English and History

Explore our BA English and History degree, focusing on literature, cultural change, and historical analysis. Gain skills in critical thinking, research, and communication, preparing for careers in education, publishing, and heritage sectors. Apply today for a rewarding future in history and literature!

Interpret texts with skill and a critical eye while exploring diverse societies and cultural changes throughout history What’s the relationship between a piece of literature and the time it was written in? How are writers affected by their circumstances? What influence do literary texts have on social, cultural and political life?

Study this combination of subjects to link the social and political history of a period with its literary texts, giving you the chance to reflect on these questions and more. Surrounded by outstanding museums and resources, you’ll expand your knowledge as you explore different histories and perspectives from Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States. At the same time, you’ll unravel cultural history and the historical approach to literature, social justice, mixed media and more.

Our English teaching team is made up of 40 academics who are either world experts or rising stars – you might have already come across them on the radio or TV. The history team are equally experts who care about providing impactful research. Our historians carry out ground-breaking research in the archives and bring that to the public in their prize-winning books, popular documentaries, and engagement with media and society.