English Literature and Philosophy

English literature and philosophy make natural companions. Literature gives us stories, voices and imaginative worlds; philosophy gives us the tools to interrogate what those worlds reveal about truth, ethics, knowledge and what it means to be human. Studied together, the two disciplines enrich each other, with literary texts becoming occasions for philosophical inquiry and philosophical ideas giving sharper analytical purchase on the works you read.

At Cardiff University, this three-year full-time degree invites you to move fluidly between close reading and rigorous argument, developing skills that are as useful in the world as they are satisfying to practise.

You will engage with a wide range of literary forms and periods, from classical texts to contemporary fiction, poetry, drama and prose, while also working through the central questions of philosophy: the nature of reality and knowledge, the grounds of moral judgement, the structure of language and meaning, and the conditions under which societies and individuals can flourish. You will learn to read attentively, to think precisely, to construct arguments carefully and to write with clarity and care. The combination of analytical and interpretive skills developed here is genuinely unusual and highly transferable.

Graduates from English literature and philosophy degrees move into a wide range of careers. Publishing, journalism, media, law, education, the civil service, policy, the third sector and management consulting all recruit graduates who can think clearly and communicate well. The philosophical training is particularly valued in roles requiring ethical reasoning or complex analysis, while the literary training supports any career that depends on understanding how language shapes meaning and response.

Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in either discipline, or to professional qualifications in law or other fields.