English and Philosophy

Combining your English and philosophy studies gives you a very wide range of modules to choose from.

You can study the history of English literature from the medieval period right up to the present day.

You have the option of studying anything from Shakespeare to science fiction, Romantic poetry to contemporary poetry, creative writing to visual culture, or Victorian novels to Hollywood films.

We start by covering topics such as how to analyse a poem and how to read a novel as a literary critic, moving on to historical surveys of literature. We then explore in more detail many of the periods, movements and topics previously covered.

Philosophy explores our existence using critical thinking and argument. We specialise in continental (European) philosophy and teach key texts from the European tradition.

We help you look at how philosophy is important to real-world concerns and contemporary issues by:

• exploring films and artwork

• discussing important scientific and technological developments

• debating controversial ethical issues

• looking at how texts written three hundred years ago can be relevant to political situations today

At Levels 1 and 2 you will receive a grounding in ancient and modern philosophy and be introduced to fundamental ideas concerning ethics, epistemology (the nature of knowledge), and metaphysics (the nature of reality). You then specialise in Levels 3 and 4 in areas that suit your own interests.