Curious about studying English Studies and Philosophy - BA (Hons)at University of Stirling? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Main Site
Full Time
Sep 2026
4 Year
Texts are all around us – from books and magazines to TV, email and the internet. The ability to analyse them and their often subtle meanings is a skill that can open doors in a wide range of professional fields. English Studies at the University of Stirling offers you the perfect chance to dedicate yourself to reading and enjoying a range of great novels, plays and poems from across the world. Your own creative writing can form part of this degree, too – as we believe it aids your understanding of literary style and technique and develops your imagination. You’ll also have the opportunity to take a range of language-based courses which will inform your understanding and appreciation of literary texts. These are just some of the factors that make our BA a little different from other English courses.
This module introduces students to the study of English literature at undergraduate level by focusing on reading and analysing different genres of literature, including poetry, fiction and drama from Chaucer to the present day. The course has an overarching emphasis on how genres change and develop over time, and how literary texts respond to each other: it will also consider genre itself as a complex and contested area. It thus introduces students to one of the key approaches approaches to literature upon which they will be able to build during the rest of their degree.
This module introduces you to different approaches to literary studies, within a broadly theoretical context. We will be exploring the concept of literary theory and considering how different theoretical positions can shape our responses to literary texts. We will encounter a range of fascinating novels, short stories, non-fiction, poems and drama, from Shakespeare to the present day.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to: Use a range of philosophical techniques to analyze and evaluate the logic of arguments; Present and defend a judgment orally in a group setting; Acquaint students wit some of the central issues in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and applied moral philosophy. Improve students? skills in critical reading and critical thinking. Provide students with an intellectual foundation for future philosophical study across both theoretical and practical philosophy.
The module is a general introduction to philosophy and presupposes no prior knowledge of the subject. It is designed to be of interest to any student, whether they have any experience of philosophy or not. with close attention paid to the importance of argument and criticism; and you will be encouraged to think critically about the set topics and to communicate your thoughts clearly and accurately in writing and in group discussion.
Aims and learning outcomes of the course: To introduce students to a range of important texts in the history of philosophy. To equip students with an understanding of how to read and study historical texts. To help students think critically about the set texts and to communicate their thoughts clearly and accurately in writing and in group discussion.
The overall purpose of this module is to introduce students to the concept of technical innovation in literary studies, within a broadly historical context. The module is structured around the concept of revolutions, both literal and literary, and covers a broad historical sweep, from the Peasants? Revolt to the present day, and will focus on understanding literary and historical context as integral to the understanding of literary texts. The module will build on the close reading and theoretical skills obtained in ENGU901 and ENGU902.
On successful completion of the module students will: have an understanding of the basic concepts of logical appraisal: validity and consistency; be familiar with the two formal notations of elementary logic, those of propositional and predicate (or first-order) logic; be familiar with the truth-table and truth-tree tree methods for evaluating validity and consistency; be familiar with models for predicate logic; understand some of the philosophical issues relating to logic.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to: use a range of philosophical techniques to analyze and evaluate the logic of arguments; present and defend a judgment orally in a group setting. critical reading; critical thinking; oral communication skills.
Is history just another text? To what extent is literature history? How do the stories we tell about ourselves alter the material facts of our lives? This core module sets out to explore these questions by studying aspects of Scottish literature, history, and identity since the defining moment of the Union of the English and the Scottish Parliaments in 1707. Writing and History: Scotland and Empire examines the pressures that produced some of Scotland?s finest writing in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, partly opposed to and partly in step with the concept of Great Britain. It deals with the competing narratives, the contradictory accounts, and the exchanges between centralising and marginalising forces raised by this experience.
This module will provide you with the technical tools and vocabulary to describe in detail how language choices produce particular effects, create meanings and convey ideologies in literary texts. Alongside the acquisition of skills, the module will encourage you to reflect on what it is that makes texts literary, as well as broader debates about the benefits and limitations of stylistic analysis. Whilst the module will be largely focused on stylistic analysis, you will also learn the role of context in a literary stylistic approach.
This module is an introduction to literary theory, and it invites you to question what we think we?re doing as readers, writers and critics. It will both sharpen your existing skills and open you to a whole new set of questions and debates, ranging across a wide terrain of fresh and sometimes challenging ideas. Where does ?meaning? come from? How does a literary text represent the world? What difference does difference (class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality) make to our reading of texts and cultural practices? Why are some texts valued more than others? The module introduces a selection of the most influential movements in literary and cultural theory of the past century, from the seminal linguistic theories of Saussure, to the readerly prohibitions of the New Criticism, and intense cultural debates sparked by figures such as Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler. We will also consider some of the practical implications of theory for literary analysis and interpretation. You will need to engage closely with the primary theoretical texts in The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. You will be taught by experts who research in this area.
This course is an introduction to the philosophy of mind, covering a variety of central topics. You will consider such questions as: How does having a mind relate to having a brain? How can I know what is going on in someone else?s mind? How do mental goings on cause physical goings on? How should we understand consciousness? Do (non-human) animals have mental states?
This module will allow you to investigate central issues in metaphysics and epistemology through a study of selected major works in the early modern (17th and 18th century) history of philosophy. The chosen texts are Descartes; Meditations on First Philosophy and Hume?s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Many of the problems systematically explored in these works (reason the module provides essential background to advanced work in philosophy.
Students will have only optional modules in this year.
The module aims to strengthen students' dissertations, by focussing on the key skills needed for effective writing and research, including: skills in written English; using library, archive and IT resources, distinguishing and choosing appropriate methodological approaches to research, considering ethical and legal issues such as plagiarism or the use of questionnaires, formulating a research proposal, writing a literature review and a research proposal.
The Final Year Project involves the writing of a substantial dissertation, the culmination of the various Honours degree programmes offered by the Division of Literature and Languages (English Studies).
By the end of the writing period you will have acquired a wide range of skills. These include independent research skills, the ability to reflect critically on relevant literature, the ability to utilise appropriate analytical frameworks and methodologies, the ability to organise time and resources effectively, the expansion of interpretative and analytical skills, the ability to manage learning through independent study, and the ability to produce a longer (8,000-10,000 words) piece of work on a single topic.
Accommodation(Based on the range of costs for a self-catered room in university halls of residence. Includes cost of electricity and wi-fi.)360.20 to 795.48 (Monthly expenditure)
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