English Literature/Sociology

English literature and sociology share a concern with how human experience is shaped, understood and communicated, but they approach that concern through very different methods. Literature explores the individual and collective imagination through close engagement with texts, developing sensitivity to language, form, narrative and meaning. Sociology examines the structures, institutions and forces that organise social life, using theory and empirical research to understand inequality, identity, power and change.

Each discipline enriches the other: sociological thinking opens up the social dimensions of literary texts, while literary study brings attention to voice, representation and the human texture of social experience.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad and develops your expertise in both fields within one of the UK's leading research universities. You will explore all aspects of literature in English from early modern to postmodern, engaging with American, Irish and postcolonial literatures, critical theory, creative writing, and the relationship between literature and other arts, media and science. Sociology modules develop your understanding of class, gender, race, culture, health, crime, globalisation and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The year abroad gives you the chance to pursue both disciplines in a different national and intellectual context.

Graduates of this joint programme go on to careers in teaching, journalism, publishing, social research, social policy, community development, communications, law, the civil service and the arts. The combination of analytical rigour, writing ability and sociological awareness is valued across a wide range of sectors. Many students continue to postgraduate study in English literature, creative writing, sociology, cultural studies or social policy, and some pursue academic careers in these fields.