Explore the ways in which the visual and literary arts have engaged with society over time and the ways in which they are evolving the world.

Discover visual and literary culture through a broad range of perspectives, such as social history, global art, philosophy, anthropology, feminism and religion. Students will have access to original works, a dedicated fine art library and collection of resources in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, the university's acclaimed public gallery on-campus. Here students will find works by artists such as Botticelli, Van Gogh, Monet, Magritte, Vigée LeBrun and Rodin. Students will also have access to Birmingham's Special Collections, which contains over 60,000 rare and early printed books, and over 2 million manuscripts and archive items.

Study trips play an important part in the degree. For History of Art this includes a week-long, University-funded trip to a major European centre of artistic importance, where students have the opportunity to examine works of art and architecture in situ. For English, this includes the possibility to partake in a study residential in Stratford-upon-Avon. Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, is a world-leading centre for international Shakespeare scholarship.