Archaeology/English Literature

Archaeology and English literature is a combination that brings together two disciplines with a shared concern for interpretation: both require you to work closely with evidence, whether material or textual, to build an understanding of how people in the past experienced and made sense of their worlds. Archaeology is the study of how people in the past interacted with their world through objects, sites, monuments and landscapes, recovering and interpreting the physical traces of human activity from the earliest prehistory to the recent past. English literature develops the skills to read, analyse and write about written texts across different periods, genres and national traditions, tracing how language and narrative have shaped and been shaped by the societies that produced them.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad and develops your expertise in both disciplines within one of the UK's leading research universities. Archaeology at Glasgow draws on a strong tradition of fieldwork and material culture analysis, giving you hands-on experience alongside theoretical understanding of the discipline. English literature modules engage you with texts from early modern to postmodern periods, across British and world literatures, with attention to critical theory and the relationship between literature and other arts, media and science.

The year abroad gives you the opportunity to pursue both disciplines in a different academic and cultural environment.

Graduates from this combination go on to careers in heritage and museum work, archaeological fieldwork, conservation, archiving, library work, education, journalism, publishing, cultural policy and research. The ability to work with both physical evidence and written texts is valued in heritage contexts, academic research and the broader cultural sector. Further study at postgraduate level in archaeology, English literature, heritage studies, museum studies or a related field is a common next step for those who want to pursue specialist or academic careers.