BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

You'll be taught in different ways, from lectures to small-group discussions and individual work. Our different teaching formats equip you to be an effective independent learner. In your first year we offer you extra study support in several ways. Our Peer Assisted Learning programme gives you the opportunity to work with other students. You can also add an optional contact hour with one of our staff each week and receive additional support with easing into university life.

First year

You'll focus on learning how to use the tools of linguistic study and attend large lectures, accompanied by set work to complete. You'll also have regular smaller group sessions, which give you the opportunity to discuss your progress, resolve problems and expand upon the set exercises. Our first-year module "Understanding Language in the Real World" uses an innovative approach called problem-based learning (PBL). In these sessions, you’ll work with fellow students in teams to come up with solutions to real-world language problems.

Second year

In addition to lectures, you can participate in group presentations and practical sessions. You'll also prepare in advance for seminar discussions, which may include library-based research. Classes in second year tend to be smaller, and students have more opportunities to write essays and design their own projects.

Final year

You'll work with challenging and stimulating primary research papers for some modules. For other modules involving phonetic or grammatical analysis, you'll work in the lab. You'll take a primary role in researching and presenting content. You can choose to produce your own research project, and you'll be supervised by a member of staff for this

Teaching structure

Throughout the course, you'll typically spend 12 hours per teaching week in the classroom. You should expect to devote at least 30 additional hours a week to independent study, completing set exercises, reading, researching projects, coursework and assessment preparation. In Semester 1, you'll have a “consolidation week” without lectures or seminars. This is an opportunity to consolidate what was learned in the first half of the semester. In Semester 2, there will be no reading week and no consolidation week, but there will be a two-week Easter break.

Timetabled activities

In your first year, you can expect:

These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.

Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Facilities

All of our modules have Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) websites where all crucial materials — reading lists, handouts, discussion boards — are always accessible. Most first-year modules provide additional self-study practice exercises on the VLE.

We have our own departmental e-lab for the teaching and study time of our students. Here you will have access to a variety of resources, including specialist linguistics software, collections of text and speech, and online language-learning materials. Several undergraduate modules are taught in this laboratory and you'll receive training in using these resources.

Teaching location

You will be based in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science on Campus West. Your contact hours will be on Campus West.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

You'll complete different types of assessments throughout your degree. These include coursework and exams, ranging from short sets of exercises and extended essays, to group projects where you research and present a topic in a team. 

You'll also take formative assessments, which do not count towards your final mark, but offer you feedback on your progress and development. Types of feedback can include in-class discussion of common problems on a particular assignment, model answers, one-on-one discussion of research projects and online responses on the module discussion board, as well as written feedback on work that you have submitted.

We can make appropriate adjustments to assessment procedures for students with disabilities. See the University's disability support pages for further details.