Course summary

Imaginative, persuasive expression in the study of English Language is a complementary pairing with different philosophical perspectives, as you discover how language has shaped society and how society has shaped language. At Birmingham, you will have access to world-class talent in philosophical fields as diverse as metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of language and mind, ethics and ethical theory. In your undergraduate Philosophy studies, you will explore the great minds of history and the present day, both learning what they thought and engaging with them critically. By studying Philosophy as a Joint Honours degree with English Language, you'll gain a thorough appreciation of the technical aspects of the English language and its social and political context. Finding out how a language works and how societies communicate, combines a unique intellectual challenge with significant practical potential. You'll also have the chance to use new resources, such as computer-held databases of linguistic data and you'll be encouraged to embrace theoretical and technological advances in the study of language. Why study this course? Get a head start in the graduate market - kick start your career with our employability modules, including options that provide a minimum of 70 hours' work experience within a sector you're interested in, assist organisations with developing, planning and pitching their business proposals and get involved with public engagement projects. Broad range of specialisms to explore - Birmingham is internationally famous for its work in corpus linguistics, figurative language, language learning and teaching, the language of social media and stylistics. You can focus on traditional aspects of the subject such as grammar, historical linguistics or pragmatics, but you can also explore newer areas such as English used in internet communication or English used worldwide. Fantastic module variety - the amount of optional modules on offer will allow you to specialise more as you progress through your degree course, so that you can study areas of the discipline that interest you the most. Some module examples include Minds, Brains and Computers: Issues in Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Reasons to Believe: Topics in Epistemology and Fantastic Beasts and How to Understand them and Topics in Philosophy of Biology. Take advantage of our exceptional resources - including our archives and special collections in the Cadbury Research Library and the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest regional library. Outstanding student experience - you'll have a variety of opportunities to enhance your student experience during your degree, including regular coffee mornings for staff and students, specialist lectures, visiting speakers and a variety of trips. Top 15 for English in the Complete University Guide 2023 Top 10 for undergraduate Philosophy in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 1st the Department of Philosophy is top in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on Grade Point Average (Times Higher Education)