BA English Language and History (Including Foundation Year)

Example structure
Studying at Essex is about discovering yourself, so your course combines compulsory and optional modules to make sure you gain key knowledge in the discipline, while having as much freedom as possible to explore your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.
For many of our courses you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from – those listed in this example structure are just a selection of those available. The opportunity to take optional modules will depend on the number of core modules within any year of the course. In many instances, the flexibility to take optional modules increases as you progress through the course.
Our Programme Specification gives more detail about the structure available to our current first-year students, including details of all optional modules.
Year 0
An Introduction to the History of the United Kingdom During the Twentieth Century
Major Writers in English Literature
Political and Social Theory From Plato to the Present Day
Western Philosophy: Fundamental Questions, Major Thinkers
Academic Skills
Year 1
Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics
Sounds
Skills for Linguists
Language Variation and Change
Words and Sentences
Society, Culture and Politics in Europe 1500-1750 (optional)
From Disunity to Unity? An Introduction to the History of Europe in the 20th Century (optional)
Introduction to Latin American History: From 16th Century Conquest to 19th Century Modernization (optional)
Year 2
Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics
Phonology
Semantics and Pragmatics
Analysing the structure of English
Making Histories: Concepts, Themes and Sources
Research methods for language and linguistics
Literature and the Condition of England (optional)
South Africa: The Road to Apartheid (optional)
Between Protection and Control: Policing Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries (optional)
Final year
American Languages (optional)
Language Rights (optional)
Project: Linguistics (optional)
The United States and the Vietnam War (optional)
Fictions of Empire (optional)
Witch-Trials in Early Modern Europe and New England (optional)
Teaching
Teaching is arranged to allow freedom in how you organise your learning experience
Examples of practical work include digitally recording dialect speakers in a small traditional fishing community, or scouring digitised child language databanks
Other teaching methods include lectures, demonstrations and learning by teaching others
Assessment
You are assessed for English Language modules through a combination of coursework (assignments, essays and tests) and end-of-year examinations
Assessment methods for History modules include essays, coursework journals, oral presentations, book and film reviews, source analysis, and the dissertation
In your final year, you conduct research on a topic chosen with one of your lecturers, for your dissertation. Your lecturer supports you throughout your project and is an expert in the research area.
Weighted 50% coursework and 50% examinations
Other methods of assessment include graded participation in seminars and classes, presentations, or group work
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