BA (Hons) English and History

On the History side of their course, students may choose to undertake a work placement during their final year to gain practical experience and obtain a competitive edge in the jobs market. Past placements have included roles in museums, heritage sites, schools, and charities. Students are encouraged to acquire placements in industry independently. Tutors may provide support and advice to students who require it during this process.

Students undertaking this degree have the option to study abroad at one of the University’s partner institutions for one term during their second year. This can provide an insight into alternative approaches to the study of their subjects and gives students the opportunity to experience another culture.

Those who choose to study abroad, or to undertake an optional placement, are responsible for any associated travel, accommodation, and general living costs.

Field trips may include visits to Newstead Abbey, former home of the poet Lord Byron, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. There may also be opportunities to work with manuscripts in the archives at Lincoln Cathedral or optional workshops with local artisans on medieval arts and culture.

Students on this course are able to attend organised extracurricular activities such as play readings, film showings, performances, and talks. They can also get involved with the Lincoln Review and on-site radio station, Siren FM.

All of these optional events enrich the student experience at Lincoln, and they cement the sense of community fostered on the degree programme.

Field trips are optional and participation on trips will not impact upon grades awarded on this programme. The costs of transport and entry fees, where applicable, are covered by the School. Students are, however, expected to cover their own subsistence costs while attending field trips.

Our research-active staff are engaged in work which directly informs their teaching. In English, there are particular strengths in 21st Century literature, 19th Century literature, Gothic studies, American literature, and the medieval. Current research projects include studies on:

• Shakespeare
• Women’s life writing
• The literature of homelessness
• Ecogothic
• The literature of Brexit
• Detective fiction
• Literature and loneliness
• Ageing in Victorian fiction,
• Werewolves in medieval texts,
• The reception of William Blake
• Nineteenth-century religious writing
• Literature and the visual
• Women’s writing in the time of Covid.

Details about English staffs’ research interests and recent publications can be found here. 

Students are welcome to attend the numerous research events hosted by the College of Arts, which provide opportunities to learn more about the work in which members of staff are engaged, and to hear more about specialist research by visiting speakers. These include events run by the Medieval Studies Research Group, Nineteenth-Century Research Group, 21st-Century Research Group, the History and Heritage Research Seminar, and the English and Creative Writing Seminar Series. 

Students with interests in creative writing and contemporary literature benefit from readings and masterclasses by published authors and other guest speakers in creative industries, such as publishing and journalism. In the past guests have included former Poet Laureate, Dame Carol Ann Duffy, Dame Penelope Lively, and Patience Agbabi.

In History, staff research specialisms currently include Byzantium, sexuality in the 20th Century in England, Latin America, Caribbean history, political history, history of gender and sexuality, and medieval Spain. Find out more here. 

English and History graduates may go on to careers in education, the civil service, media, journalism, heritage, publishing, communications, and the arts. They may choose to continue their studies at postgraduate level or take qualifications in teaching.