Course summary
Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster.
Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.
The Foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within your chosen field. Core modules accelerate your academic and professional development and you will also take modules from areas closely related to your chosen field, giving you the chance to develop a cross-disciplinary perspective on your course.
On successful completion of the Foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the English Literature and Language BA Honours degree.
Our English Literature and Language BA gives you the opportunity to study English literature by focusing on both the wider social context and the language that is being used.
You'll be able to engage with an exciting variety of texts, both traditional (such as Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens) and non-traditional, alongside all sorts of other aspects of culture. You'll become a sophisticated reader of texts in their wider cultural contexts, at the same time as sharpening your skills in research. This training in critical and creative reading is particularly suitable if you are considering English teaching, the publishing or journalism industries, or any career that involves sophisticated communication skills and an advanced level of language use. It is of particular interest to those wishing to develop their skills as a writer. Our degree is strong in promoting the transferable and cognitive skills that employers value, and that contribute to lifelong personal and professional development.
We begin the course with an examination of what literature is and the tools that we use to discuss it, alongside focusing on how the English language works and the ways it is used to create different kinds of texts. As you progress through the course, you'll have the choice of a wide variety of literature from Old English, through Shakespeare, the 19th and 20th centuries to the present day; this may include texts from outside the traditional literary canon such as genre fiction and new forms of digital content.
Top reasons to study with us
- Learn from experts – You'll be taught by experts in their field, both in English literature and language and in neighbouring disciplines
- Benefit from small group learning – We offer weekly small group tutorials of five to eight students per tutor in addition to our regular seminars, which are designed to support your individual learning needs during the first two years of your degree
- Engage with a variety of texts – You'll be studying both traditional and non-traditional texts alongside all sorts of cultural works from film, the visual arts and museums
- Get experience before graduating – you’ll have the option to do a work placement as part of this course
- Learn transferable skills – Our degree will prepare you for a variety of careers by helping you to build your communication skills, research skills and creativity in problem-solving
Course structure
There is a range of optional modules available from within the School of Humanities and across the University in each year of study. In Year 3 you have a particularly extensive array of modules to choose from, which allows you to tailor the degree to your own interests and future aspirations. In Year 3 you also complete a dissertation in a topic of your choice, with one-to-one supervisory support.
Our principal mode of teaching is through seminars of 15-25 students, with some larger university lectures. A key feature of our degree is our weekly small group tutorials (five to eight students per tutor). These are designed to support your own individual learning needs as you go through the first two years. The tutorials are specific to this degree and provide an important space for you to find suitable support in your studies more generally, alongside enhancing your study and employability skills.
At university, much of your learning is independent, conducted beyond the classroom (individually and in groups) in the library, at home, and via our online learning system (Blackboard), and the tutorials provide essential support for independent study.
Assessment on the English Literature and Language BA varies from traditional essays, presentations and small analytic exercises of texts through to the preparation and execution of small research projects and ultimately the preparation and writing of your own dissertation in the final year. Some modules combine coursework with a short exam.
The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.
| Foundation | Subjects of study include: - Introduction to Academic Practice
- Intercultural Communication
- Imagining Global Society and Politics
- Critical Thinking for Academic and Professional Development
- Reading Identities
- History, Memory and Belonging
There are no optional or elective modules offered at Level 3, as the focus is on the development of key academic skills through a broad understanding of social sciences and humanities. Credit Level 3 |
| Year 1 | Subjects of study include: - English Literature and Language Tutorial
- What is Literature?
- Introducing English language
- Language and Text
- Keywords for Literary Studies
- World Varieties of English
- Shakespeare and Performance
- Poetry and Politics
Credit Level 4 |
| Year 2 | Subjects of study include: - English Literature and Language Tutorial
- The Novel
- Romanticisms
- The Victorian World
- Discourse across Time
- Language and Literary Style
- Child Language Acquisition
- Writing Revolutions
- Making Memory: Culture History and Representation
- Monsters
Credit Level 5 |
| Year Abroad | Between Years 2 and 3 you’ll have the option to undertake either a study or work placement at a partner institution abroad. The optional year abroad helps you develop cultural and intercultural awareness of the country you visit and gives you an opportunity to gain experience in a different setting. |
| Year 3 | Subjects of study include: - English Literature and Language Dissertation
- Language Contact and Change
- Studies in Literary Language
- Language and Power
- Language Form
- Applied Language Studies
- The Modernist World
- Tragedy: Ancient to Modern
- Fiction after 1950
- Issues in Culture
- Sexualities in Literature and Culture
- Special Topic
- Reading the Present
Credit Level 6 |
Graduates from this degree are prepared for a wide array of careers with their much sought-after skills in communication, analysis and research. This is not a narrowly focused vocational degree, but a degree that prepares you for any career that values advanced skills in spoken and written communication, and where you need to demonstrate initiative and creativity in problem-solving.
