History of Art and Literature with a Placement Year

History of Art and Literature is a degree that examines two of the most significant domains of human creative expression, the visual arts and written literature, asking not only how works are made and what they mean but how the relationship between visual and textual culture has shaped the way we understand the world. Art history investigates how art has been created, displayed, and interpreted across different periods and cultures, from ancient cave paintings to contemporary installations. Literature extends those questions into the realm of written language, examining how texts construct meaning, reflect their historical moment, and shape the experience of their readers.

At the University of East Anglia, this four-year, full-time degree with a placement year is based in the iconic Sainsbury Centre, situating your study of art history in a world-renowned museum environment that provides direct access to significant works. You will examine how art has been created, displayed, and interpreted from prehistory to the present, developing close looking skills and the analytical vocabulary to discuss visual objects with precision and depth. The literary component develops analogous skills in reading closely and writing well about complex and demanding texts.

The placement year connects your academic study to professional contexts in the arts, cultural sector, and beyond.

Graduates of this combination work in museums and galleries, auction houses, arts journalism, heritage management, publishing, arts administration, education, and the cultural sector more broadly. The combination of visual literacy, literary analysis, and critical writing skills is valued across many professional contexts. Postgraduate study in art history, museum studies, literature, or cultural studies provides routes to more specialised roles.