BA English

About this course

English is one of the oldest and most expansive academic disciplines, concerned with the study of literature and language in all their historical and cultural complexity. Through literature, you engage with the full range of human experience as it has been expressed in written form across centuries and continents, developing the ability to read with precision, to interpret what is difficult and to construct sustained arguments about how texts mean what they mean. The discipline sharpens your thinking, develops your writing and encourages a kind of attentiveness to language that has value well beyond the academy. At the University of Southampton, this part-time programme allows you to discover how our stories shape who we are, bringing fresh eyes to the books you love and to the world around you. You will explore literature in English across a broad historical and geographical range, developing the critical tools to read and write about texts with confidence and depth. English at Southampton draws on expertise across a wide range of areas, and the programme encourages you to follow your interests within the discipline while building a well-rounded literary education. A sandwich year, a year abroad and work placement opportunities are all features of the programme, giving you the chance to develop professional experience and international perspective alongside your studies. English graduates enter careers across an exceptionally wide range of fields. Publishing, journalism, writing, education, broadcasting, the civil service, law, marketing, public relations and the arts are among the most common destinations. The skills developed through an English degree, including close reading, clear and persuasive writing, evidence-based argument and cultural understanding, are transferable to virtually any professional environment where communication is important. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in literature, creative writing, linguistics, education or librarianship, and some go on to careers in academic teaching and research.

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