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Key facts

Entry requirements

112 or DMM

Full entry requirements

UCAS code

W920

Institution code

D26

Duration

3 yrs full-time

3 years full-time

Fees

2024/25 UK tuition fees:
£9,250

2024/25 international tuition:
£15,750

Entry requirements

UCAS code

W920

Institution code

D26

Duration

3 yrs full-time

3 years full-time

Fees

2024/25 UK tuition fees:
£9,250

2024/25 international tuition:
£15,750

Deepen your understanding of how language works while exploring a diverse range of literature in English, from medieval works to contemporary texts by writers across the globe. You will engage with the development of the English language in time and space, and its role in shaping communication, building the skills to analyse and use language effectively.

Through dynamic debates and critical analysis, you will explore the impact of literature on society, both past and present. You will gain valuable skills in creative writing, research, and critical thinking, while being exposed to various theoretical approaches that will enrich your understanding of texts and enhance your ability to communicate your insights.

You will join a vibrant academic community passionate about language and literature, learning from internationally renowned academics who will help you articulate ideas confidently and write with clarity and style. Our graduates thrive in careers across media, marketing, publishing, teaching, public relations, and the civil service.

  • Study the richness of language, focusing on English as a global language in its spoken, written, and digital forms, while developing skills in digital communication.
  • Explore diverse literature from Britain, America, and beyond, including fiction, poetry, drama, and film, with expert training in programming language HTML through the Centre for Textual Studies.
  • Learn from renowned academics who are active researchers in fields such as World Englishes, Shakespearean studies, gender and sexuality, pragmatics, and information warfare.
  • Gain transferable skills in critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and project management, preparing you for diverse and high-demand career opportunities.
  • Take advantage of global opportunities, including studying, working, and traveling abroad through the Turing Program, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Global, and international partnerships.
Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments – rather than lots of exams at the end of the year – and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging. Read more about block teaching.

Our next Open Day is on
Saturday 16 November

Join us in 17 days and 1 hour.

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What you will study

Block 1: Introduction to the Novel

In this module, you will learn to critically read novels at undergraduate level. Building on your experience of reading fiction at school, college, or for leisure, you will develop deep analytical readings and apply your growing critical skills to a wide range of novels encountered throughout your degree. This module aims to get you thinking about how novels work and how, as readers, we can understand them from different perspectives. You will learn to recognise subtle changes in narrative position, when to trust or distrust a narrator, how to identify subgenres (e.g., Realism, Romanticism, Modernism, and Postmodernism), and how to use literary criticism to uncover unexpected interpretations. You will integrate critical reading into your preparation for workshops and assessments to enhance your understanding of literary texts. This module provides the core academic skills in reading, writing, and research necessary for your time at university, alongside the analytical and communication skills that will, after graduation, make you attractive to future employers.

Assessment: Class Test (40%) and Research Essay (60%)

Block 2: Journeys and Places

This module focuses on journeys and places, offering you the chance to explore key concepts underpinning your study of English language and linguistics. You will take a post-disciplinary approach to your studies, using techniques from diverse areas to address key questions related to journeys and places in relation to the use of English around the globe.

You will attend interactive lectures with students from across the School of Humanities and Performing Arts, and apply the concepts addressed in these lectures to the study of English language within subject-specific workshops and assessments.

Themes covered may include journeys, spaces, and the concept of welcome; (im)mobilities and journeys through time and space; representation and imaginative geographies; gender and placemaking; belonging and place attachment; journeys, places, and identities; as well as themes related to sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Assessment: Coursework (30%) and Essay (70%)

Block 3: Histories of English

How did a small island on the western fringe of ancient Europe produce a language which has spread across the world to become the first truly global tongue? In this module, you will explore the history and development of English from its beginnings to the present day and beyond. The module will examine theories about the origins of language and use English as a case study to show how languages change over time.

By the end of the module, students will have examined the history of English through the close study of texts chosen from the full range of the language's history; including early Celtic languages and Anglo-Saxon (translations will be provided).

You will consider language change over time and language variation (i.e. change over space) and how a wide range of linguistic and non-linguistic factors have led to the emergence of ‘Standard’ English, the proliferation of variant forms across the globe, and a world of ‘Englishes’ rather than ‘English’.

Assessment: Linguistic Report (40%) and Group Presentation (60%)

Block 4: Poetry and Society

Through this module you will develop your understanding of poetic form and genre and consolidate your close-reading skills by scrutinising a range of poems and poets from different historical periods. You will explore the historical origins and development of specific poetic genres such as epic and pastoral and learn the conceptual tools and technical vocabulary needed for critical analysis of poetry at undergraduate level.

Assessment: Essay 1 (40%) and Essay 2 (60%)

Block 1: Exploration and Innovation: Medieval to Early Modern Literature

This module covers the birth of English literature, introducing texts written between the medieval era and the early modern period. You will explore poetry, drama, and prose, comparing early English literature with key European works of the time.

Assessment: Commentary (30%) and Comparative Essay (70%)

Block 2: Exploring Work and Society

This module prepares you for post-degree pathways by focusing on the skills, capabilities, and knowledge needed to thrive in professional environments. Emphasis is placed on core attributes and transferable skills while developing familiarity with the world of work.

You will critically engage with themes such as race, gender, identity, and geopolitical issues in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, conceptualizing a more equitable and sustainable society.

Through subject-specific workshops, lectures, seminars, and independent learning, you will explore work environments related to your discipline. Activities may include responding to real-world briefs, placements, community projects, and creating project proposals tailored to your programme.

Assessment: Written Portfolio or Recorded Presentation (100%)

Block 3: Screening Language

You will examine the use of language on the small and large screen, whether (i) to convey information about a (fictional) character, (ii) as a means of illustrating a particular linguistic issue (in a fictionalised account), or even (iii) as a means of documenting linguistic problems in the world.

Key issues in the module are introduced by and anchored on film viewings, which feed into self-selected assignment themes. The topics students are exposed to will draw on the following areas: (i) the analysis of language structure by means of the study of conlangs (e.g. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Star Trek, Harry Potter), (ii) the mapping of language attitudes towards non-standard varieties of English (e.g. My Fair Lady, Boarders, Trainspotting), (iii) an introduction to communication and language acquisition (e.g. Nell, Project Nim), (iv) issues of decolonisation/de-stigmatisation in multilingualism and language documentation (e.g. Sisters in Law, The Linguists).

Each topic that is introduced will give students a new method of linguistic analysis, which they will try out for themselves, evaluate and critique.

Assessment: 3 x 500-word Blog posts (45%) and Group or Individual Presentation (55%)

Block 4: Language and Linguistic Diversity

This module explores the relationship between language and society, examining how factors such as region, social class, race/ethnicity, and gender affect language use and attitudes. You will study regional, national, and international language variation, multilingualism, and language planning, as well as the global role of English. The module includes group fieldwork and a trip to Bletchley Park to examine the application of linguistic knowledge to cryptography.

Assessment: Phase Test (20%) and Analytical Study (30%) and Group Project (50%)

In the third year, the programme offers you flexibility to pursue your individual interests. You will complete a dissertation in either English Language or English Literature and then choose three further modules from a list of options.

Block 1: Dissertation

Throughout the year, you will research and write a dissertation on a chosen topic, with guidance from the English Literature team. Workshops will support your project development, introducing key theoretical approaches such as Marxism, feminism, and ecocriticism.

Assessment: Research Portfolio (20%) and Dissertation (80%)

Block 2: Print and Digital Revolutions

This module explores the Gutenberg and Digital revolutions, focusing on how printing and computing have influenced writing. You will create your own texts using historical and digital technologies.

Assessment: Test (30%) and Report 1 (35%) and Report 2 (35%)

Block 3: World Englishes: On the Page and Beyond

This module examines ‘World Englishes’ from a global perspective, focusing on literature from postcolonial nations. You will explore themes like memory, class, and ethnicity in both written and oral traditions.

Assessment: Blog/Vlog (40%) and Research Essay (60%)

Block 4: Modernism and Magazines

This module investigates Anglo-American modernism and its publication in 'little magazines.' You will study modernist texts by authors like T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf and explore how these works responded to modernity.

Assessment: Essay (40%) and Research Portfolio (60%)

Block 1: Research Methods/Dissertation (year-long)

Over the course of your third year, you will propose, refine, develop, research and write a dissertation on a topic supervised by a member of the English Language and Linguistics team. We will support you throughout the year with workshops on such topics as:

  • Designing a research project
  • Conducting an effective literature review
  • Quantitative versus qualitative research
  • Corpus linguistics
  • The principles of fieldwork
  • Questionnaire and survey design
  • The use of mixed and blended methodologies
  • Conducting research in an ethical manner
  • Writing up methodology and results

At the end of Block 1, all students will give a poster presentation of their work in progress and will field questions from their peers and members of the teaching team. The final dissertation will be submitted in June. It should be no more than 10, 000 words in length.

Assessment: Poster Presentation/Q+A (10%) and Dissertation (90%)

Block 2: Language, Identity and Culture

This module examines the role of language in shaping individual and collective identities, focusing on facets such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and nationality. You will explore mechanisms of identity construction and current debates such as linguistic reclamation and intersectionality.

Assessment: Report (40%) and Podcast (60%)

Block 3: Communication, Control and Resistance

For over 2000 years, humans have been studying the tools of effective, persuasive communication; what is now called 'advertising', 'PR', 'news management' ‘Fake News’ or 'spin' has in previous centuries been known as 'rhetoric'. This module introduces you to the key concepts of rhetoric and oratory as a discipline and will enable you to both analyse and produce texts employing powerful, persuasive language. You will be taking ideas and issues which have endured from Aristotle and the Renaissance to the present and will examine rhetoric in theory and practice.

You will acquire a detailed knowledge of rhetorical structures and figures, and study how protest movements and various groups have deployed the techniques you will examine and will learn how to employ yourself – or resist them.

You will move from analysis to production, by enabling you to craft their own persuasive material. This will have clear benefits in terms of developing the key transferrable skills of effective communication and presentation in written and oral form.

Assessment: Test (25%) and Critical Analysis (30%) and Scenario/Simulation Exercise (45%)

Block 4: Hardware/Software: Language, Mind and Culture

You will learn about the origins of language and look into meaning-making mechanisms in language/s, before moving on to the extraordinary phenomenon of (first) language acquisition. You will look into how children acquire the sounds, words, and grammatical structures of their first language, and you will later consider the nature of bilingual and second language acquisition.

The second part of the module looks at the complex relationship between language, thought and culture. You will look at similarities and differences across languages and consider whether the language we speak affects how we see the world (the linguistic relativity question), and how cultural differences can be reflected in language and in conceptualisation. These questions will lead you full circle to consider the nature of human language itself: how it differs from other communication systems, and whether linguistic knowledge is of fundamentally different kind from other kinds of knowledge.

Assessment: Report/Analysis (50%) and Presentation (50%)

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Overview

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, group tutorials and student-led seminars. Teaching sessions might be structured around discussion, a film screening or based in a computer lab. You will complete reading and research in advance and join in conversation with your tutor and your fellow students. All students are supported by a personal tutor and have access to specialist guidance in writing and study skills. Individual tutorials with module tutors are available in weekly ‘office hours’, at which you can discuss any aspect of your course or get help with assignments.

The first year expands your knowledge of key elements of general linguistics (phonetics, morphology, syntax), key literary genres (the novel, poetry), and the history and development of English as a world language. It also develops foundational academic skills in research, writing and critical analysis. The second year broadens your understanding of the various domains of language study and includes study of medieval to early modern literature, including Chaucer and Shakespeare. The third year allows you freedom to choose modules from both subject areas to extend your knowledge and pursue your own interests while developing your dissertation, which is a substantial independent written project on a topic of your choice.

You will experience varied forms of assessment, which may include essays, presentations, podcasts and blogs, class tests, fieldwork, peer evaluation, creative work, and dissertation. This range of assessment methods will enable you to develop a broad spectrum of communicative and technological skills, alongside an ability to think critically, independently, flexibly and imaginatively.

Contact Hours

You will normally attend 8-10 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures, seminars and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake around 30 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

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Our facilities

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available.
As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose.

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including Blackboard, Collaborate Ultra, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub.

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

Where we could take you

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Placements

This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future.

Rubyna Cassam secured a placement with Penguin Random House in London. She gained invaluable knowledge of the publishing world, from creating presentations for new book releases and producing spreadsheets of international sales figures, to contacting buyers about merchandise and attending marketing meetings about the London and Frankfurt book fairs. 

graduate-careers

Graduate careers

Our graduates are highly employable due to their strong communication and reasoning skills, their ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and their knowledge of both English Language and Literature.

They pursue careers in diverse fields such as archival work, media, civil service, marketing, journalism, the arts, library services, teaching English at primary or secondary schools, teaching English as a foreign language, and public relations.

Graduates have secured roles such as Associate Producer at the BBC, Picture Book Editor at Pan Macmillan, and Senior Press Officer in the Children’s Department at Penguin Random House. Many graduates also choose to continue their studies at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. 

Course specifications

Course title

English Language and English Literature

Award

BA (Hons)

UCAS code

W920

Institution code

D26

Study level

Undergraduate

Study mode

Full-time

Start date

September 2024

Duration

3 years full-time

Fees

2024/25 UK tuition fees:
£9,250

2024/25 international tuition:
£15,750

Entry requirements

GCSEs

  • Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English and Maths

Plus one of the following:

A levels

  • A minimum of 112 points from at least two A levels

T Levels

  • Merit

BTEC

  • BTEC National Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit
  • BTEC Extended Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit

Alternative qualifications include:

  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE overall 112 UCAS tariff with at least 30 L3 credits at Merit.
  • English GCSE required as separate qualification. Equivalency not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.
  • International Baccalaureate: 30+ points

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.