Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

At Southampton, English is an interdisciplinary course. You’ll see how literature connects with areas such as film, science, performance and politics. You can study everything from medieval travellers’ tales to modern fictions of globalisation.

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

• Write avant-garde poetry
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take a range of modules on women writers

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
• Use 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’ll have the opportunity to study abroad, spending a semester, a summer or even a full year at one of our global partner universities.

Explore postcolonialism and world literature with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton.

Our course gives you the chance to specialise in postcolonial and world literary culture, covering topics such as:

• Legacies of colonialism and imperialism
• Aftermath of decolonisation
• Relationship between gender and nationalism
• Fault lines in postcolonial national narratives

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

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries.

This pathway is linked to the Southampton Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies. This group brings together academics, writers and research students to explore the practices, experiences and legacies of imperial power in a global setting, from the early-modern period to the present. The centre also hosts events including seminars, workshops and conferences.

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

Learn how we make sense of past events, ideas and problems with this dual honours modern history and politics degree. You'll understand how society organises itself and makes decisions. You’ll study contemporary issues such as international security, migration and globalisation. The skills you gain will prepare you for a wide range of career options.

Modern History at Southampton challenges you to critically interpret histories of societies. The study of politics encourages you to explore people’s organisation and behaviour.

On this course you can:

• Study the modern history of an extraordinary range of places, from Western Europe and the Americas, to Africa and South Asia
• Learn about rare artefacts from the University’s own collections, as well as take part in guided visits to other museums and galleries
• Learn about democracy, the modern state, comparative politics and international relations
• Spend time at a university abroad in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia

With this degree, you’ll develop strong language skills in both German and Spanish and gain a comprehensive understanding of both cultures. You’ll also spend a year living and working abroad, building your fluency and boosting your employment prospects.

Using our language development system, we’ll make sure you start at a level that matches your ability in German and Spanish. This means you can start one of these languages from scratch. You’ll make rapid progress in both languages through this personalised approach.

You'll use our dedicated Centre of Language Study at Avenue campus. The Centre includes dedicated German and Spanish resources rooms, two language laboratories and an extensive multi-media collection.

You’ll have the freedom to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. You could, for instance, take a third language, take modules from other subject areas, or explore more about German and Spanish linguistics, history and culture.

In your year abroad you can choose to:

• Work as an English assistant in a school
• Study at a university
• Take a work placement

You could choose to go to Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Latin America - we have links in Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

Explore how our ancestors engaged with the world, and gain a fascinating insight into what it means to be human. Studying archaeology and anthropology combines aspects of the humanities and the sciences. You'll study global human diversity in time and space, in a truly interdisciplinary way. Along with studying the theoretical background, you'll do fieldwork as part of an active research project in the UK or abroad.

Our BA Archaeology and Anthropology degree gives teaches you how human societies came into being, how they have changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today.

This degree integrates the disciplines of archaeology (the study of the human past through its material remains) and anthropology, which is made up of:

• Social anthropology (exploring how people in different places create meaning and build communities)
• Anthropological linguistics (the study of humans through the languages they use)
• Biological anthropology (looking at the physiological and genetic diversity in present and past human and primate societies)

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

Our archaeology and anthropology degree courses give you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.

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.

Study film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record with our Film Studies degree. Immerse yourself in the subject, from the earliest projected images to the present day. Learn how to view Hollywood blockbusters, European and world cinema with a critical eye.

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

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

You’ll deepen your understanding and enjoyment of film and develop your critical thinking as part of a lively community.

You can choose to spend a semester or a summer abroad at one of our partner universities, including: South Korea, Sweden, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic.

You can also hone your filmmaking skills with our student-led filmmaking, TV and radio societies. They offer training and equipment to help you try out directing, producing, scriptwriting, sound or camera work.

As part of this film degree you can:

• explore British, European and world cinema
• discover early film through archive visits
• use our extensive library resources, including over 5,800 films from around the world
• take modules from other courses, such as English, history and music
• volunteer at a cinema to develop new skills, such as team leading, projection and digital design
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival

We offer a 4-week summer school at Dongguk University in Seoul. This includes film and cultural orientation courses.

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

If you have a passion for literature, music and experiencing new ideas, this English and Music degree with year abroad is for you. We'll introduce you to a wide range of texts, topics and musical styles and help you explore the many, deep connections between English and Music. A year overseas will enhance your studies and let you experience a new culture.

Our English modules cover writing from around the world and its connection to politics, the arts, identity and more.

In Music, you can study everything from Italian opera to global hip hop, while developing your own musical practice.

With our advice, you can shape your degree to suit your own development. For example, you might learn about the literature of the Harlem Renaissance, while exploring jazz theory in Music.

Our year abroad partner universities in Europe include:

• Barcelona
• Prague
• Frankfurt
• Lausanne

You can also choose universities outside Europe, including:

• The United States
• Canada
• Australia
• South Korea

Your lectures will be in English but you will have opportunities to develop your language 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
• Use a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

To explore your passion for Music you can:

• Attend an extensive series of professional concerts and workshops in our acclaimed Turner Sims concert hall
• Join a band, orchestra or choir and take part in a thriving local music scene

Learn 2 major international languages and study abroad for a year to get complete proficiency with our French and Portuguese degree. You’ll complement your language learning with modules covering the history, society, culture and linguistics for French and Portuguese-speaking countries.

You’ll start at a level that matches your ability in spoken and written French and Portuguese, which will help you to progress quickly. You’ll also have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

You can study Portuguese in accelerated mode, letting you reach graduate level competence over 4 years.

A special module in year 2 will make sure you’re ready for working and studying abroad in year 3. You can spend the year in countries such as:

• France
• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

We have partner universities in the Erasmus exchange programme across France, Germany and Switzerland.

You’ll also have the opportunity to prepare a final year dissertation with guidance from a supervisor.

Discover how human civilisations evolved, and why people and societies have changed over time. Through the latest techniques and technologies, you'll investigate how our ancestors lived, from the earliest human origins, to Neolithic Britain and Ancient Egypt. On BSc Archaeology you could look into climate change at the end of the last ice age or what the chemical composition of human bones can tell us about diet during the medieval period.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains, such as:

• Buildings
• Monuments
• Artefacts
• Biological remains
• Written sources
• Landscape

Whether in the laboratory or on a dig, you'll develop transferable skills by exploring questions about people in the past and in the present.

On this archaeology BSc, you'll focus on scientific methods and techniques, with options including:

• Studying human and animal bones     
• Physics and chemistry of archaeological material
• Laboratory techniques for dating
• Maritime archaeology

You'll learn through research-led projects and practical field experience. You'll do a minimum of 3 weeks’ fieldwork as part of an active research project. This could include:

• Excavating archaeological sites
• Recording a standing building
• Conducting geophysical surveys
• Collecting archaeological material from ploughed fields

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

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.