Art History and English BA

Course overview

Literature has long been a key influence on themes and narratives in art production. This wide-ranging and varied course combines the study of visual arts in Europe and North America with the opportunity to study English language, literature and drama from old English to the present day. Art history requires visual awareness and understanding, which enhances the literary and historical focus of English and vice versa.

Your modules might include: Introduction to Art History; Shakespeare and Jonson; American Realist Art; Playwriting; The Courts of Northern Italy; and English language, literature, drama and medieval studies modules.

Year one 

Year one is a qualifying year, which means that you must pass it, but the results do not count towards your final degree. You gain familiarity with the practices of working at degree level and gain an understanding of the different ways in which historical material can be used. In English, you have a choice of three core modules from the areas of English language, modern English literature, medieval studies and drama.

Year two

The second year of the degree (also referred to as Part I) is weighted at 40% of the final assessment. You will demonstrate a greater assurance of working at degree level and direct aspects of your study with some measure of independence. In English, you will choose core modules to develop your studies in at least two areas of the discipline. You will also have the opportunity to choose one literary period option, to explore how and why literature can be read in terms of an historical 'age' or 'epoch'.

Year three

The final year of the degree (also referred to as Part II) is weighted at 60% of the overall assessment. At the end of year three, you are expected to demonstrate an efficient use of scholarly apparatus, to take initiative in your work and have some independence of judgement. In English, you choose from a wide range of modules, specialising in key areas of the subject. You have the same range of final-year options in English as single honours students.

More information

See also the School of English Studies.

Entry requirements

A levels: ABB, including A in English at A level

More information 

IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)

TOEFL iBT 100 (no less than 21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking)

Alternative qualifications

For details please see alternative qualifications page 

Modules

The modules we offer are inspired by the research interests of our staff and as a result, may change from year to year. The following list is therefore subject to change but should give you a flavour of the modules we offer.

Typical year-one modules

• Introduction to Art History I
• Introduction to Art History II

Typical year-two modules

Please see Optional Modules or contact the Department of Art History for more information.

Year three

• Dissertation

Please see Optional Modules or contact the Department of Art History for more information.

Typical optional modules

• Creative Writing in a Contemporary Context
• Art after Conceptual Art
• The Politics of Display (Level Three)
• The Painting of Modern Life in 19th-century France (level three)
• From the Bastille to the Eiffel Tower: A Cultural and Architectural History of Paris 1789-1889 (level three)
• Rome Museum City (Level Three)
• Images of the City: Renaissance Venice and its Visual Identity, c1450-1570
• Twentieth Century Plays
• Rural and Provincial Writing
• Riotous Performance

Skills and careers

On graduation, you will be able to demonstrate an efficient use of scholarly apparatus and take initiative in your work, and you will have some independence of judgement. You will have acquired a basic knowledge of modern English linguistic and literary studies, including an understanding of either the area of drama or Old English, and will have knowledge of the linguistic, literary, cultural and historical contexts in which literature is written and read. You will also have knowledge and understanding of the role of the visual in past and contemporary societies and cultures.

Average starting salary 

The average starting salary for 2009/2010 full-time graduates of the Department of Art History was £16,297.31 and for the graduates of the School of English it was £19,703.70.*

*Average starting salary from known destinations of first-degree leavers who studied full-time, 2009/10.