Birmingham City University - ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE - BA (HONS)

Birmingham City University

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE - BA (HONS)

English Language and Literature degrees instill graduates with a vast range of skills, which are highly sought after by employers. The BA (Hons) English Language and Literature course will support you in developing interdisciplinary skills in both areas, as well as the wider field of humanities...

English Language and Literature degrees instill graduates with a vast range of skills, which are highly sought after by employers.

The BA (Hons) English Language and Literature course will support you in developing interdisciplinary skills in both areas, as well as the wider field of humanities.

 

You will have a unique opportunity to strengthen your critical skills in informed reading and analysis, whilst deepening your appreciation for language and literature. You will develop your writing, close reading, and research skills, and learn to express your arguments coherently and persuasively.

 

Your language studies will be applied to everyday and professional settings, allowing you to strengthen your understanding of communicative processes, while your literature studies will provide an opportunity to examine literature from all of the major periods, movements, and genres. Your degree will allow you to tailor your studies to your interests.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS COURSE?

English as a discipline continues to be relevant to the lives we lead and is central to a wide range of contemporary and social contexts. It is this fact on which the School has built its philosophy and approach to English as a subject with an interdisciplinary reach beyond its boundaries.

Understanding how language works in practice, engaging with multiple forms of communication, and examining how language and literature engage with societies and cultures in the past and present, are all vital aspects in understanding how the discipline connects with the wider world, enabling you to focus on the production, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning and to understand the world from a variety of perspectives.

You will benefit from student-focused and research-informed teaching in a friendly and supportive learning environment. Our graduates are characterized by their extensive subject knowledge, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity, reflected in the skills and abilities that enable them to adapt to a wide range of career paths and employment opportunities.

The School contributes to the cultural life of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands by working closely with partner colleges and schools; maintaining close links with cultural institutions such as the Birmingham and Midland Institute (BMI) and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG); and working with agencies such as Writing West Midlands. The aim is to provide opportunities for the community to engage with the discipline and the University.

Entry Requirements

Essential Requirements: 

112 UCAS tariff points.

GCSE: 

  • Minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above one of which MUST include English Language
  • Must have been achieved at the point of enrolment.

IELTS: 

Minimum overall score of 6.0, with 6.0 in writing and no less than 5.5 in the remaining three skills.

Career Prospects

The School's employability programme includes sector- and industry-specific skills in creative writing, drama, linguistics, and literature, as well as transferable skills like literacy, numeracy, time management, communication, teamwork, initiative, creative thinking, self-direction, discipline, independence, information gathering, and interpersonal skills. Students will have opportunities to engage in problem-solving and problem-based learning through individual assessments and collaborative practice modules. The School is dedicated to developing strong links with employers in Birmingham and the West Midlands, with language and Creative Writing modules involving employer and industry engagement. The Work Placement module allows students to develop skills in a sector-specific context while ensuring academic aims and objectives are met. The School also seeks opportunities to build further links with partner organizations in the region, such as Creative Black Country, Birmingham Literary Festival, Birmingham Museums Trust, Arvon Creative Writing Foundation, Flatpack Film Festival, West Midlands Screenwriters' Forum, and other schools within the University.

Course Details

The programme combines traditional teaching and learning approaches with innovative, multi-platform learning support, grounded in a student-partnership model which will encourage engagement beyond the scope of the course and ensure that you develop key transferable skills to enhance your employment. The modules you study will help you develop skills in critical analysis, investigative approach and imaginative thinking.

In Year one, you will focus on developing core knowledge, including theory and practice-based elements, across English Studies. In the second half of Year one, you will be able to specialise further in your chosen area of study, and expand that in your Year two and Year three modules.

Year One

CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
Literature, Drama and Origin 20 credits
Foundations of Language 20 credits
Foundations of Creative Writing 20 credits
Language in Action 20 credits
Key Critical Concepts 20 credits
OPTIONAL modules:
Literature and Conflict 20 credits
Craft of Writing 20 credits
Modern Drama

Year Two

CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):
Writing and the Environment 20 credits
Grammar and Sounds 40 credits
OPTIONAL modules.
Collaborative Practice 20 credits
Work Placement 20 credits
Language in Society 20 credits
Foundations of Screenwriting 20 credits
Writing Poetry 20 credits
Writing Audio Drama 20 credits
Documentary Drama 20 credits
Gender, Sexuality and Culture 20 credits
The Victorians 20 credits
Literature and the Child 20 credits
Multicultural Writing 20 credits
Early Modern Literature

Year Three

CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):
Applied Sociolinguistics 40 credits
Major Project 40 credits
OPTIONAL modules.
Forensic Linguistics 20 credits
Language and Gender 20 credits
Teaching English as a Foreign Language 20 credits
Writing Creative Nonfiction 20 credits
Writing Short Films 20 credits
Nature Writing 20 credits
Literature, Art and Philosophy 20 credits
The Gothic 20 credits
Psychology in Victorian Literature 20 credits
Speculative Fiction 20 credits
Shakespeare Studies 20 credits
Moral Philosophy 20 credits
Milton’s Epic 20 credits
Film 20 credits
World Literature 20 credits
The Uncanny 20 credits
Corpus Linguistics 20 credits
Audio Drama and Podcast Writing

*The information’s are correct at the time of publishing, however it may change if university makes any changes after we have published the information. While we try our best to provide correct information, It is advisable to call us or visit university website for up to date information.

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