Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

The programme seeks to:

• encourage in students a sense of enthusiasm for the study of English and foster engagement with reading, writing and visual sources, through a broad and diverse curriculum;
• encourage students to reflect critically upon acts of writing and reading in English, and on the history of textual production and reception;
• promote understanding of verbal creativity and appreciation of the aesthetic features of literary and non-literary texts;
• enable students to think independently, reason critically, analyse different forms of discourse, and weigh the importance of alternative arguments and perspectives;
• instill in students advanced competence in oral and written communication;
• develop a range of subject specific and generic skills of value in graduate employment, including highly developed critical, analytical and research skills.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

• The English Benchmark Statement
• Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
• SEEC Level Descriptors
• University Learning and Teaching Strategy

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: 

• the distinctive characteristics of the different literary genres of fiction, poetry, drama and other kinds of writing and communication;
• a range of authors and texts from different periods of history, including those before 1800;
• the relationship between literature and other forms of cultural production;
• the role of critical traditions in shaping literary history, and the importance of the linguistic, literary, cultural and socio-historical contexts in which literature is written and read;
• the appropriate and precise use of critical, linguistic and stylistic terminology;
• the range and variety of contemporary approaches to literary study which may include creative practice and its theorization;
• how literature and language produce and reflect cultural change;
• the structure and functions of the English language and of its regional and global varieties;

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• use critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts;
• show sensitivity to generic conventions and to the shaping effects on communication of circumstances, authorship, textual production and intended audience;
• demonstrate awareness of how different social and cultural contexts affect judgments about the nature of language and literature;
• show understanding of the critical and theoretical models that apply to their studies; appreciate of the central role of language in the creation of meaning;
• rhetorical skills of effective communication and argument;
• where appropriate, demonstrate the use of theories and techniques of writing in their own creative work.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• present cogent and persuasive arguments both in written and oral form and be able to respond to a range of texts through creative or analytical writing;
• critically evaluate the effectiveness and value of a wide range of oral and written communication.
• Demonstrate advanced and effective research skills, including the ability to access, work with, and evaluate digital sources;
• demonstrate the capacity for independent thought and judgment through critical or creative practice;
• deploy a broad range of critical vocabulary and appropriate theoretical terminology;
• demonstrate bibliographic skills appropriate to the discipline, and expertise in accurately citing sources and using scholarly conventions in the presentation of work.

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: demonstrate advanced literacy and communication skills: 

• demonstrate advanced analytical skills and be able to handle complex information in a structured and systematic way;
• understand and be able to interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical and interpretive positions and be able to weigh the importance of alternative perspectives;
• show the capacity to adapt and transfer the critical methods of the discipline to a variety of working environments;
• show their ability to initiate and take responsibility for their own work;
• work with others through the presentation of ideas and the collective negotiation of solutions;
• demonstrate high-level IT skills and the ability to access work with and evaluate electronic resources;
• demonstrate effective organisational and time-management skills.

4. Programme structure

All modules are weighted at 20 credits except for the Part C Dissertation module which is a 40 credit weighting. For BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing, the dissertation must showcase creative writing; for BA (Hons) English Literature, the dissertation must be on an approved topic in English Literature. Optional module titles are indicative of the options typically offered on the programmes, subject to availability and timetable permitting.

Students will be given appropriate academic advice each year, and can develop a concentration in either creative writing (for BA Hons English with Creative Writing) or English Literature (for BA Hons English Literature).

Students may select modules (with a total weighting of 20 credits) from those listed in the School Catalogue or the University’s Module Catalogue subject to approval by the School.

4.1 Part A

Part A Compulsory Modules (100 credits for BA Hons English, BA Hons English Literature) 

Optional Modules In semester two, in addition to the above compulsory modules, the student must choose a 20 credit optional module.

Part A Compulsory Modules (100 credits for BA Hons English with Creative Writing) 

 Optional Modules In semester two, in addition to the above compulsory modules, the student must choose a 20 credit optional module.

4.2 Part B

BA Hons English with Creative Writing students must take the compulsory module:

BA Hons English and BA Hons English with Creative Writing students must choose 40-credits from the list of Group 1 modules, at least one module in each semester, one of which must be a pre-1800 module (HTB710 or HTB711) and one of which must be a post-1800 module (HTB008 or HTB712).  The remaining credits may be chosen from modules in Groups 1, 2 and 3 over semesters 1 and 2 of which a maximum of 20 can be from Group 3.

 Group 1

Group 2

Group 3 

4.3 Part I - Total modular weight of 120 credits 

Four year programme – students registered on the four-year programme will undertake one of the following approved study and/or work placements leading to the Diploma in International Studies (DIntS) or Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) in accordance with Regulation XI. 

4.4 Part C 

Compulsory Modules: Students are advised to select a Dissertation topic that reflects their specialist interests. For BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing, the dissertation must showcase creative writing; for BA (Hons) English Literature, the dissertation must be on an approved topic in English Literature.

 BA (Hons) English Literature students must take:

BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing student must take:

Optional Modules (For BA (Hons) English: total modular weight 80 credits. For BA (Hons) English Literature and BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing: total modular weight 60 credits)

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

5.1 In order to progress from Part A to Part B, from Part B to C, and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX

5.2 Provision will be made in accordance with Regulation XX for candidates who have the right of reassessment in any Part of the programme to undergo re-assessment in the University's special assessment period.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of their performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C, in accordance with the scheme set out in Regulation XX. The percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part B: 40%, Part C: 60% to determine the final percentage mark.