BA English Literature and History / Course details

BA English Literature and History allows you to study English Literature within its historical context.

You'll study English Literature and History as subjects in their own right, and explore them in an inter-disciplinary way.

Both our English Literature and History courses cover the last millennium, from Anglo-Saxon to the present day. Both subjects also offer a global reach from postcolonial literature to European, American, African and Asian history. 

Lecturers are leaders in their fields and cover the full range of English literature and British history, combining the strengths of both disciplines, while maximising student choice and opportunities for specialisation.

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of Manchester's rich archival holdings (particularly in the Medieval and Victorian periods), and will benefit from being part of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC) which has a long-established commitment to interdisciplinary study.

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. 

Connect with like-minded students 

Join the English Society, which puts on social and cultural events. 

Its annual programme usually includes talks, readings, parties, theatre visits and a play production. 

Together, these societies run an annual Student Ball. 

You can also join the History Society, which plays a key role in building a community among History students at Manchester by organising trips (in the UK and on the continent) and hosting social events, and get involved with the student magazine,  The Manchester Historian .

You will learn through tutor-led lectures, seminars and tutorials. For some course units you'll join in group work and other forms of collaborative learning.

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.

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.

A significant part of your study time will be spent reading, taking notes, preparing presentations and writing essays (which examine particular aspects of a subject in greater depth).

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 choose to write a dissertation.

Your second-year work counts toward 33% of your final degree result. Your third-year work accounts for the remaining 67%.

The University of Manchester owns the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and Tabley House, giving you unique access to outstanding cultural and historical resources.

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. The latter includes the Walt Whitman Collection and the Upton Sinclair Collection. Holdings also include the archive material of the Manchester Poetry Centre.

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.