Bachelor of Arts in English

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Explore the processes that lie beneath social change and the ideas and ideals that drive them. On this joint BA Philosophy and Sociology course you'll gain a grounding in the twin disciplines of philosophy and sociology, while having the freedom to pursue your own interests in greater depth. Optional topics cover everything from gender and human rights to criminal justice and the philosophy of religion.

This degree will give you an excellent education in philosophy and sociology. In your degree you can:

• Get to grips with philosophical topics such as the mind, the nature of knowledge and ethical thought
• Explore an array of topics in sociology, including criminology, criminal justice, social issues and how societies change
• Apply philosophical thought to language, morality, politics, sex, and other important aspects of life
• Develop knowledge and skills in research methods, both qualitative and quantitative
• Gain experience in doing research and writing dissertations

You'll be taught in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment, and benefit from the expertise of academic staff whose research feeds directly into the course content.

You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules. These include topics such as social enterprise, risk management, and living and working on the web.

Learn about the history and structure of English, and its use in different societies. Explore its development and the linguistic science behind it. You'll spend a year studying at a partner university abroad to experience a new culture and develop your skills. You can also choose from a wide range of modules that follow your interests and career goals.

This course will give you an advanced knowledge of contemporary English, its development, systems and use around the world. You'll learn analytical, research and personal skills relevant to a range of careers.

You'll spend your third year studying at a partner university in countries such as:

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• New Zealand
• South Korea
• Czech Republic
• Canada
• Switzerland

You’ll take a range of modules on topics including:

• Applied linguistics
• Psycholinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Language teaching
• English around the world

You can also study a foreign language and take modules in related disciplines, such as philosophy and film.

As part of this course you can:

• Choose an area that interests you for your dissertation topic
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Access a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events

This course will give you training and expertise that are of special interest to many employers. It provides the knowledge and skills to follow a wide range of careers.

Build the skills you need for a career in archaeological research or the heritage industry with this flexible archaeology master’s. You’ll gain practical experience and benefit from our close ties with museums and organisations involved in commercial archaeology, heritage management and fieldwork.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019)

With this MSc in Archaeology you can personalise your studies to areas that interest you, without having to specialise in a particular area. We bring expertise together from across the University, including the National Oceanography Centre, Humanities, Medicine, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.

This master's in archaeology enables you to develop your skills in a practical way, whilst learning from theoretical and period-based insights. You’ll have full access to a wide range of dedicated facilities and specialist teachers.

These include:

• A dedicated library
• A large collection of stone tools and hominin skulls
• Specialist isotope labs and a scanning, imaging and micro-CT suite
• An extensive collection of human and animal skeletons

We have relationships with a number of leading heritage institutions and companies. You’ll have the opportunity to spend 4 weeks on placement with one of these institutions, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

In addition to your vocational training, you'll develop advanced research skills. When you write your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to undertake original research on a topic that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the globe.

We offer 4 pathways on our MSc Archaeology degree. If you’re not sure which area of archaeology you want to specialise in, then this general pathway gives you the chance to explore a number of different areas.

Your other Archaeology MSc pathway options are:

• Archaeology Bioarchaeology - Gain specialist skills in human anatomy and faunal analysis to make sense of the past. Benefit from dedicated archaeology laboratories and specialist research.
• Archaeology Higher Archaeological Practice - Discover our Archaeological Practice master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn how to get a job in archaeology and commercial archaeology.
• Archaeology Palaeoanthropology - Discover our Palaeoanthropology master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn to analyse stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolution.

Explore postcolonialism and world literature with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton.

Our course gives you the chance to specialise in postcolonial and world literary culture, covering topics such as:

• Legacies of colonialism and imperialism
• Aftermath of decolonisation
• Relationship between gender and nationalism
• Fault lines in postcolonial national narratives

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for a career in teaching, librarianship, museums and galleries, publishing or heritage.

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries.

This pathway is linked to the Southampton Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies. This group brings together academics, writers and research students to explore the practices, experiences and legacies of imperial power in a global setting, from the early-modern period to the present. The centre also hosts events including seminars, workshops and conferences.

We offer a flexible module structure which is designed to give you an advanced understanding of cultural analysis, textual interpretation and theoretical method.

You’ll explore the interrelations of text, theory and culture across the field of English literary and cultural studies. We’ll work with you to:

• develop your knowledge of critical and research methods
• raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature in various periods
• explore the role of literature in a contested cultural framework

Improve your knowledge of history and literature in English by studying them together. You could read fiction from Africa to help you understand European political history. You could gain new insights into the reign of James I by immersing yourself in the theatre of his time. A year abroad will enhance your studies and let you experience a new culture.

History at Southampton covers the ancient world to the present day. Our English modules explore writing from around the world and its connection to politics, the arts, identity and more.

With our advice, you can shape your degree to suit your own development. For example, you can:

• Learn to write screenplays
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take several modules on the history and literature of oceans

Your studies will include critical analysis, presentations and group work. These will help you develop your conceptual thinking, communication and research skills.

You can take modules that support your year abroad, such as a modern language or European politics.

Our year abroad partner universities in Europe include:

• Barcelona
• Prague
• Frankfurt
• Lausanne

You can also choose universities outside Europe, including locations in:

• The United States
• Canada
• Australia
• South Korea

As part of this course you can:

• Join one of 40 student-led performing arts groups
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Use a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

You can deepen your links to our History community by:

• Joining the dynamic, student-run History Society
• Use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive

Enhance your skills with a master's in creative writing at the University of Southampton. This programme challenges you to cross boundaries and become an expert in 5 areas of contemporary writing:

• Fiction
• Scriptwriting
• Creative non-fiction
• Writing for young people
• Poetry

You’ll also be able to tap into the University’s rich resources in theatre, music, art, and the sciences. On completion of your degree, you’ll be ready for careers in publishing and arts administration.

Our Master of Arts in Creative Writing is a stimulating course which will prepare you to be a professional writer. You’ll have opportunities to publish and edit an anthology, take part in a literary festival, and pursue creative collaborations with everyone from scientists to visiting actors. Your fellow students will come from all over the world and bring with them a wide range of experiences and writing traditions.

You'll be taught by practicing writers, focusing on your own creative writing as well as studying contemporary work. Your lecturers will include four-time novelist Rebecca Smith, award-winning fiction writer and Washington Post freelancer Carole Burns, experimental poet Sarah Hayden, and the highly acclaimed non-fiction writer Philip Hoare.

You'll study with faculty staff and students from countries all over the world, including India, Columbia, Pakistan, Iceland, the USA, Nigeria, and of course the UK. This gives the programme an international focus, and will expose you to a wide range of experiences and writing traditions.

You can take part in a lively programme of literary events, including our own 'Writers in Conversation' reading series. We hold this event 3 times each semester, featuring authors such as Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, American writer Gish Jen, and BBC scriptwriter Stephen M. Thompson. We'll also encourage you to take advantage of the University's rich arts environment, including the on-campus Turner Sims Concert Hall and affiliation with Southampton's John Hansard Gallery.

Our Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing also hosts regular events, readings, and conferences. Recent visitors to the centre include Caroline Bergvall, Lavinia Greenlaw and Amitav Ghosh.

We’ll provide you with a supportive environment in which to learn, grow and develop your writing skills, and help you think deeply and critically about your work. You can specialise in topics that interest you, and choose from a wide variety of optional modules offered by the School of Humanities.

This joint honours history and archaeology degree offers you plenty of hands-on experience. You'll take part in at least 3 weeks of fieldwork in the UK or overseas. You'll explore and understand a range of periods, from the dawn of human history to the Cold War and 17th century witchcraft trials.

Archaeology looks at the past through the study of physical remains, including buildings, artefacts and the landscape itself. History draws on written and oral sources.

This historical archaeology degree will give you in-depth knowledge of both subjects, and develop your understanding of earlier human societies. You'll learn how to use and understand historical sources. You'll also learn how to identify and excavate archaeological sites, extracting as much information as possible from materials and records.

This course includes a wide variety of optional modules, covering subjects such as:

• American slavery
• Women's history in modern Britain
• Apocalyptic visions of history
• The French Revolution
• Human origins
• Landscapes and seascapes
• Emergence of civilisation

As part of this BA in history and archaeology you can choose to:

• Study abroad for a year or a semester
• Take a minor subject in a different subject area

You'll develop valuable skills for any future career, including:

• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Project management

From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation. You'll gain an understanding of how human societies came into being, how and why they changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today. In your final year, you'll develop in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific area of archaeology.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. This integrated undergraduate and master's degree will teach you the many methods and techniques we use to find, excavate and investigate historical sites and materials.

During your master's in archaeology, you'll learn how to handle, describe and interpret archaeological objects and data. As you become more confident, you'll recognise and interpret your finds in the field and carry out advanced archaeological techniques.

The undergraduate grounding (following the framework of the BA in Archaeology) will give you a foundation in archaeology. The final postgraduate archaeology year enables you to develop your own interests in specialist fields so that you can target the career path you want to follow. For example, you could choose to explore the archaeologist profession in commercial archaeology or the museums and heritage sector.

This master's degree in archaeology is flexible so you can choose your own path. You'll have options to focus on areas like:

• Museums and heritage management
• Studying human and animal bones
• Environmental impact assessment
• Maritime archaeology

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive the practical training needed for a career in professional archaeology.

Postgraduate archaeology courses teach a wide range of transferable skills such as:

• Evidence-based reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Project management

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

On this joint honours course, you'll gain an in-depth understanding of human welfare and social justice, political ideals and economic realities. You'll study economics and philosophy while broadening your degree through a wide range of optional modules. The critical, logical and imaginative skills you'll develop are sought after by a wide range of employers.

Your A level results will determine which core or compulsory modules you'll need to take.

In your BA Economics and Philosophy degree you can:

• Develop an understanding of philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Study broad principles in economics and develop knowledge in your own specialist area, for example, principles of finance, labour economics or econometrics
• Develop research and presentation skills  
• Gain the practical knowledge and skills needed to find employment and build a career as an economist

You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology. You can study a language or choose from a range of cross-disciplinary modules.

You'll graduate as a confident, curious and independent self-starter, equipped with the skills for a successful career.

Build on your desire to explore the past, encounter diverse societies and learn how to understand them with a History degree at Southampton. You'll graduate with transferable skills you can take into a variety of careers.

Historians embrace the challenge of understanding a different world and meeting it on its own terms. We trace continuities and explain change, finding new perspectives to make sense of the evidence.

At Southampton, we're committed to the mission of exploring the past. As world-class researchers, we work to generate new knowledge about human societies, from the era of Greek antiquity to the recent 'war on terror'. As your teachers, we'll give you the skills to navigate these worlds and guide you along the way. By the end of your time with us, you'll be able to pioneer your own trails with confidence.

You can study a vast range of history with us, across many time periods (from Cleopatra, to the Nazis, to drones in the 21st Century), places (Britain, Europe, America, Russia, Africa, Asia, and even the moon) and perspectives. You'll learn new things about familiar subjects, as well as exploring the history of a society or culture that is entirely new to you.

To help with your learning, you'll have access to:

• over 100 modules
• document collections, including the Wellington, Palmerston and Mountbatten papers, and the Parkes archive - one of the largest Jewish documentation centres in Europe
• leading experts through our visiting lecture and seminar programme

Throughout your degree, you'll build skills in research and communication that will open a wide variety of career options to you. Our BA History degree programmes will challenge you to rethink the stories we tell about the past, while creating a passport for your future.