Explore an extensive range of modules across two departments. In English, you’ll choose options covering all periods of literature from ancient classics to the present day, and explore literature from around the globe. You can also choose from options in film and creative writing. In politics, you’ll explore the principles of power, and learn to think politically about some of today's most pressing issues, such as poverty, debt, conflict and environmental change. Across the two subjects, you’ll be able to tailor your degree to your own interests.

Take an interdisciplinary view. You’ll bring your two subjects into dialogue with one another on Politics and the Novel, our bridge module designed for students on the English Literature and Politics degree. This module acts as a springboard to the English and Politics Bridge Dissertation, allowing you to develop a topic that draws on the research and analysis skills developed on both sides of your degree.

Flexibility to add a Placement Year or Year Abroad. You’d then graduate with a BA in English Literature and Politics (with Placement Year) or BA in English Literature and Politics (with Year Abroad). Whether you’re interested in gaining experience in a particular industry or looking to expand your horizons by studying in another country, we’ll support you in exploring the options available to you.

Gain valuable skills that will set you up for a range of careers. You’ll develop your own research projects that address different briefs, learning to think critically, analyse texts, and develop persuasive arguments. Our Careers and Employability Coordinators will help you to think about these skills in relation to employability and to navigate the resources and opportunities available, including internships, a placement year, and more. We regularly advertise careers events by industry experts.

Research excellence

The Department of English and the Department of Politics and International Relations are top ten research departments according to the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021).

Distinguished visiting speakers

Both departments host speaker series where high-profile academics, campaigners, journalists, politicians, and writers share their experience, insights, and informed research.

Taught by experts

The Department of Politics and International Relations staff advise governments on a wide range of issues and contribute to news, media, and current affairs programmes globally. English courses are designed and taught by world experts who are at the forefront of current research.

English and Politics at the University of York are fascinating and exciting subjects, with non-stop events and socials happening all year round. I’ve really enjoyed my time here studying, and feel I will leave wider knowledge, experiences and friendships.

Emily, English and Politics.

You’ll cover an extraordinary range of literature and politics in this degree, from the classical era to the 21st century and from around the world. The degree is distinguished by opportunities to bring the two subjects into dialogue on our dedicated Politics and the Novel module, and through the bridge dissertation.

In the first year of your degree, we’ll introduce you to the undergraduate study of English and Politics. Our modules will give you the skills you need to start undertaking literary and political research, and advice on how to combine the two disciplines.

Core modules

We’ll introduce you to an exciting range of texts and critical approaches in your first year to lay the foundation for your degree. You’ll develop your knowledge of literary history by studying works from the medieval, Renaissance, early modern, 18th century, Romantic, Victorian, and modern periods. Reading Now will introduce you to the necessary skills for the study of literature at university level.

Writing Modernity

Other Worlds

Reading Now

Politics

Core module

Political Analysis

Option modules

You will study two option modules. Examples can be found below.

Introduction to Global Politics

Introduction to Political Theory

York Policy Lab

Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.

This module will:

define academic integrity and academic misconduct

provide interactive exercises to help you to assess whether you've understood the concepts

provide answers to FAQs and links to useful resources.

In the second year of your degree, you’ll take our exciting bridge module, Politics and the Novel, designed specifically for English/Politics students. You will also choose five from a wide range of option modules in the English and Politics departments.

Politics and the Novel

Intermediate Option Modules

Our Intermediate Option Modules allow you to deepen your understanding of the relationship between literary works and the cultural, historical, and political contexts in which they were produced.

The Shock of the New: Medieval Literature

The Renaissance

Inventing Britain, 1700-1830

Making the Modern: Global Literature in the Victorian Age

Age of Extremes: Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature

American Literature: From the First World War to the End of Empire

Creative Writing: Contemporary Practice

World Literature Modules

Our World Literature Modules invite you to engage with questions of language, translation, and cultural difference in ways that equip you with important skills in linguistic analysis and description. Some examples include:

African Imaginations and Afrophone Literatures

Against the Grain: European New Cinema

Eros: The Literature and Philosophy of Love

French Autofictions

Introduction to Greek and Roman Literature

Modern French and Francophone Literature

Modern Latin American Literature

Medieval Arabic and Persian Global Literature

Old Norse Literature

Post-War Italian Cinema

The World of Beowulf

Community Engaged Learning

You can also choose to take our community engaged learning module. You'll work on a team project with a local organisation, making direct use of your distinct disciplinary skills such as analysis, research, and communication.

Beyond the Book: Community Projects

Examples may include:

Semester One

Things Fall Apart

Politics of Development

European Union Politics

War and Peace

IR Theory and Planet Politics

Theories of the State

Semester Two

The Politics of Gender

Politics in the United Kingdom

The Rising Powers

Human Rights and Wrongs

Research Design

Elective modules

You may be able to replace one option module with an elective module, studying a complementary subject, a language or an interdisciplinary topic.

In the final year of your degree, you'll undertake a bridge dissertation, a year-long research project that brings your two subjects into dialogue with one another. The bridge dissertation is one of the distinctive features of the English/Politics degree at York, and offers you the chance to showcase the research and writing skills you have developed during your degree. Alongside the bridge dissertation, you'll also choose four options modules in the English and Politics departments.

You'll undertake a bridge dissertation module, choosing which department you'd like to supervise you.

Bridge Dissertation with English Supervisor

Bridge Dissertation with Politics Supervisor

In English, you will choose from the department’s Advanced Option Modules. These reflect the wide-ranging and cutting-edge research expertise of the Department, and our options cover literature from the classical period to the twenty-first century, as well as film and creative writing. Students can typically choose from over 30 options. Recent offerings have included:

Black Writers of the Global Nineteenth Century

Borders Bodies Bridges: Migration and Racialisation in Modern Literature and Culture

Crafting the Past: Reimagining the Eighteenth Century

Elemental: Contemporary Indigenous Literatures in English

From Tennyson to Tolkien: The Middle Ages and Modern Literature, 1840-1940

Green Romanticism: Nature, Ecology, Calamity

Modernism's Queer Spaces

Pulp Fictions of Medieval England: Romance and Popular Literature

Spices and Spies: Renaissance Global Travel

The Stuff of Poetry

The Villains of Romantic Gothic

The Writer's Notebook: A Prose Fiction Workshop

Theatre with a Cause

Knowledge and Democracy

Governing the Global Economy

Green Politics

‘We the people’: Ideas of Democratic Representation from Rousseau to Occupy

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.

Study abroad

There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course.

Explore global opportunities

Real-world experiences

Find your edge by gaining practical experience that boosts your employability. Explore diverse opportunities to apply your knowledge and build vital professional skills, such as placements, internships and part-time jobs.

Learning outcomes

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Learning outcomes for this course

Engage, understand and identify the origins, evolution and contemporary dynamics of politics, including being able to apply this knowledge to addressing real world problems in areas like democracy, government, immigration, elections, human rights and the environment.

Read diverse texts, especially literary texts, closely and critically, interpreting them with reference to the period, place, language and tradition in which they were produced and where they have cultural and political impact.

Apply different theoretical perspectives, methods and concepts to aspects of politics and literary studies, as well as the intersection of the two disciplines. This will enable intellectual reasoning and systematic empirical testing to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in politics, and the use of intellectual interpretive methods and critical argumentation skills in literary studies.

Conduct independent interdisciplinary research by: conceiving and operationalising research questions; selecting and justifying the use of appropriate theories and concepts; establishing a suitable corpus of primary texts; gathering and interpreting data; synthesizing second sources; and, arriving at appropriate and justified conclusions.

Lead groups and collaborate with others to achieve collective goals, including via group work and projects, problem-based exercises and presentations.

Write clearly, accurately, and persuasively to a deadline, conveying complex ideas and representing detailed and relevant research.

Explain and demonstrate to academic and other audiences the application of political and literary theory to important international, regional, national and local problems and issues. This will include an ability to communicate the benefits of combining politics and the study of literature via advanced oral communication skills.

Act and communicate as a global citizen by exploring complex political and multicultural contexts. This will include an ability to foster and examine global ethics and cross-cultural dialogue, as well as promote equality, sustainability, cultural sensitivity, inclusivity and ethnic and linguistic diversity.

The fees and funding information here is for students starting in the 2027/28 academic year.

If you take a year abroad or year in industry you'll pay a reduced rate of fees for that year.

Annual tuition fees

UK (home)

International and EU

The UK government has announced its intention to increase tuition fees from £9,790 to £10,050 for the 2027/8 academic year. We expect this to apply to new UK (home) undergraduate students starting their studies in September 2027.

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.

International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Additional costs

You'll need copies of the texts set for each module. Where possible, the Department works to arrange digital copies via the University Library. Where this is not practical, you'll be instructed in advance of the start of each term about the texts and editions you'll need to purchase (whether new or second-hand).

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2027/28 throughout the year.

UK government loans

UK scholarships and bursaries

International scholarships

Country-specific funding

US loans

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

York, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial

Just four UK universities are rated Gold for teaching and top ten for research* in the latest national assessment exercises.

See why York is rated Gold for teaching

Explore our research performance

* Awarded joint 10th in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

In English, you’ll learn through a programme of seminars, lectures, workshops, and one-to-one consultations.

In Politics, you’ll also learn through a combination of seminars, lectures, workshops, and one-to-ones. Our staff are very approachable and our doors are always open.

You can typically expect eight contact hours per week – and sometimes more. There are also numerous opportunities for informal contact.

Our dedicated research informs all our teaching activities.

Our friendly, approachable, and accessible staff are world-leading experts in their fields. They are each available to meet individually with you during two weekly open office hours.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Facilities

Thin Ice Press is the Department of English and Related Literature’s in-house printing studio, whose iron presses chart the evolution of print from 1838-1926. They offer opportunities to experience the relationship between writing and printing practices through publication, practice-led research, teaching, and public workshops.

Teaching location

You will be based in the Department of English and Related Literature and the Department of Politics and International Relations on Campus West.

Your contact hours will be divided between Derwent College, the Spring Lane Building, and other locations nearby on Campus West.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

The Department of English and Related Literature employs a variety of assessment methods, including group projects and open exams, but with a strong emphasis on essay writing. Your main mode of assessment will be essays, which will range from short exploratory exercises to more detailed discussions on a topic of your choice. We offer high levels of feedback and ample opportunities for you to meet with staff to discuss your written work.

Assessment in the Department of Politics and International Relations varies from module to module and includes a combination of exams, written essays, and project work. Your tutors will give you feedback in a variety of forms depending on the specific needs of the module. This may consist of written feedback, in-class discussion, model answers, one-to-one discussions, or online responses.

In your third year, you will bring your two subjects into dialogue in a 7,000-8,000 word bridge dissertation on a topic of your choosing.

Free online courses

Get a taste of university-level study on one of York's free short courses.

Careers and skills

Studying English and Politics at York will provide you with numerous career possibilities. You’ll learn presentation, language, and critical thinking skills during your combined degree, and gain expertise in complex analysis and research. These skills suit a wide range of careers, from law and teaching to national and local government and the creative industries.

Graduate Profiles

Career opportunities

Advertising, marketing, social media, and public relations

Arts administration

Civil and diplomatic services

Film, radio, television, and theatre

Journalism and broadcasting

Librarianship

Member of Parliament

Publishing

Teaching

Transferable skills

Ability to analyse and compare complex texts

Capacity to write clearly and fluently for a variety of audiences

Communication and teamwork skills

Critical and analytical thinking

Data interpretation

Experience of researching and debating challenging topics

Independent study skills

Logic and rhetoric

Proficiency in presenting findings cogently and persuasively using information technology

Turn ambition into achievement with our expert guidance and connections. From your first day here to life after graduation, we'll help you find your career advantage.

Qualification

A levels

AAB including an A in English Literature (English Language and Literature is also acceptable)

Access to Higher Education Diploma

36 credits at Distinction, including at least 9 credits in Literature-related units, and 9 credits at Merit or higher

BTEC National Extended Diploma

DDD with an additional A Level or equivalent qualification in English Literature at grade A

European Baccalaureate

80% overall, with 85% in English Literature.

International Baccalaureate

35 points including 6 in English Literature at Higher Level (Higher Level English Language and Literature is also acceptable)

T levels

We are currently not accepting T Levels for this course unless an additional A Level (or equivalent qualification) in English Literature has been taken.

Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers

Advanced Highers - B in English Literature

Scottish Highers - BBBB

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.

Other international qualifications

Equivalent qualifications from your country

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria

Adjustment

Widening participation

BBC including B in English Literature (English Language and Literature is also acceptable)

This is conditional upon successful completion of the WP programme including the YorJourney module (Black Access Programme, Next Step York) or successful completion of Realising Opportunities More about widening participation.

Contextual offer

ABC including an A in English Literature (English Language and Literature is also acceptable)

If you achieve A or higher in the EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

If you successfully complete our online course Power in crisis: Politics in the 21st century, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. Details about how to evidence completion of the MOOC will be sent in your offer letter. Please note: you do not need to pay for the certificate. More about MOOCs.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement

IELTS (Academic)

6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component

Other English language qualifications

To see what other language tests we can accept and the scores required, visit our IELTS equivalences webpage and click on the IELTS requirement for your chosen course.

We also accept various school-leaving certificates to meet our English Language requirements. Please visit our country-specific information for further details.

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

To apply to York, you'll need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

How to apply

We look for intellectual and literary curiosity, open-mindedness, and analytical ability.

We encourage mature students to email the Admissions Tutor for consultation and advice.

At the University of York, we are committed to providing the support our students need to achieve their full potential and have an exceptional, transformational experience. Our Additional Information Form offers help to those faced with social, personal or educational challenges which have affected their performance in education. We also offer support for care leavers.

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

English Undergraduate Admissions

english-ug-admissions@york.ac.uk

Department

Related courses

English (BA)

Politics (BA)

Liberal Arts (BA)

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