English Literature and Film & Visual Culture

English literature and film and visual culture is a combination that recognises the deep connections between literary and visual storytelling. English literature develops your ability to read and interpret written texts with care and critical intelligence, engaging with the full range of forms and genres from poetry and drama to the novel and life writing. Film and visual culture extends those interpretive skills into the moving image, examining how films, television, photography, and other visual media construct meaning, reflect and shape culture, and relate to the literary and narrative traditions that preceded and continue to influence them.

Together, the two disciplines develop a comprehensive understanding of how stories are told in modern culture.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities, giving you an unusually rich set of structured experiences alongside the academic content. Liverpool itself is a distinctive setting for this combination, with a thriving cultural scene, literary festivals, independent bookshops, and the renowned Central Library nearby, as well as the Reader Organisation in Calderstones Park providing an inspiring hub for literature lovers. You will develop skills in close reading of literary and visual texts, critical argument, research, and creative interpretation, engaging with a wide range of periods, genres, and national traditions in both literature and film.

Graduates of this combination pursue careers in publishing, film and media, journalism, arts administration, broadcasting, cultural policy, teaching, and the heritage sector. The visual culture component opens routes into film and media production, content creation, screen criticism, and roles in the growing digital media industry. The literary component supports careers in writing, editing, and communications.

The combination of analytical, creative, and communication skills developed by the degree is valued across a very wide range of employers, and many graduates pursue postgraduate study in English literature, film studies, creative writing, or media to specialise further.