English and History of Art (Hons)

Overview

Discover visual and literary culture through a broad range of perspectives, such as social history, global art, philosophy, anthropology, feminism and religion. You will have access to original works, a dedicated fine art library and collection of resources in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts from University of Birmingham , our acclaimed public gallery on-campus. Here you will find works by artists such as Botticelli, Van Gogh, Monet, Magritte, Vigée LeBrun and Rodin. You will also have access to our Special Collections, which contains over 60,000 rare and early printed books, and over 2 million manuscripts and archive items.

Study trips play an important part in your degree. For History of Art this includes a week-long, University-funded trip to a major European centre of artistic importance, where you have the opportunity to examine works of art and architecture in situ. For English, this includes the possibility to partake in our study residential in Stratford-upon-Avon. Our Shakespeare Institute, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, is a world-leading centre for international Shakespeare scholarship.

Career

You will develop skills including visual and textual analysis and interpretation. You will also acquire skills that are highly prized by employers in many sectors such as:

• Great communication skills;
• An awareness and appreciation of other cultures;
• The ability to identify and target key audiences;
• Strong attention to detail
• Researching, analysing and interpreting information;
• Handling complex information;
• The ability to critically analyse information and form concise, articulate arguments;
• Managing your time and prioritising your workload.

Throughout your degree you will have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in museums and galleries, both on and off campus.