- UCAS course code
- QV31
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description
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.
Special features
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 .
Teaching and learning
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).
Coursework and assessment
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%.
Course unit details
Course content for year 1
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Literature and History | ENGL10072 | 20 | Mandatory |
English Literature Tutorials | ENGL10171 | 20 | Mandatory |
History in Practice | HIST10101 | 20 | Mandatory |
From Reconstruction to Reagan: American History, 1877-1988 | AMER10002 | 20 | Optional |
Constructing Archaic Greek History | CAHE10011 | 20 | Optional |
From Republic to Empire: Introduction to Roman History, Society & Culture 218-31BC | CAHE10022 | 20 | Optional |
The Odyssey | CAHE10101 | 20 | Optional |
The Making of the Mediterranean | CAHE10132 | 20 | Optional |
Cities and Citizens | CAHE10232 | 20 | Optional |
Discoveries and Discoverers: Sights and Sites | CAHE10282 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
American Literature and Social Criticism, 1900-Present | AMER20481 | 20 | Optional |
Uncle Tom's Cabin as Global Media Event | AMER22662 | 20 | Optional |
The Conquering Hero: The Life, Times and Legacy of Alexander The Great | CAHE20041 | 20 | Optional |
The Roman Empire 31BC - AD313 Rome's Golden Age | CAHE20051 | 20 | Optional |
Politics and Society in Classical Greece | CAHE20062 | 20 | Optional |
Roman Women in 22 Objects | CAHE20532 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Fiction | ENGL20002 | 20 | Optional |
Chaucer: Texts, Contexts, Conflicts | ENGL20231 | 20 | Optional |
Shakespeare | ENGL20372 | 20 | Optional |
Gender, Sexuality and the Body: Theories and Histories | ENGL20481 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Climate Change & Culture Wars | AMER30572 | 20 | Optional |
American Hauntings | AMER30811 | 20 | Optional |
The Uncanny and the Undead: Gothic American Literature and Culture | AMER33151 | 20 | Optional |
The Roman Army and the North-West Frontiers | CAHE30882 | 20 | Optional |
Long Essay | ENGL30001 | 20 | Optional |
Long Essay | ENGL30002 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Fiction | ENGL30122 | 20 | Optional |
Narrative Theory and Victorian Fiction | ENGL30172 | 20 | Optional |
Culture and Conflict: Neoliberalism and Cultural Production | ENGL30261 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Poetry | ENGL30901 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities
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.