BA English Language and Literature

Program Overview

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Our BA English Language and Literature (including foundation year) is open to Home and EU students. It will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your academic skills. This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study four academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module. You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK. After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department , you progress to complete your course with the Department of Language and Linguistics . An understanding of our language enhances our self-awareness, inspiring us to address fundamental questions about our communication as human beings; and this is epitomised in literature. Our course provides a sound foundation in linguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of the structure and use of modern English, and offers you the chance to study a range of literary genres and approaches to literary criticism. This degree offers you the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics including:

• The structure and use of English language
• The relationship between language and society
• Literatures of the United States and the Caribbean
• English (and European) literature of the 15th-17th centuries
• Writing science fiction

We are 1st in UK for research impact in modern languages and linguistics (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Why we're great.

• Tailor your degree to suit your interests and career goals thanks to our wide range of optional modules.
• You are taught by lecturers who are internationally recognised for their language research.
• You join our diverse community of students from all corners of the globe - the world in one place.

Our expert staff

We have some of the best teachers across the University in our Essex Pathways Department, all of whom have strong subject backgrounds and are highly skilled in their areas. Our language and linguistics staff are 1st in UK for research impact in modern languages and linguistics (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021). We maintain excellent student-staff ratios, and we integrate language learning with linguistics wherever there is synergy. At Essex, we also have an impressive literary legacy. Our history comprises staff (and students) who have been Nobel Prize winners, Booker Prize winners, and Pulitzer Prize winners. Our academic staff specialise in a range of areas including modernism, comparative and world literature, Shakespeare, the Renaissance, travel writing, nature writing, translated literature, cultural geography, Irish and Scottish writing, U.S. and Caribbean literature, and the history of reading.

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Specialist facilities

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with hot magazines and newspapers, and provides an informal setting to meet with your lecturers, tutors and friends

In our Department of Language and Linguistics and the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies you also have access to:

• Meet fellow readers at the student-run Literature Society or at the department’s Myth Reading Group
• Access the University’s Media Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art studios, cameras, audio and lighting equipment, and an industry-standard editing suite
• Write for our student magazine Albert or host a Red Radio show
• View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre
• Our on-Campus, 200-seat Lakeside Theatre has been established as a major venue for good drama, staging both productions by professional touring companies and a wealth of new work written, produced and directed by our own staff and students.
• Our ‘Visual World’ Experimental Lab records response times and eye movements when individuals are presented with pictures and videos
• Our Eye-Tracking Lab monitors eye movement of individuals performing tasks
• Our Psycholinguistics Lab measures how long it takes individuals to react to words, texts and sounds
• Our Linguistics Lab has specialist equipment to analyse sound
• Our Languages for All programme offers you the opportunity to study an additional language alongside your course at no extra cost

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Your future

Studying language and literature allows you to develop your research and IT skills by collecting and analysing linguistic data using state-of-the-art technology, and a combination of team-work and independent projects enhances your communication, problem-solving, and management skills. Graduates of our department have gone on to have careers in a wide variety of fields, including teaching (in the UK and abroad), journalism, branding, advertising, marketing, travel, communications, publishing, speech and occupational therapy, interpreting, translating and media. Other graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:

• The British Council
• English in Action
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Macmillan Publishers
• Cambridge University Press
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Decisive Media Ltd
• HSBC
• British Telecom

We also work with the University’s Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Program Outline

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Final Year This module is designed to prepare students wishing to join a degree course in the Department of Language and Linguistics. It is also a suitable choice for students who simply have an interest in language and it similarly provides a sound academic background for the study of subjects which rely extensively on proficient use of the English language such as Literature, History, Sociology, and Philosophy. View Introduction to Linguistics on our Module Directory This module is designed to prepare students wishing to join a degree course in the Department of Language and Linguistics. It considers some of the theoretical underpinnings of second language acquisition and how these considerations can help inform second language teaching and learning. The areas of focus will include: the learner, the classroom environment and society. View Second Language Learning on our Module Directory This module is designed to support students in their academic subject disciplines and to strengthen their confidence in key skills areas such as: academic writing, research, academic integrity, collaborative and reflective practices. The students are supported through the use of subject-specific materials tailored to their chosen degrees with alignment of assessments between academic subject modules and the skills module. View Research and Academic Development Skills on our Module Directory Want to study Hamlet? And contemporary works by Angela Carter or Kazuo Ishiguru? Interested in World War One poetry? Study a range of drama, poetry and prose fiction. Describe, analyse and reflect on key texts from Shakespeare to the present day. Become familiar with the crucial terms for assessing literature. View Major Writers in English Literature on our Module Directory This module introduces you to the production of language sounds and their distribution in words, in particular, but not exclusively, in English. You will study the basic principles of phonology and develop the knowledge required to understand and begin to analyse sound systems. You will also discuss phonological processes and investigate the context and motivation of occurrence. View Sounds on our Module Directory View Introduction to the Study of Language on our Module Directory Discover how to describe and analyse the structure of words, phrases, and sentences in this introductory half module. With topics including the English parts of speech, word structure and the distinction between inflection, derivation and compounding, and the identification of phrases, you will gain a solid grasp of the foundational material for the study of English linguistics, whilst developing useful analytical skills. View Words and Sentences on our Module Directory Discover the role of variation in language systems, and learn the techniques and concepts needed to study the way language varies. You will look at geographical, social and historical dialects, explore language myths, and cover topics such as measuring language variation, social patterns and functions of language variation, speaker variables, and the relationship of language variation to language change. At the end of this module, you will have gained a clear understanding of the role variation plays in language systems, and will be able to look critically at the social functions and values of dialects and vernacular language usage. View Foundations of Sociolinguistics on our Module Directory Which writers re-worked Homer’s Odyssey? Or borrowed ideas from Dante’s Inferno? Examine how key literary texts and genres have been used by successive generations of writers up until the present day. Shift from classical text to a more modern example, studying the long cultural traditions that exist. View Origins and Transformations in Literature and Drama on our Module Directory COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS Literature option(s) (30 CREDITS) What are your skills? And how do they fit in with your career plans? Build your employability skills through this non-credit bearing but obligatory module. Attend workshops and events, engage in activities to raise your employability and build your knowledge of the graduate job market. View Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics on our Module Directory COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LG212-5-AU or LG210-5-SP (15 CREDITS) Discover the steps involved in undertaking a research project in language and linguistics and develop your own final-year project. Topics include: Reviewing literature; Formulating research questions and hypotheses; Choosing a suitable research design; Data collection; Analysis techniques; Reporting findings. You will learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars and lab sessions to build your knowledge, skills, and confidence in researching, structuring, and writing a research project. View Research methods for language and linguistics on our Module Directory COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Literature option(s) (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LT204-5-AU and (LT267-5-SP or LT262-5-SP) (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 05: OPTIOL Linguistics option(s) (30 CREDITS) What are your skills? And how do they fit in with your career plans? Build your employability skills through this non-credit bearing but obligatory module. Attend workshops and events, engage in activities to raise your employability and build your knowledge of the graduate job market. View Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics on our Module Directory COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS LG831-6-FY or LG832-6-FY (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 02: OPTIOL Literature option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Literature option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL English Language option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) What are your skills? And how do they fit in with your career plans? Build your employability skills through this non-credit bearing but obligatory module. Attend workshops and events, engage in activities to raise your employability and build your knowledge of the graduate job market. View Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics on our Module Directory

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Teaching

• Teaching is arranged to allow freedom in how you organise your learning experience
• Innovative ways of engaging with texts include editing 16th century sonnets and archival research
• Examples of practical work include digitally recording dialect speakers in a small traditional fishing community, or scouring digitised child language databanks
• Other teaching methods include lectures, demonstrations and learning by teaching others

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Assessment

• You’re assessed through a combination of coursework (assignments, essays and tests) and end-of-year examinations.
• Weighted 50% coursework and 50% exams depending on which modules you choose.
• Other assessment methods include quizzes, presentations, portfolios, group work, and projects.