Would English Literature w/ History or w/ Philosophy be better than EL on its own?

Question

I've been accepted at a great university in three courses english literature EL with philosophy & EL with Modern History. So I have to decide which is right for me. Is there anyone who has studied similar degrees & is specialising in a single subject better than doing joint honours? Thanks.

Answer 1

You cannot really study literature without also studying both philosophy and history, so I am not certain what the question is about. I can tell from your spelling that you are not doing this at an American university, so your system may work differently than what I am used to. Joint honors seems to imply that you could take a course and get credit for it as both a history and a literature course. If this is correct, go for the EL/history combination because you learn philosophy as you study history, too.

Remember, at the doctoral level almost all of the liberal arts are covered by what ...? A PhD, doctor of philosophy degree. None of the liberal arts disciplines can be studied completely independent of ANY of the others. I do, however, have a degree in English and recommend the history combination for two primary reasons, it provides a better understanding of the context framing the literature of a given period, and it enhances research skills better than a focus on philosophy would.

A combined study of history and English would result in a better understanding of both subjects. With that combination, you will be hard-pressed in an attempt at avoiding a philosophy education.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I just finished my undergraduate English degree and I wish that I would have finished with a joint degree. I took some philosophy classes when I was finishing my degree and they really helped with my literature classes because they taught me how to analyze. English classes teach you to analyze when you read but philosophy is really helpful with teaching you to deeply think about the themes in literature like the meaning of life, death, love, human existence etc. History is helpful also because it helps to know the background of a literary work or the time in which it was written or written about in order to place it into context for analyzing. However, I am currently studying for my MA in EL and I can tell you that whenever you need to find out about the history of a particular work it is a lot easier to simply look it up based on the novel you are researching. Philosophy is a subject that teaches you more of the SKILLS you need to analyze literature on a deeper level. I would definitely suggest taking the philosophy classes rather than the history. Good luck!

Answer 3

I did a joint honours degree and found it to be more interesting and varied and gave me better career options at the end. English literature degrees can mean reading 2 novels a week which is a very big commitment. I started doing English Lit in my first year as a minor subject, but couldn't keep up with the reading and focus on my other subjects also.

Answer 4

In your first year you will probably choose 3 modules for each semester. Some modules are worth fewer credits and so you could do up to 6. Simply, in the first year you will possibly have compulsory modules for each of those subjects but it is very likely that you will be able to do the compulsory modules for each of the subjects you mention. If you find you don't like one of your choices you will be able to change the course so long as any compulsories were completed. So, if you opt for EL & History you can do those modules and also the usual compulsory philosophy module. If you then want to change after the first year you could do EL or EL & Philosophy. You wouldn't be able to change after that as the credits then count towards your degree. Talk to the uni who accepted you. They have people trained to discuss these sorts of module issues and your options. There is some flexibility so don't get too stressed about things.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I did English Lit and History joint - absolutely loved it, as it gave a great variety of study. I would say to be careful to check how the uni treats joint hons students - my uni was fantastic, but i have a friend who went to york uni and found it annoying as they weren't organised with the modules - they did english one term, history the next, and would miss out on key modules in the other subject each time. So ask alot of questions about how well joint hons students are accomodated. Beyond that, it sounds like a good choice although i am of course biased!

Answer 7

I would go for the EL with the Philosophy option personally.

Answer 8

I find philosophy majorly bornig and usually the philosophy department hates to give out good grades so assume you will get average scores. history is better.

Answer 9

A double major is always better than a single one, because you can do more with it!! Obviously it will be tougher, but it's probably worth it when the money starts coming in...

Answer 10

sign up for whatever sounds best to you now
there is a more than likely chance you will change your mind once you begin to take the classes, it is ok, it happens more often than it doesn't
once you find out if it is for you or not, either continue along, or change majors

just enjoy the learning