English Literature and History BA (Hons)

- Join a community passionate about the study of history, literature and the broad subject of English- Tailor a programme to your interests from a diverse range of writers, genres and historical periods- Attend the University of Winchester Writers’ Festival and Winchester Reading Series — an opportunity to meet authors, publishers and agentsOur English Literature and History programme pushes the boundaries of both disciplines, giving you the scope to enjoy a thought-provoking mix of traditional and modern materials.You study English Literature, from Shakespeare to rap poetry, with a unique opportunity to put it into historical context. You learn how literary phenomena and historical events give rise and respond to each other. And you explore the complex but always fascinating dialogue between literature and history that has forged our modern world.Guided by our supportive teaching staff, who are all part of the university’s thriving literary and historical research culture, this course allows you to investigate the past from the classical to the modern. You explore different cultures, traditions and conflicts in Britain, Europe, the Americas and Japan. At the same time you gain a deep understanding of how literary texts work and respond to their historical context through a profound engagement with literary history, theory and culture.Year 1 provides an awareness of the range of different approaches to understanding texts and develops skills of critical analysis, research and writing. You study texts from various periods across genres of prose fiction, poetry and drama. Alongside this you are introduced to a variety of historical periods and cultures from early medieval Britain to modern East Asia, and from ancient Greece to 20th-century Europe.In Year 2, you are able to drill down into the periods and genres that most interest you with a host of optional modules. These cover historical periods from fifth-century Athens to the British Raj, or Imperial Japan to the Holocaust. You explore English Literature in its world-historical context by studying a group of texts representative of a particular period, genre or geographical area.In Year 3, you carry out a piece of independent research on a subject of your choice in either English Literature or History. In the former, you address a specific collection of writings, a particular theme or critical theory in detail. In the latter, you focus on more of the topics or periods that fascinate you most.A degree in English Literature and Film opens many doors. Your analytical thinking, research and writing skills enable you to excel in a variety of fields not just confined to the arts. Graduates often work in teaching, archives, museums and heritage sites, the arts, marketing and local, regional and national government.