English Literature and Philosophy & Ethics BA (Hons)

ENGLISH LITERATURE

*This course is only available as a combined honours for September 2025 entry

**Single honours course is open for 2026 entry only

Liverpool is the ideal city to study English Literature, with its thriving cultural scene, literary festivals, independent bookshops, and the renowned Central Library. Just a short walk from our Hope Park campus, you’ll also find The Reader Organisation in Calderstones Park—an inspiring hub for literature lovers.

Our English Literature degree explores a wide range of genres and historical periods, from fiction, poetry, and drama to autobiography, essays, travel writing, and slave narratives. You’ll study well-known authors as well as new voices offering fresh perspectives on key themes such as sustainability, identity, wellbeing, and power in society.

This English Literature course also looks beyond the texts themselves, inviting you to engage with the world of books through publishing, marketing, media, and digital technologies. You’ll even work with rare books and manuscripts from Liverpool Hope’s special collections.

Key features of the English Literature degree:

- A broad study of literature across periods, genres, and critical approaches

- Exploration of themes such as the environment, global perspectives, and wellbeing

- Hands-on opportunities in publishing, reading, and digital approaches

- Small group teaching and personalised support from expert tutors

- Employability skills embedded throughout the course

Our teaching team are internationally recognised researchers and published writers. In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), English at Liverpool Hope achieved outstanding results, with over 80% of staff publications rated “world leading” or “internationally excellent.”

By the end of the English Literature course, you’ll graduate with advanced critical, analytical, and communication skills that prepare you for careers in publishing, journalism, teaching, marketing, the creative industries, or further study.

Hear from one of our English Literature students.

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS

The Philosophy and Ethics course at Hope explores life’s biggest questions and the nature of morality: on what basis do we judge things as good or evil? It challenges you to examine your assumptions, opinions, and worldview. Key questions include: Do we need to believe in God for life to have meaning? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will, or is life determined?

This philosophy and ethics course uses primary texts by philosophers like Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche. You will learn to analyse and evaluate arguments. Also, you'll enhance your ability to express your ideas clearly. You will learn the basics of philosophy. As you advance, you'll study topics like religion, political philosophy, and applied ethics. You'll also explore modern issues like human personhood, artificial intelligence, ecology, and animal rights.

Studying in Liverpool provides a rich cultural context for exploring the human condition through art, performance, and social life. The course at Liverpool Hope is contemporary and timely, particularly in applied ethics and the study of religion in the modern world.

This philosophy and ethics course gives you the skills to tackle ethical and ideological challenges today. You'll prepare for many jobs that need critical thinking and the ability to handle complex, conflicting ideas.