Philosophy and English Literature BA (Hons)

In this course you develop your critical and analytical skills and apply them to a variety of philosophical and literary texts. Our students become expert at presenting arguments clearly and persuasively.

In philosophy, we will give you an understanding of the central philosophical principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to explore non-Western philosophies, such as Indian philosophy.

In your English Literature modules, you will read more of authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But you will also encounter aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, from children’s literature to publishing studies and the history of the book.

Career

Studying philosophy enables you to develop a range of transferable skills. Skills in clear thinking, logical analysis and the critical assessment of argument are greatly valued in a variety of professional careers such as law, politics, management and marketing. Overall, 97% of graduates from the Department of Philosophy are in work or further study within six months of graduation (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey, 2016–17).

Past graduates have found employment in the civil service, journalism, consultancy, finance, local and central government, and previous employers have included the Ministry of Defence, Cambridge University Press, local authorities and other universities.