Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Follow your interests in ancient history and gain specialist knowledge in your chosen areas of study. We offer you an engaging, supportive and successful research environment to study in. You'll learn about the ancient world and explore the foundations of how we live today. You'll study ancient history abroad for a year and experience another culture and gain new perspectives.

Ancient history is an interdisciplinary field, so you can study topics that you’re already passionate about, or choose to try something new.

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

You'll study ancient history with year abroad at a university in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia in your third year.

On BA Ancient History with Year Abroad you can:

• Learn from experts in the ancient world (including history, archaeology, ancient and modern languages and literatures, philosophy and film)
• Carry out archaeological fieldwork and take part in study tours
• Develop your research and dissertation skills
• Learn Latin and Ancient Greek

Philosophy and English literature have between them tackled some of the biggest questions of our age: Is there a god? What is morality? What does it mean to be human? On this joint honours course you’ll examine these and other fundamental concepts from 2 complementary angles, enriching your understanding and appreciation of each discipline in the process.

This BA degree will give you an excellent education in literature, theory and critical thinking.

In your degree you can:

• Learn about philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Explore philosophy and literature through diverse times and places, from Viking to Victorian eras, from Eastern to African settings
• Study themes like the Islamic Golden Age, classical Indian philosophy, and holocaust literature
• Study abroad at one of our partner institutions
• Explore contested narratives, for example, race and culture in American literature

You’ll be taught in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment, and benefit from the expertise of academic staff whose research feeds directly into the course content.

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in philosophical and critical thought, while optional modules give you the freedom to pursue your own interests in subjects as varied as scriptwriting, short stories and Islamic philosophy. You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules.

With this bachelor's degree in German and Spanish linguistics, you'll become proficient in both German and Spanish, and study contemporary culture, society, politics, history, literature and cinema. You'll specialise in Linguistics and explore the structure, use and psychology of both languages. You'll also spend a year abroad in a German- or Spanish-speaking country.

Following our unique system of language development, you’ll start at a level that matches your ability in both German and Spanish. This means we can personalise your learning and you'll make the most rapid progress at each stage of the course.

In Linguistics, you'll study the nature of speech, the structure of language, phonetics, how languages are learnt and their social context.

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

The third year is spent in a Spanish- or German-speaking country, giving you the opportunity to enhance your linguistic and cultural proficiency. You could choose to spend a year in Spanish-speaking Latin America, Spain, Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

Discover the cultural heritage industry on this master’s degree at the University of Southampton. Gain the knowledge and skills to specialise in an area relevant to your interests. You’ll graduate from this MA with the expertise for a successful career in the sector, or for further study at PhD level.

This UK master’s degree in cultural heritage studies will give you key knowledge of both land-based and maritime heritage. It covers everything from art, film and literature to the built environment and archaeological remains.

You’ll gain essential experience through field trips, meeting industry practitioners, and the chance to apply for a work placement with one of our heritage partners.

When you apply we'll ask you to choose one of the following pathways:

• cultural heritage: study the main issues and debates around the subject, including legal and ethical issues, and how heritage is managed and presented
• heritage and museums: gain a behind-the-scenes insight into how museums communicate the past, drawing on our links with museum and heritage partners
• heritage and public history: gain a specialist insight into the ways history is presented to non-academic audiences
• heritage and the arts: develop specialist practical skills in communicating in different genres and platforms in publishing, broadcasting, heritage management, and arts curation

The course content will vary depending on the pathway you study, but modules covering essential aspects of the subject are common to all pathways.  

There is plenty of flexibility within the pathways themselves, allowing you to build the skillset that best suits your chosen career path.

Enhance your knowledge of history and literature in English by studying them together on this English and History degree. You could study the novels of Jane Austen alongside the history of the naval wars at the time she wrote. Or, you could study African literature to gain a different perspective on the history of the modern city.

History at Southampton covers the ancient world to the present day. Our English modules explore writing from around the world and its connection to politics, the arts, identity and more.

With our advice you can shape your degree to suit your own development. For example, you can:

• Learn to write screenplays
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take several modules on the history and literature of oceans

Your studies will include critical analysis, presentations and group work. These will help you develop your conceptual thinking, communication and research skills.

As part of this course you can:

• Join one of 40 student-led performing arts groups
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Access a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Learn a modern language at any level
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

You can deepen your links to our History community by:

• Joining the dynamic, student-run History Society
• Use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive

Become a highly proficient linguist in French, German and Chinese on this 4 year Modern Languages degree. You'll develop a strong understanding of the cultures and societies you study by spending a year abroad, before graduating prepared for professions in which these languages are a key requirement.

This programme will immerse you in international experiences. This is our broadest range of languages offered, and will prepare you to communicate and work in a range of diverse and multilingual contexts.

You will:

• Become highly proficient in French, German and Chinese
• Develop your knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the cultures and societies you study, enabling you to ‘read’ and interpret different cultural traditions
• Get to know foreign cultures first hand by spending a year abroad, either as a student or in a work placement
• Develop a range of communicative and intercultural competencies, as well as analytical, research and personal skills

Knowing a range of languages opens up many opportunities in today's globally interconnected economy. French is native to France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the French Caribbean, and it’s an official language in much of Africa and Asia.

German has around 95 million speakers, and is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also comes first in terms of first-language speakers in the European Union and the EU.

Chinese itself is spoken by a quarter of the world’s population, and both a command of the language and an understanding of cultural traditions can help set you apart in the context of global business.

This programme complements your language learning with modules on:

• History and contemporary society
• Literature and film
• Ethnography and anthropology
• Linguistic studies

You can choose to combine these areas of study for a broad-based curriculum or focus on the area that interests you most.

Learn the history and theory of film and gain a global perspective on cinema on this MA Film Studies master's degree at the University of Southampton. On this course you’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the most influential theories and approaches to understanding film. You’ll also find out about the latest debates and concerns around the industry.

This MA in film studies will give you the chance to examine the evolution of cinema and develop your own analytical skills.

You’ll gain valuable insights into the movie industry, looking at everything from film theory to current issues in film distribution.

You'll also benefit from:

• Being taught by expert academics with an international reputation  
• Regular talks from industry professionals and acclaimed film scholars
• A flexible approach that allows you to pursue your own areas of interest

With the practical and theoretical skills you learn, you’ll be in a great position to move into a career in the arts or media.

Southampton is ranked 3rd in the UK for film in the Guardian University Guide 2020.

From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation. You'll gain an understanding of how human societies came into being, how and why they changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today. In your final year, you'll develop in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific area of archaeology.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. This integrated undergraduate and master's degree will teach you the many methods and techniques we use to find, excavate and investigate historical sites and materials.

During your master's in archaeology, you'll learn how to handle, describe and interpret archaeological objects and data. As you become more confident, you'll recognise and interpret your finds in the field and carry out advanced archaeological techniques.

The undergraduate grounding (following the framework of the BA in Archaeology) will give you a foundation in archaeology. The final postgraduate archaeology year enables you to develop your own interests in specialist fields so that you can target the career path you want to follow. For example, you could choose to explore the archaeologist profession in commercial archaeology or the museums and heritage sector.

This master's degree in archaeology is flexible so you can choose your own path. You'll have options to focus on areas like:

• Museums and heritage management
• Studying human and animal bones
• Environmental impact assessment
• Maritime archaeology

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive the practical training needed for a career in professional archaeology.

Postgraduate archaeology courses teach a wide range of transferable skills such as:

• Evidence-based reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Project management

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

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

On this joint BA Philosophy and Music degree, you’ll engage with some of the biggest questions in Western philosophy while developing advanced skills in musical performance, composition and analysis. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of both subjects, and have the freedom to pursue your own interests through optional modules covering topics as varied as existentialism, studio techniques and 19th century Italian opera. You'll also get to spend a placement year abroad.

This degree will give you an excellent education in philosophy and music. In your degree you can:

• Develop an understanding of philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Apply philosophical thought to language, morality, sex and other important aspects of life
• Explore a range of music from European music in the Renaissance and Baroque periods right through the the music of the 20th century and global hip hop
• Understand the principles of Western tonal music, including harmony and counterpoint
• Learn how to write and present dissertations and research

You’ll be taught in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment, and benefit from the expertise of both visiting performers and academic staff whose researches feed directly into the course content.

You can also improve your musical skills and performance through:

• Workshops with professional performers
• Submitting original compositions
• Managing the administration of public music events

You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules.