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BA (Honours) English Language - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

The qualification will enable you to become a critical consumer and user of language. Through a focus on English, it will equip you with the tools and theoretical models to explore how language choices are affected by historical, social and cultural contexts. You’ll learn to critically reflect on and expand your own repertoire of English language practices. The qualification promotes critical literacy – expecting you to analyse spoken, written and multimodal texts from a variety of genres. It will help you understand, for example, how texts are constructed to be persuasive, hide biases, convey humour and creativity, and foster or hinder understanding between individuals or groups. You’ll explore the significance and power of language in social and economic life in countries where English is the majority language (such as the United Kingdom and the USA) and in countries where it exists alongside one or more other languages (such as India or South Africa). The global reach of English in media, business, education, and through literatures in English provides extensive opportunities to teach and develop you as a critical global citizen, able to apply your skills to other areas of your life.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You’ll be able to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of:

  • The history of English, its contemporary diversity, its role as a global language, and its use in a range of contexts in various parts of the world.
  • Debates surrounding the historical and contemporary position of English in relation to other languages or language varieties, including an appreciation of the significance of intercultural competence in modern society.
  • The nature of linguistic evidence and the different methods used in the collection, description and analysis of language data.
  • How language and literature both reflect and affect cultural change and difference, and the way texts are written and received within literary, cultural and socio-historical contexts.
  • How people use English, as a first or additional language, in a range of social, cultural and educational contexts.

Cognitive skills

You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to:

  • Synthesise information and ideas drawn from varied sources, and critically evaluate alternative explanations, arguments and theories.
  • Employ appropriate literacy strategies (both digital and non-digital) to appreciate, interrogate and create a wide variety of written, spoken and multimodal texts.
  • Describe and analyse texts using appropriate linguistic and critical terminology.
  • Apply theories and methods of analysis to review, consolidate and extend knowledge and understanding of English language topics, and to initiate small-scale investigations.

Practical and/or professional skills

You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to:

  • Reflect critically on your own linguistic experiences and relationship to the English language.
  • Identify and evaluate conflicting arguments, including recognising the significance of different cultural and value positions in these arguments.

Key skills

You’ll be able to:

  • Read, synthesise, critically evaluate, and effectively and appropriately communicate information using a variety of sources and drawing on relevant theoretical frameworks as appropriate.
  • Study and work independently using a variety of appropriate media, including digital tools.
  • Make appropriate use of feedback to improve your own performance.
  • Understand, interpret and discuss basic statistical data in the form of graphs, tables and diagrams.
  • Produce appropriate texts for a wide range of academic and other purposes.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

The modules in this qualification employ a blended approach of textbooks, online materials, synchronous and non-synchronous online tutorials and meetings with tutors. All modules involve assignments and either an end-of-course assessment or exam.