradually increasing focus on the development of your own research skills as you progress through your degree. Weekly lectures are supplemented by small-group tutorials and seminars. Specialist research, analytical and writing skills are developed in formative essays and individual feedback sessions, which play a key role in the delivery of the degree and in academic progression.Assessment
Most modules will be assessed by summative essays and end-of-year examinations. The third year will culminate with a dissertation, a large research project undertaken in either the English or History Department, giving you the opportunity to engage, at an advanced level, with creative cutting-edge research at the forefront of the discipline.Additional pathways
Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
per year
International / EU Students
per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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English Studies is a popular and highly regarded subject that will give you a broader and more balanced understanding of how the world works, politically, psychologically and sociologically. It also develops the highly transferable linguistic, critical and analytical skills that are sought after in the contemporary workplace. An English degree at Durham provides a comprehensive grounding in literary theory. The wide range of modules allows you to explore a variety of literary forms and challenge the way you think about the role of literature in the world, from the classics to contemporary texts. We are home to a vibrant and active research department and take a research-led approach to teaching and learning which informs all levels of academic enquiry, including undergraduate ‘special topic’ seminar modules developed around key research themes and areas of expertise. You can choose to focus purely on English literature or combine the study of English with either Philosophy or History. We also offer English Studies named routes through a Combined Honours or Liberal Arts degree. You can further tailor your study with an optional year abroad or work placement in the third year. We are consistently ranked as one of the leading English departments in the UK, so when you choose to study English at Durham you can be assured of the highest quality learning experience. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
We are located close to Durham city centre with most of the Department’s teaching and research taking place in two buildings: the Georgian listed building, Hallgarth House and Elvet Riverside, which stands beside the River Wear.
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Collections and archives
Students have access to extensive general collections in literary studies which are housed in the main University Library, and a number of specialist collections and archives in Palace Green Library, in the heart of Durham city.
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Events
All students are invited to attend the Department’s extensive programme of research-related activities, including public lectures, special guest lectures, as well as lectures, readings and workshops by visiting UK and overseas academics and creative writers.
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Community
We are a diverse community of around 700 undergraduates, 120 postgraduates and 70 staff from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.
Find out more -
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The History programme at Durham is designed to give you a sense of the diversity of human experience – geographically and chronologically. We are a large department, with over fifty full-time academic staff, teaching and researching on a wide variety of periods and regions. As a result, we offer an unusually broad range of options that will take you to very different places and times. You can also explore diverse themes and approaches, such as environmental and scientific history, visual cultures, and gender and sexuality. The course will equip you with critical and presentational skills that are valuable in many careers. Year 1 offers you an induction into advanced historical study, engaging with different periods and approaches to the study of the past. Year 2 raises new questions about the human past, setting these in specific periods and parts of the world. It develops your understanding of historiography - the history of history-writing – and gives you experience of writing an extended historical argument. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four. In Year 3 the focus is on intensive study and independent learning. The special subject guides you through the primary and secondary material on a specific period or phenomenon; the dissertation allows you to choose your own topic, and devise your own question, for an extended piece of writing. The dissertation is an opportunity to focus on a topic that fascinates you – and brings together the skills you have developed through your time at Durham. Throughout your degree, you will be encouraged to attend an extensive programme of activities, including research seminars and public lectures from high-profile guest speakers. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
The Department of History occupies the heart of Durham World Heritage Site. Our city centre location is within easy reach of all University colleges, lecture halls and libraries. The Department of History occupies a group of historic town houses on North Bailey and Palace Green.
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Resources
Our work incorporates everything from manuscripts to photography, printed sources to museum collections. You will work with staff on a rich array of primary sources, which range from medieval manuscripts in the cathedral archive, through the ceramics, prints and textiles held by the Oriental Museum, to the documents of the Sudan Archive, and more. Durham holds historical resources of international significance.
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Expert staff
Academic members of staff have expertise in medieval, early modern and modern history, in the history of Britain and continental Europe, North America, Africa, and East and South Asia, and in many different types of history: visual and material culture, gender history, political culture, science and medicine, economic and social history, transnational history.
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Events
The student-run History Society is one of the most active clubs in the University. It hosts visiting speakers, an annual Conference, as well as social events and trips.
Find out more -
Career Opportunities
Of those UK/EU students who graduated in 2022/23:
92%
95%
£26,675
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk
Employability
More Information
Our work combines a strong sense of tradition with a commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary approaches.
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