The announcement from Canterbury Christ Church University signifies a troubling trend: interest in English literature at the degree level is in significant decline, raising questions about the future of humanities education.
With declining numbers in English literature courses, only 38% of students pursued humanities subjects in 2021/22, compared to nearly 60% as recently as 2015. This drastic decline indicates a shift in educational priorities and societal values.
The financial realities of university education demand that students choose subjects perceived as financially viable, further exacerbated by budget cuts impacting arts and humanities departments across the UK.
Critics argue that recent education reforms emphasizing STEM fields and content-heavy curricula have devalued the importance of humanities, creating an environment where studying arts subjects like English literature is increasingly seen as unprofitable.
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