Bachelor of Arts in English

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Build the skills you need for a career in archaeological research or the heritage industry with this flexible archaeology master’s. You’ll gain practical experience and benefit from our close ties with museums and organisations involved in commercial archaeology, heritage management and fieldwork.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019)

With this MSc in Archaeology you can personalise your studies to areas that interest you, without having to specialise in a particular area. We bring expertise together from across the University, including the National Oceanography Centre, Humanities, Medicine, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.

This master's in archaeology enables you to develop your skills in a practical way, whilst learning from theoretical and period-based insights. You’ll have full access to a wide range of dedicated facilities and specialist teachers.

These include:

• A dedicated library
• A large collection of stone tools and hominin skulls
• Specialist isotope labs and a scanning, imaging and micro-CT suite
• An extensive collection of human and animal skeletons

We have relationships with a number of leading heritage institutions and companies. You’ll have the opportunity to spend 4 weeks on placement with one of these institutions, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

In addition to your vocational training, you'll develop advanced research skills. When you write your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to undertake original research on a topic that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the globe.

We offer 4 pathways on our MSc Archaeology degree. If you’re not sure which area of archaeology you want to specialise in, then this general pathway gives you the chance to explore a number of different areas.

Your other Archaeology MSc pathway options are:

• Archaeology Bioarchaeology - Gain specialist skills in human anatomy and faunal analysis to make sense of the past. Benefit from dedicated archaeology laboratories and specialist research.
• Archaeology Higher Archaeological Practice - Discover our Archaeological Practice master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn how to get a job in archaeology and commercial archaeology.
• Archaeology Palaeoanthropology - Discover our Palaeoanthropology master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn to analyse stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolution.

Explore people's changing relationships with the world’s oceans and seas on this science-focused maritime archaeology master's degree at the University of Southampton. You’ll study the technologies of seafaring, histories of environmental change, and underwater landscapes. This subject incorporates elements of traditional archaeology, ethnography, maritime history and marine science.

This MSc version offers the same course content as our MA Maritime Archaeology degree but you’ll take a more science-based approach through your module choices and dissertation topic.

The course draws on the world-leading expertise of the Centre for Maritime Archaeology to offer an unparalleled breadth and depth of content.

The course is designed to allow rapid development of the diverse academic knowledge and practical skills required to work in this field, including:

• The latest methods for data acquisition and integration
• Academic research and dissemination
• Archaeological fieldwork

This means you’ll cover all aspects of maritime archaeology, from those who wish to focus on field-based activities, both above and under water, through to laboratory or library-based research.

Explore another culture on this BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Year Abroad degree. Learn about the ancient world and understand the foundations of how we live today. You'll develop specialist knowledge in your chosen areas of study and learn in an engaging and supportive research environment. Research and archiving skills will prepare you for further study, or for a wide choice of careers, including heritage management and archaeological research.

Study ancient history and archaeology with year abroad to learn key topics in both subjects and experience another country.

You'll have the choice of a wide range of historical topics, from Ancient Egypt to the rise of Islam in the Middle East. You can also learn what happened during the conquests of Alexander the Great and at the end of the Roman Empire.

The complementary subject of archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. These include buildings, monuments, artefacts, biological remains, written sources and landscape.

On BA Ancient History and Archaeology Placement you can:

• Spend your third year at a partner university in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia
• Learn from experts in the ancient world (including history, archaeology, ancient and modern languages and literatures, philosophy and film)
• Use cutting-edge technology to discover and map new sites, or develop archival research skills
• Do at least 3 weeks of field work as part of an active research project, including excavating archaeological sites or collecting archaeological material from ploughed fields
• Challenge yourself by learning Latin and Ancient Greek

Explore 18th century literature in depth with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton. This course gives you the chance to specialise in the culture and history of the 18th century, covering topics such as:

• 18th century fiction
• economics and class
• education
• gender and sexuality
• Jane Austen

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for a career in teaching, publishing, librarianship or cultural heritage.

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced-level research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries. This pathway is linked to Chawton House Library, the ‘Great House’ referred to in Jane Austen’s letters, which is now home to a unique collection of women’s writing.

We offer a flexible module structure which is designed to give you an advanced understanding of cultural analysis, textual interpretation and theoretical method.

You'll explore the interrelations of text, theory and culture across the field of English literary and cultural studies. We’ll work with you to:

• develop your knowledge of critical and research methods
• raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature in various periods
• explore the role of literature in a contested cultural framework

Discover how the world works on our BA Philosophy Politics and Economics degree. Explore past and current socio-economic orders. You'll learn quantitative tools, historical data, and the technical knowledge to carefully analyse them. Through our philosophy modules, we'll teach you to critique the present order with logic and ethics. You'll graduate with the skills for a range of careers linked to politics, philosophy and arts.

On this broad, combined honours course, you’ll get a balanced education in all 3 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) subjects.

The degree helps you properly frame the questions that unite the subject of the PPE degree, and answer them in a rigorous but free-spirited way. These include questions on:

• Inequality
• Democracy
• Justice
• Globalisation
• Happiness
• Work
• Money

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in key areas of study. Optional modules will let you pursue your own interests in topics as varied as:

• Logic
• International security
• Chinese politics

As part of this course, you can:

• Study topics that are unique to either philosophy, economics, or politics
• Gain professional skills in economics that will be useful in your future careers
• Learn how to conduct and present research
• Take part in other Philosophy events held by the Lifelonglearning team, where you can discuss philosophy in a relaxed atmosphere

Gain in-depth knowledge of the English language and its cultural impact on this BA English Language and Literature degree. Discover how English emerged, how it continues to change, and how it varies across its millions of speakers. You’ll explore writing in varieties of English from the early medieval period to the present day, as well as from around the world.

You'll combine both literary and linguistic approaches to the subject on this flexible course.

You’ll study topics such as:

• The history and development of the English language  
• The cultural significance of English and its unique global status
• Phonetics, language acquisition and the psychology of language (psycholinguistics)

Optional modules mean you can adapt the course to match your interests. Topics you can choose to study include:

• The Renaissance
• 18th or 19th century writing
• Arthurian literature
• Children's literature

You’ll learn from expert academics and graduate ready for a career across industries like:

• Education
• Mass media
• Advertising and marketing
• Speech therapy
• Writing and publishing

You’ll also be able to make use of our Lifelong Learning programme, which provides extracurricular teaching of some 12 languages.

Our degree programmes are informed by research carried out in our leading Research Centres, including the Centre for Linguistics, Language Education and Acquisition Research and the Centre for Global Englishes.

Learn about the history and structure of English, and its use in different societies. Explore its development and the linguistic science behind it. You'll spend a year studying at a partner university abroad to experience a new culture and develop your skills. You can also choose from a wide range of modules that follow your interests and career goals.

This course will give you an advanced knowledge of contemporary English, its development, systems and use around the world. You'll learn analytical, research and personal skills relevant to a range of careers.

You'll spend your third year studying at a partner university in countries such as:

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• New Zealand
• South Korea
• Czech Republic
• Canada
• Switzerland

You’ll take a range of modules on topics including:

• Applied linguistics
• Psycholinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Language teaching
• English around the world

You can also study a foreign language and take modules in related disciplines, such as philosophy and film.

As part of this course you can:

• Choose an area that interests you for your dissertation topic
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Access a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events

This course will give you training and expertise that are of special interest to many employers. It provides the knowledge and skills to follow a wide range of careers.

This BA Philosophy, Ethics and Religion degree provides you with the opportunity to explore deep  and far-reaching issues. You will engage with questions that have puzzled great thinkers for millennia, and are still relevant today: How should we live? What can we really know? Can religious beliefs be justified? And what is their role in society? How can we apply philosophy to real world problems such as global poverty?

You will explore these fundamental issues using the philosophical method of reasoned argument and critical scrutiny. You’ll investigate ethical questions and the nature of religion in society, across a wide range of fields including anthropology, history, and politics.

Our broad curriculum allows you to approach topics from multiple perspectives, with the flexibility to pursue your own interests. You can also take modules outside your main degree subject, to diversify your learning.

• Develop an understanding of basic philosophical arguments in matters of ethics, reason, and responsibility
• Study questions such as the duties of affluent people towards those living in poverty around the world
• Learn about the ethics of global poverty, science and technology, plus moral questions, and the nature of moral judgments
• Apply philosophical thought to language, morality, sex and other important aspects of life

You’ll learn in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment. You can also take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, study a language, or choose from a range of cross-disciplinary modules

Become fluent in German while studying a range of topics within German studies, including contemporary culture, society and politics, history, literature and cinema. You'll also specialise in German Linguistics and explore the structure, use and psychology of language around the world.

Following our system of language development you’ll start at a level that matches your ability in German. This means we can personalise your learning so you make the best progress.

You’ll also have all the resources you need to support you in our Centre for Language Study.

As well as becoming competent with written and spoken German, you’ll study topics within the broader field of German studies, focusing especially on the 20th and 21st Centuries.

In your first and second years, you will take a range of compulsory modules in German and choose options in areas of linguistic analysis such as psycholinguistics, discourse Analysis, and phonetics. Your second year also includes preparation for your year abroad.

During your third year you’ll study abroad at one of our Erasmus exchange partner institutions.

In your final year, in addition to your language and linguistics modules, you can choose from a range of advanced modules covering areas such as translating and interpreting, linguistics, language education, and globalisation. You can also choose to do a Modern Languages dissertation.

The transferable skills you’ll gain on this course mean after graduation your employment opportunities are highly varied, both in the UK and abroad.

For movie lovers and history buffs, we offer this exciting and challenging film and history degree with year abroad. You'll examine film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record. You'll study history and the links between both subjects. A year abroad will enhance your understanding of visual arts and let you experience a new culture.

You'll study familiar classics alongside contemporary cinema, and genres including:

• film noir
• horror
• science fiction
• documentary
• animation

Your history modules will cover the development of historical debates, imagining the past, and topics ranging from ancient societies to the war on terror.

Our Framing the Past module looks at cinema's relationship with history. You'll study films about the distant past of Greece, Rome or Egypt, up to more recent times, such as heritage films about the British Empire or the Titanic.

You'll spend your third year abroad at an exchange partner university. You can study in English but will have opportunities to develop your language skills.

 As part of this course you can:

• take modules in film noir, animation, horror and sci-fi
• explore British, European and world cinema
• discover early film through archive visits
• access document collections, including the Wellington, Palmerston and Mountbatten papers
• use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival