English Literature and Psychology BA (with Foundation Year)

ENGLISH LITERATURE

The city of Liverpool is the perfect place for literature lovers to study. There is a rich cultural scene with literary organisations, festivals, and performances, independent bookshops, and the famous Central Library. The Reader Organisation in the beautiful Calderstones Park is a short walk from the Hope Park campus where English Literature at Liverpool Hope is taught. The BA English Literature programme will offer you the opportunity to explore literature across different genres and periods as well as the history, ideas, people and places that shape it and are shaped by it. Throughout our course, we emphasise how literary texts address and influence the most important issues facing society today.

Key features of our programme include:

- Study of a wide range of literature from different historical periods, and critical and theoretical writings that help us to better understand them. The course includes fiction, poetry, drama and a range of non-fiction prose including autobiography, slave narratives, essays and travel writing. You will study well-known authors, but will also have the chance to explore work by writers who will be new to you, and who offer fresh, alternative perspectives on the themes and ideas we examine

- An emphasis on literature’s relationship to sustainability and the environment, work and employability, travel and global perspectives, and health, happiness and well-being

- A focus on books, publishing, and reading that includes working with historically important items from Liverpool Hope’s collection of rare books and manuscripts, digital approaches, and creative hands-on learning

- A strong commitment to individual student support through small group teaching and personal tutors

- Employability awareness and skills development embedded in our curriculum and enhanced by activities and events.

Our English Literature programme is taught by experienced tutors with internationally recognised expertise in their fields. Our staff are active researchers and writers who publish books and articles that are rated highly. In the last national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) English was identified as the strongest subject for research outputs in the University: over 80% of publications by staff in English at Liverpool Hope were rated "world leading" or "internationally excellent".

We pride ourselves on offering a stimulating and challenging degree that allows each student to develop not only sophisticated knowledge and interpretations of a broad selection of literature but also highly sought-after skills including critical analysis, problem-solving, and effective communication. Our graduates are informed, independent, and imaginative thinkers who go on to a range of wide range of careers including publishing, the creative industries, journalism, marketing, teaching, and further academic study.

PSYCHOLOGY

The importance and relevance of psychology to all areas of life and society continues to grow, meaning that an undergraduate degree in psychology will prepare you for a diverse range of careers. The Psychology courses at Liverpool Hope University equip students with knowledge and understanding of human thinking and behaviour. The single honours BSc Psychology course has a focus on applications of psychology and students are supported in their development of skills to apply psychological knowledge to real-life settings. As an alternative, a combined honours Psychology degree at Liverpool Hope allows you to study psychology alongside one of over thirty other disciplines (e.g., Tourism, Criminology, Geography; see the list on the combinations tab for the full range of Psychology combined honours courses) meaning you can choose to study psychology in a way that matches your interests. 

Accredited by the British Psychological Society, the single and combined honours Psychology courses provide an in-depth scientific knowledge and understanding of the core areas of psychology. You will be supported by a friendly team of experienced and research-active lecturers to acquire skills of critical thinking and independent learning. The transferable skills developed through the course will be relevant to a variety of sectors including healthcare, the criminal justice system, education, and marketing.    

You will have the opportunity to enrich your degree through a series of extra-curricular activities, such as working as a research intern, supporting your peers as a mentor, and applying psychology outside the University (e.g., working in groups on an outward-bound retreat and teaching in another country as part of our Global Hope network). You will also have access to the School of Psychology labs where you can gain first-hand experience of specialist psychology techniques and equipment, such as eye-tracking, EEG, and observational methods.