Course summary

A Combined Honours degree at Chester gives you the opportunity to study two subjects. You will spend a fairly even amount of time studying each subject area, with possible opportunities to declare a major – minor towards the end of your studies. English Literature Discover the power of words, from the earliest times to the present day, as you delve deep into new worlds. You will study an exciting variety of novels, poems and plays. You might find yourself looking for the psychological undercurrents in a fantasy novel, applying feminist theory to a Renaissance courtly sonnet, studying the motif of the vampire in Gothic horror or exploring the treatment of love in the comedies of Shakespeare. There’s the chance to write a dissertation on a topic of your choosing, exploring your interests. You will develop key skills for the future; our students learn how to frame a convincing argument, express it in discussion, analyse writing in all styles and work independently. We offer an engaging and supportive atmosphere in which ideas about literature are shared. Group discussion is at the heart of the degree, making the study of literature exciting, varied and dynamic. You can customise your degree as you progress, so by the third year you might be taking several optional modules as well as working on a dissertation that you have created, where you will work individually with a lecturer to complete the project. Sociology Sociology is the ‘science of society,’ and involves studying how processes of social change affect peoples’ everyday lives. Through studying Sociology at Chester, you will be given the skills and support you need in order to develop a ‘sociological imagination’ of your own. You will be introduced to cutting-edge research and theoretical perspectives that will help you to challenge dominant understandings of social problems, issues and debates. Sociology graduates pursue diverse career paths including in the public sector and civil service, politics and government, social work, charity and advocacy work, PR, advertising, market research, journalism, academia and teaching. Our team has a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Modules are written in line with staff’s research interests, and include areas such as inequality and the welfare state, race and racism, gender identity and the body, globalisation, sustainability, protest and social change. How is ‘globalisation’ reshaping the world we live in? What are the major social divisions and conflicts affecting society today? How does the mass media influence our perception of these conflicts and divisions? These are just some of the questions you’ll look at.