English Literature and Politics

English literature and politics is a pairing that makes genuine intellectual sense, because both are disciplines concerned, at their deepest level, with power: who has it, how it is exercised, and how it is resisted, represented, and contested through language. Literature explores those questions through narrative, poetry, and drama, creating imaginative worlds that illuminate the political realities of the societies that produced them. Politics examines them directly, through the study of institutions, ideologies, elections, and the theory and practice of government.

Together, these disciplines develop an unusually rich and multi-layered understanding of how societies are organised and what they produce.

At Liverpool Hope University, you will study English literature and politics over three years full-time, combining critical engagement with literary texts from a wide range of periods and traditions with the analytical study of political systems, ideas, and contemporary political life. Liverpool's thriving cultural scene, including its literary festivals, independent bookshops, and cultural institutions, provides a stimulating context for literary study. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement provision, giving you professional experience and international exposure before you graduate.

The typical entry tariff is 88 UCAS points.

Graduates of English and politics programmes are sought after across a wide range of careers. Journalism, the civil service, public affairs and lobbying, policy analysis, teaching, publishing, law, NGO and charity work, and academic research are all common destinations. The combination of close reading, clear writing, and political analysis is particularly valuable in roles concerned with communication, policy, and public life.

Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in politics, English, journalism, or related fields.