Course summary

A degree that combines English Literature and History offers the chance to explore two stimulating and diverse subjects, which give fascinating insights into one another, by allowing you to consider culture and society from different perspectives. In History, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the medieval, early modern and near contemporary past, before specialising in the area of your choice. Whatever your interests, whether cultural, economic, military, political, religious or social history, there is someone in the Department teaching your kind of history. By studying History as a Joint Honours degree with English Literature, you will be given a strong foundation in all major periods and genres and will be able to specialise in areas ranging from medieval poetry to twenty-first century digital literary culture. You will also have the opportunity to take our specialist second-year undergraduate Shakespeare module and the possibility of participating in our residential trip in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the University of Birmingham, you will benefit from internationally renowned research and teaching, as well as unparalleled resources including our Shakespeare Institute, cutting-edge technology for real language analysis and the University Special Collections - home to over 60,000 rare and early printed books and upwards of 2 million manuscript and archive items. Why study this course? Get a head-start in the graduate market – Kick start your career with our employability modules, including options that provide a minimum of 70 hours' work experience within a sector you're interested in, assist organisations with developing, planning and pitching their business proposals and get involved with public engagement projects. A city that values literature as much as you do – Did you know that inspiration for parts of The Lord of the Rings came from our campus (our clock tower Old Joe is thought to be the black tower of Isengard)! Explore Birmingham’s literary scene and get involved with the numerous on-campus groups, including our very own newspaper, radio and TV stations. Delve into the various city-wide literature festivals and take advantage of our exceptional resources. Present day application - We believe in history as a practical and engaged endeavour that speaks to questions of social inequality, community belonging and even climate change. As a Birmingham student you have opportunities to learn about the uses of history such as through a placement in the heritage sector on our Professional Skills module. Do more than read books – Take advantage of the wide ranging expertise within our academic community and delve into the study of social media, marketing, textual production, video games, comics, film and TV, music and art. Excellent extra-curricular activities - join BEDSoc (Birmingham English Department Society) or the History Society. You can also enjoy opportunities such as working alongside members of staff on their research projects on our Undergraduate Research Scholarships. We also host regular guest lectures and readings from visiting writers and historians. Exceptional resources - these include the University Special Collections, which are home to over 60,000 rare and early printed books and upwards of 2 million manuscript and archive items, our Research and Cultural Collections, which has a wide range of artefacts and our cutting-edge Corpus Linguistics Centre for real language analysis. If you are studying English Literature you will have access to our unique provision for the study of Shakespeare. The Shakespeare Institute, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, is a world-leading centre for international Shakespeare scholarship. Top 15 for English in the Complete University Guide 2023 Top 30 for English Language and Literature in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2022 11th for History in the The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023