English Literature and Religion with Foundation Year

English literature and religion is a combination that invites you to explore two of the most fundamental ways in which human beings have made meaning, through imaginative language and through systems of belief, ritual, and spiritual practice. English literature examines how writing reflects, challenges, and shapes the cultures that produce it, developing close reading, historical understanding, and critical analysis. Religion as an academic subject is not the study of faith from the inside but the scholarly investigation of religious traditions, practices, and ideas, drawing on history, philosophy, anthropology, and comparative religion to understand how belief systems have shaped human lives and societies.

This four-year, full-time programme at York St John includes a foundation year that provides additional preparation before the main degree content, a placement year, and a year abroad, giving you a rich combination of academic development and practical and international experience. You will encounter texts from across the literary tradition alongside the sacred writings, theological ideas, and ritual practices of the world's major religions, developing the ability to see things from different perspectives and to engage seriously with ways of understanding the world that differ from your own.

Graduates of English literature and religion combinations are well prepared for careers in teaching, education, chaplaincy, charitable and faith-based organisations, publishing, journalism, and the cultural sector. The combination of literary sensitivity and religious literacy is valuable in roles that require engagement with diverse communities and traditions. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in English, religious studies, theology, or education, developing specialist expertise for academic or ministry careers.

The foundation year and the combination of placement and year abroad give graduates a varied and well-rounded profile.