Goldsmiths College

Course Details

BA (Hons) English & History

Course Description

Courses and structure What you study Credits and levels of learning An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 courses in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 courses in your final year. A standard course is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half courses or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project. Level 4 At Level 4 you'll be introduced to essential concepts in literary study, encouraged to read a wide range of works covering the major literary genres, and become aware of changing views of the past, and theories of history. You'll choose between learning about cultural history, intellectual history, modern political history or religion, peace and conflict. You take the following four courses: Concepts and Methods in History One other first year 30 credit History course Explorations in English Literature The course covers selected texts of classical, medieval, Renaissance and modern literature, including epic, romance, tragedy, lyric, satire and the novel. Principal texts might typically include Homer, The Odyssey; Sophocles, Antigone; Shakespeare, Hamlet; selected poems of Donne, Milton, Pope, Blake, Coleridge; Austen, Emma; Ibsen, A Doll’s House; Woolf, To the Lighthouse; Achebe, Things Fall Apart. Assessment by: three-hour written paper, two non- assessed coursework essays are also required. Approaches to Text The course introduces you to essential concepts in modern literary studies, including properties of literary language; convention and genre; prosody and poetic forms; narrative voice and structure; texts in performance and larger questions of interpretation. Principal texts might typically include M. Montgomery et al, Ways of Reading; Shelley, Frankenstein; Shakespeare, The Tempest; Heaney, North. Assessment by: portfolio of three essays totalling 6,000-8,000-words. Level 5 Level 5 consists of an interdisciplinary studies course or courses, plus a combination of English and history courses. For instance, (for English) you might want to: examine the literature and ideas of the 16th and 17th centuries; investigate how the concept of the American nation state was produced in 19th-century literature; make a literary and cultural analysis of Shakespeare’s or Chaucer’s work; and (for History): examine the medieval crusades or gender relations in the past; look into the cultural history of Buddhist Asia; or investigate the recent history of a range of European countries. You take: One English/History interdisciplinary 30 credit course 30 credits of History courses One English Period course worth 30 credits The fourth course may be either 30 credits of History courses or a 30 credit English course Find out more about the History courses that may be available to you. Level 6 Your interdisciplinary studies at Level 6 are directed towards a written project, and you continue to deepen your knowledge by balancing your selection of English and History courses with those you took at Level 5. Options currently available include: taking a creative writing option; exploring the close relationship between literature and film in the 20th century; investigating gender and culture in medieval Europe; considering contemporary moral problems; or studying aspects of African or South Asian history. The Departments also offer each year a small number of single-term ‘option’ courses which can be combined in pairs to form the equivalent of full-year courses. You can also apply to take a ‘related study’ – an approved module from another department which is relevant to your overall course profile. You take: The Interdisciplinary Project One English Period course Two additional courses (60 credits of History courses; or 30 credits of History courses and a 30 credit Related study course; or 30 credits of History courses and one 30 credit English course) Find out more about the History courses that may be available to you. Assessment Coursework portfolios, long essays, examinations (various timescales and formats) and interdisciplinary project. The interdisciplinary project must be passed for the degree to be awarded.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
3year

Career outcomes

Skills and careers Our degrees open up a wide range of careers by developing critical and analytical skills, proficiency in assessing evidence, the clear expression of ideas, and the ability to bring together insights from a range of subjects – all of which are attractive to a variety of employers. You learn to solve problems, to think critically and creatively, and to communicate with clarity. Our graduates have a good employment record: professions include publishing, journalism, PR, teaching, advertising, civil service, business and industry, European Union private sector management and personnel work, and the media. According to data collated by Unistats, the definitive UK university guide and part of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Goldsmiths’ English undergraduate students attain the highest-paid jobs upon graduation. Additionally, Goldsmiths is in the top three higher education institutions for highest-paid jobs for both History undergraduates. History at Work History at Work is an exciting and innovative new initiative which offers some second and third year students taking History single and joint honours programmes the chance to apply their academic skills within the workplace. Students spend one day a week over one term undertaking a project within a museum, archive or library: places which collect, process and present the 'raw material' of history. These organisations include the Wellcome Library, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, London Transport Museum and the V&A Museum of Childhood. The project might involve archiving, conservation, building an exhibition, or developing a public engagement project. Students will be invited to apply for places on the programme each February. It should give students a great chance to test out their career ideas, develop skills and increase their employability. Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths




BA (Hons) English & History Goldsmiths College