English Literature and History

Why Lancaster?
- Design your degree, selecting from a wide range of modules, exploring history and literature from the ancient to the modern, and the local to the global

- Study in a city steeped in history, and with the Lake District, home of the Romantic poets, on your doorstep

- Hear from visiting authors and academics at our many literary events, on campus, online, and in Lancaster’s historic Castle Quarter

- Enhance your knowledge in regular small-group seminars with inspiring, world-class scholars

- Graduate with skills in analysis, communication, and persuasion that will make you stand out in the jobs market

Explore a vast range of literary works, from ancient myth to the contemporary graphic novel, and study a host of historical movements, from the fall of Rome to the rise of human rights. Through engagement with texts and artefacts crossing continents and centuries, our interdisciplinary programme will immerse you in both literature and history.

Map your own journey
You will be able to select from a wide range of modules (from ‘Medieval Theatre’ to ‘Urban Gothic’ and ‘The Normans in Italy’ to ‘The Cold War’) and, in your third-year dissertation, be free to explore a literary and/or historical topic or theme of your own choosing. In literature, this could be, say, Renaissance sermons or filmic representations of World War One; in history, this could be, say, a global phenomenon like the Transatlantic Slave Trade or a local story like the Lancashire ‘Witch’ Trials.

Support at every step of the way
We keep our seminars small so that we can really get to know our students. If you choose to write a dissertation, you’ll receive one-to-one guidance from your tutor to deep dive into a topic you’re passionate about.

To supplement your studies, you’ll have a range of opportunities to develop real-world skills that will prepare you for your future career. You might choose to get involved with one of our four student-run literary journals (Cake, Flash, Lux and Errant), giving you invaluable experience in writing or publishing. You may also wish to take part in our schools placement module or our heritage placement module, where past students have worked with organisations like The National Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster.