English Literature/History

English literature and history is a combination that connects two disciplines which, taken together, offer one of the richest possible educations in human experience. English literature trains close reading, the analysis of language and form, and the interpretive engagement with texts that both reflect and shape the cultures that produce them. History develops the ability to read evidence critically, to construct arguments from primary and secondary sources, and to understand how the past was experienced and how it continues to bear on the present.

Each discipline enriches the other: literature offers the historian a window into the inner lives and cultural assumptions of past societies, while history gives the literary scholar the contextual understanding needed to read texts fully.

At Glasgow, this four-year degree allows you to explore the full range of literature in English from early modern to postmodern periods, drawing on the university's expertise in American, Irish, and postcolonial literatures, critical theory, creative writing, and the relationship between literature and other arts, media, and sciences. History modules will span periods and geographies, developing your ability to handle a wide range of historical evidence and to write clearly and argumentatively about complex historical questions. The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and to bring a comparative perspective to both fields.

Glasgow's research-active faculty in both English and history ensures that your teaching is connected to the most current work in each discipline.

Graduates of English literature and history move into careers across an exceptional range of fields. Publishing, journalism, education, the civil service, law, arts administration, heritage, and the creative industries all draw on the analytical, written, and interpretive skills this degree develops. The combination of historical depth and literary sensibility is valued in any profession that requires sophisticated engagement with texts and ideas.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in literature, history, creative writing, or journalism, while others move directly into careers where the skills they have developed make them effective, adaptable, and genuinely distinctive candidates.