BA Art History and English Literature / Course details

BA Art History and English Literature brings together expertise from two subject areas to give you a greater breadth of study.

The emphasis is on flexibility and choice within this joint degree, which also offers opportunities for field trips and museum and gallery visits. 

Art History provides grounding in European and North American art and architecture, covering topics to the present day, as well as subjects in global art history.

We offer a broad choice of subject areas, paired with in-depth study and research. Particular strengths are in Medieval, Renaissance, Post-Renaissance, Modern, Contemporary and Global Art History.

You will also discover a range of English literature from the Anglo Saxon period to the present day, and will be able to study American, Irish and post-colonial literatures, as well as cultural theory, creative writing and film. 

You can attend lectures and exhibitions at the internationally renowned Manchester Centre for Anglo Saxon Studies, while the English Research Seminar and CriticalMASS, the American Studies research seminar, also offer a series of interesting talks.

The Centre for New Writing hosts a regular public event series, Literature Live, which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to read and engage in conversation. Manchester Literature Festival also takes place at venues at the University and across the city each autumn.

You will:

• receive a broad-based knowledge and understanding of art and its histories;
• develop an understanding of the production, circulation, and interpretation of written texts and visual culture in specific historical contexts;
• engage with a significant range of literary/non-literary genres, including film, music and English language texts from Anglo Saxon times to the present;
• respond imaginatively, intellectually and independently to the written word and visual images, enabling you to carry these qualities of response into future reading and viewing experiences;
• gain awareness of the role of literature and the visual arts within different cultures and societies, including our own;
• gain awareness of the role of museums and galleries in the production and reproduction of cultural values.

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Overseas opportunities

We offer two unique summer internships at the world-famous Venice Peggy Guggenheim Collection. In your second year you'll go on a five-day field trip to a European city. The trip combines guided tours and talks with independent research and culminates in an extended essay on your return to the UK.

You may also apply to spend one semester studying abroad during the second year of your degree. Exchange partners are offered in Europe, through the Erasmus Exchange scheme, or via the Worldwide Exchange scheme, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Extracurricular opportunities

Join student societies including the Manchester Art Group, or the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Student Society , which brings together students who have an interest in the arts, culture and creativity.

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats, including lectures, small seminar groups, workshops, gallery visits, and one-to-one tutorials.

Seminars are normally very interactive - you may be given reading in advance that will form the basis of a class discussion and you will be expected to contribute occasional oral presentations, building your skills and confidence in presentation techniques.

Some course units feature group projects culminating in online content development or a physical exhibition/display.

Classroom time is frequently supplemented by new media, such as the virtual learning environment, Blackboard. You will also have access to other digital resources to support your learning.

Many of our courses include fieldwork visits to galleries or special exhibitions throughout the UK. This means regular classes in Manchester at places like HOME, the City Art Gallery and the University's own Whitworth Art Gallery. You are offered the opportunity to spend a week in a European city.

You'll also have the opportunity to experience credited placement opportunities as part of your learning. We offer a number of travel bursaries through the Lady Chorley Fund to assist final-year students with their dissertation research.

You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions. For every hour spent at University, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, or revising for examinations.

You will be assessed in various ways, including:

• written and oral examinations;
• coursework essays;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions;
• seminar presentations and participation.

Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.

In your final year, you can write a dissertation.

Written feedback is provided in the form of essay and exam cover sheets and, in the case of orally delivered seminar papers, a verbal report from the tutor. We provide feedback on both the content of your writing and the construction and clarity of the argument posed.

As a student here you'll gain both academic writing skills and insight into the development of arts-specific composition, such as catalogue entries, gallery interpretation, exhibition reviews and journalistic articles.

Course tutors are available without appointment in their office hours twice a week outside scheduled teaching hours, allowing you to gain advice and feedback on your work.

The University has its own art gallery, museum and special library collections, and the rich cultural heritage and attractions of Manchester and the north-west are within easy reach.

The Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery offer unique access to the environment of the working museum and art gallery, as well as to important works of art.

You can also explore original art in the city's famous galleries, such as the Lowry, Manchester Art Gallery and the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.

One of only five National Research Libraries, The University of Manchester Library holds extensive, internationally renowned collections in the medieval, Victorian, and American literary fields.

You will enjoy exclusive access to special collections of the John Rylands Library, including Shakespeare's first folio, and Elizabeth Gaskell and Ted Hughes' first archives.

Learn more on the Facilities page.