- UCAS course code
- QV31
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA English Literature and History
Duration: 3 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: QV31 / Institution code: M20
- Typical A-level offer: A*AA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: AAC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 37 points overall with 7,6,6 at HL including specific subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Find out more from student finance
- Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
- Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
- Many students work part-time or complete a student internship
Course unit details:
Introduction to the History and Culture of Pharaonic Egypt
| Unit code | CAHE10651 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 1 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
The Pharaonic civilisation flourished in the Nile Valley for well over three-thousand years leaving behind significant archaeological, textual and iconographic evidence. This course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of the history and culture of Pharaonic Egypt from the Neolithic and the formation of the Egyptian state at the end of the Predynastic through to the arrival of Alexander the Great and the incorporation of Egypt into the Hellenistic World. Alongside the historical overview, students will also study aspects of Pharaonic culture such as royal iconography, mortuary and sacred landscapes as well as modern reception of the Egyptian civilisation in a series of seminars built around specific textual sources or scholarly articles providing a starting point for discussion and debate. The unit will be taught and assessed in English.
Aims
- to introduce students to the historical development of the Pharaonic civilisation.
- to encourage the development of a critical approach to textual source material.
- to encourage the development of a critical approach to archaeological data.
- to develop the ability to formulate and debate different scholarly viewpoints.
- to discuss the development of the field of Egyptology and pre-modern exploration of Ancient Egyptian culture.
Knowledge and understanding
- to understand the range and quality of textual, archaeological and iconographic sources used in the study of ancient Egypt.
- to demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which other cultures in the eastern Mediterranean influenced and interacted with the Pharaonic state.
- to understand how the development of a centralised state in Ancient Egypt compares and contrasts to state formation in other ancient societies.
Intellectual skills
- to be able to construct an academic argument in written and oral form.
- to conduct independent research.
- to demonstrate an awareness of the usefulness and limitations of various types of historical source material.
Practical skills
- to handle ancient artefacts in a controlled museum setting.
- to engage critically and respectfully in written and oral debate.
- to effectively and independently manage time.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- to discuss problems and questions in a group setting.
- to conduct independent research.
- to construct and present a clear, reasoned argument in written form.
Employability skills
- Other
- This course involves several useful employability skills, primary of which is the ability to conduct independent research, to distil information from a variety of sources, to critically evaluate these sources and use them to underpin a clear and coherent argument in written form. Students will also gain experience of group cooperation and how to express and defend an oral argument in a respectful and appropriate manner.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Other | 35% |
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 65% |
Museum Artefact Study - 35%
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Written feedback | Summative |
Oral feedback in a dedicated seminar session and upon request during office hours | Formative |
Recommended reading
- Davies, W. V. (ed.) 1991. Egypt and Africa: Nubia from Prehistory to Islam. British Museum Press: London.
- Dodson, A. and D. Hilton. 2004. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson: London
- Grajetzki, W. 2006. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society. Duckworth: London.
- Hornung, E. 1999. History of Ancient Egypt: An Introduction. Cornell University Press: Ithaca.
- Kemp, B. J. 1989. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation. Routledge: London
- Shaw, I (ed). 2003. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
- Trigger, B. G. 1983. Ancient Egypt: A Social History. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 22 |
| Seminars | 11 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 167 |