English and Sociology BA

Course overview

Facilities

The world-class Brotherton Library boasts unique manuscript, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections – valuable assets for your independent research. Our additional library resources are also excellent, and the University Library offers a comprehensive training programme to help you make the most of them.

Course details

A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core topics as students on each single honours course, but you’ll take fewer optional and discovery modules so you can fit in both subjects.

In your first year, you’ll take introductory modules covering the key concepts and approaches in sociology, as well as choosing to explore poetry, drama or prose. This allows you to build a good knowledge base on which you can build in the following two years.

You’ll choose from modules covering the full range of English literature we teach, from medieval right through to contemporary fiction, as well as optional modules on everything from children’s literature to post-Apartheid narratives and the politics of language. At the same time, you’ll select from a range of modules in major topics in sociology such as gender, racism and crime.

Throughout your studies you’ll develop analytical and research skills that allow you to form your own conclusions from the information you find. In your final year, you’ll get the chance to apply them to an independently researched dissertation in either subject.

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Most courses consist of compulsory and optional modules. There may be some optional modules omitted below. This is because they are currently being refreshed to make sure students have the best possible experience. Before you enter each year, full details of all modules for that year will be provided.

For more information and a list of typical modules available on this course, please read English and Sociology in the course catalogue.

Year 1

Year 1 compulsory modules:

• Reading Between the Lines (20 credits) - This module equips students with a critical vocabulary for sophisticated literary study, introducing the creative, argumentative and exciting discipline of ‘English Studies’. Through close analysis of specific texts across a range of periods and forms, students will encounter some of the varied theories that have shaped and continue to underpin the discipline. Students will find out how an English degree might change the way we read and see the world, while developing their academic skills through guided critical reading, collaboration with peers in group presentations and seminar discussions, and a variety of assignments designed to introduce them to the different formats of assessment required throughout the degree.

• Writing Matters (20 credits) - Writing and communication skills are vital to most professional careers, but they are especially valuable in the field of English studies. This module explores debates around a canonical literary text, examining theoretical approaches and rhetorical strategies used to write about literature. Students will hone their own writing skills by engaging ethically with the text and the ideas of others, developing structured arguments, expressing ideas clearly and concisely, working with feedback, and practising writing as a process. As a result, students will cultivate a deeper understanding of how writing works, learn how to share insights with greater efficacy and sophistication, and practice how to transfer this knowledge to future workplace contexts.

• Formations of Coloniality and Modernity (20 credits) - This module sees you exploring coloniality and modernity including their key themes, how these ideas came to be formed and both classic and contemporary debates surrounding them. You’ll use decolonial thought and social theory to explore where modern societies came from, and challenge the narratives around them as well.

• Making Sense of Society: Reading Social Theory (20 credits) - In this module, you’ll be introduced to several core concepts and theoretical approaches in sociology. While many of us know a lot about society (because we’re an important part of it) the module will give you the ideas (and perspectives) to turn your knowledge into a useful critical tool.

Year 1 optional modules:

• Understanding and Researching Contemporary Society (20 credits)

• Identities and Inequalities (20 credits)

• Modern Fictions in English (20 credits)

• Race, Writing, Decolonization (20 credits)

• Drama: Text and Performance (20 credits)

• Poetry: Reading and Interpretation (20 credits)

Year 2

Year 2 compulsory modules:

• Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture (20 credits) - This module examines what it means to live as human beings on a more-than-human planet. We’ll investigate how literary texts from different times and places have understood the relationship between nature and culture. We’ll address human impacts on the environment in relation to historical phenomena such as colonialism. And we’ll explore the insights that literature can offer at a time of concern about climate change and other environmental issues.

• Body Language: Literature and Embodiment (20 credits) - This module explores the relationship between embodiment, language and representation across a range of literary forms, genres, and periods, addressing questions such as: what does it mean to be ‘human’? Can technology change who we are? How do we navigate the relationship between the body and the mind? It examines how critical theorists and creative writers and life writers have treated and imagined this relationship between material bodies and literary representation, in order to better understand both the possibilities and limitations of literary expression.

• Central Problems in Sociology (20 credits) - This module focuses on some of sociology’s key thinkers, sharing their ideas and how they have influenced one another. You’ll also look at several ideas related to social integration including the individual and society, power and social change, and the social basis of culture, beliefs and consciousness. These are applied to more familiar topics like religion, power, authority and sexuality, among others.

• Sociology and Social Policy Research methods (20 credits) - In this module you’ll learn more about different approaches to social research. Topics include research design, ethical issues, creating questionnaires, conducting interviews and observing participants. You’ll also have the chance to attend a series of research seminars.

Year 2 optional modules:

• Crime, Law and Regulation (20 credits)

• Disability Studies: An Introduction (20 credits)

• Sociology of Culture (20 credits)

• The Sociology of Religion (20 credits)

• State of Emergency: Social science and the COVID-19 pandemic (20 credits)

• The Sociology of Gender (20 credits)

• Crime, Race and Ethnicity (20 credits)

• Debates in Childhood & Youth (20 credits)

• Sociology and the Climate Crisis (20 credits)

• Social and Public Policy beyond the University (20 credits)

• Medieval and Tudor Literature (20 credits)

• Renaissance Literature (20 credits)

• Modern Literature (20 credits)

• Postcolonial Literature (20 credits)

• The World Before Us: Literature 1660-1830 (20 credits)

• Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature (20 credits)

• American Words, American Worlds (20 credits)

• Contemporary Literature (20 credits)

Year 3

Year 3 compulsory modules:

• Final Year Project (40 credits) - This module encourages independent, self-directed learning, providing a culmination to the research strand emphasised in other modules. It fosters a wide variety of responses to the challenges it offers students, since any final year project might take one of a number of forms. Most importantly, it promotes academic creativity and the exploration of individual intellectual interests.

Year 3 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below):

• Tragedy: Classical to Neo-Classical (20 credits)

• Imagining Posthuman Futures (20 credits)

• Theatricalities: Beckett, Pinter, Kane (20 credits)

• Telling Lives: Reading and Writing Family Memoir (20 credits)

• Sociology Dissertation (40 credits)

• Quantitative Social Research (20 credits)

• Disability and Development (20 credits)

• Research Skills for your Dissertation (20 credits)

• State Crime and Immorality (20 credits)

• Contemporary Children, Young People and Families (20 credits)

• Global Terrorism and Violence (20 credits)

• The Social Life of Data (20 credits)

• Gender, Technologies and the Body (20 credits)

• Sociology of Consumerism (20 credits)

• Protest and Social Movements (20 credits)

• Ethnicity and Popular Culture (20 credits)

Learning and teaching

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

We use different types of assessment – normally a mixture of exams and essays, but oral presentations, dramatic performances, group projects and other practical tasks may also be used.

We also offer a wide range of support, such as extra classes on public speaking, exam technique and wider skills development which will be available throughout your time at Leeds.

Entry requirements

A-level: AAB including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature).

GCSE: Grade 4/C in Mathematics.

Other course specific tests:

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is a contextual admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and contextual admissions.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information contact the School of English admissions team.

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: £9,250 (per year)

International: £24,500 (per year)

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2024/25
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students are set by the UK Government and will be £9,250 for students starting in 2024/25.

The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation only, as a consequence of future changes in Government legislation and as permitted by law.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2025/26 have not yet been confirmed by the UK government. When the fee is available we will update individual course pages.

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2024/25 and 2025/26
Tuition fees for international students for 2024/25 are available on individual course pages. Fees for students starting in 2025/26 will be available from September 2024.

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

Read our guidance about applying.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of English
School of Sociology and Social Policy

Contact us

School of English Undergraduate Admissions

Email: englishug@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

Work placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.