ENGLISH

“O Proud Death”: Why Fewer Students Are Studying Literature 📖

Once a staple of every serious student’s education, English Literature is now seeing a dramatic drop in popularity. Across schools and universities, fewer students are choosing to study the subject and many departments are cutting back or closing altogether. What’s causing the decline of a subject that shaped generations of thinkers, writers, and creatives?

💡 Things to consider

• The Push Toward STEM and Safety: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) subjects are increasingly prioritised in schools and funding policies. While these fields are important for the economy, they’ve drawn attention and students away from the arts and humanities. Many young people now see English Lit as a “risky” or “less practical” choice. With rising tuition fees and pressure to secure a stable job after graduation, students are choosing degrees they believe offer a more direct route into employment. English degrees are often (sometimes unfairly) perceived as leading to limited or uncertain career options.

  

  Are we right to assume English Literature is not a “safe” option? What does that even mean?

• Changing Reading Habits and Attention Spans: Let’s face it, fewer people are reading long novels in their free time. With the rise of social media, streaming, and shorter digital content, deep reading and literary analysis don’t appeal to students as much as they once did. English Lit may need to evolve to stay relevant.

  

  Us trying to stay focussed

• Why Study It Anyway?: If you’re reading this, you probably already know that studying English Literature isn’t just about old books, it’s a bit of a Franken-subject incorporating understanding people, history, culture, and communication. It sharpens your critical thinking, empathy, and creativity. Literature helps us make sense of the world and our place in it. Plus, those “soft skills” are actually in high demand in careers like law, media, publishing, education, and even tech.

🔎 Find out more

• A thesis on the decline of English Literature Uptake

• English Literature Decline at University

🍒 The cherry on top

• 👽 Alien Linguistics: This essay in Aeon explores xenolinguistics — the study of hypothetical extraterrestrial language — as both scientific frontier and speculative philosophy. Novelist and translator Eli K P William argues that understanding a truly alien language may require shedding anthropomorphic assumptions and embracing radical alterity. A must-read for students of Linguistics and Philosophy.

• ⚖️ Neuroscience and Law: In this TED Talk, neuroscientist Dan Reisel shares what he discovered while studying the brains of psychopaths in a high-security prison. He argues that restorative justice and enriched environments can physically reshape the brain, offering a path to true rehabilitation. A must-watch for anyone interested in Neuroscience or Law.

• 🌌 How Big is the Universe?: From our solar system to the edge of the observable universe, just how far does space stretch? This interactive site lets you zoom out to cosmic scales, showing distances beyond imagination. A mind-blowing site if you’re into Physics or Astronomy!

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• Wednesday 23rd July

  • Mansfield College Oxford Webinar on Application Process for Parent/Carer Supporters

• Thursday 24th July

  • Homerton College Cambridge Law Subject Focus Session

  • UEA Results Day Nerves Webinar

🗳️ Poll