Lancaster University

The study of English language and English literature are strongly connected and mutually reinforcing. The link between the two subjects at Lancaster is made particularly obvious by the presence, in the Department of Linguistics and Modern English Language, of courses in Stylistics, a sub-discipline which focuses on style in language, and particularly on the analysis of the language of literary texts. The study of other areas of English Language, such as grammar, phonetics and the history of English, can also bring give students insights into the study of literature. Similarly, the close study of literary uses of language enriches students appreciation of the communicative richness of human language, and of the English Language in particular. The program is also intended to prepare students for professions where expertise in English language and literature is an asset (for example teaching English as a mother tongue or as a foreign language, publishing, etc.).

English Language

The English Language degree is taught within the Linguistics Department, which aims to be a national and international centre of excellence in the study of language. It aims to provide all students with high quality teaching, utilising its excellence in scholarship and research. Teaching and learning in the department are based on a wide-ranging understanding of the discipline.

The study of English Language is necessarily close to Linguistics, but there is a marked difference of emphasis. Whereas Linguistics is concerned with human language in general, English Language is concerned specifically with English; for example the study of Arabic syntax clearly comes under the heading of Linguistics, while the study of Northern English dialects comes under the heading of English Language. General linguistic concepts are applied in the study of English Language, and English data is used, e.g. in the study of language acquisition, to elucidate areas of general linguistic interest.

• To develop students subject specific, cognitive, and transferable skills through a variety of different learning environments and modes of assessment
• To offer high quality teaching, informed by staff research, which helps students realise their creative and academic potential, whether they are studying for personal development, further study, or employment in a broad range of areas;
•  To enable students to engage in debate on matters of English Language and to analyse the kind of English they hear around them in contemporary life;
• To encourage students in thinking critically and independently about English Language issues; to be aware of a range of different theoretical and methodological perspectives within English Language studies and to be able to apply their general understanding to real world examples;
• To generate a broad understanding of the range of areas of investigation in English Language studies by offering a wide range of substantive topics from which students can choose;
• To provide a general appreciation of the socially constituted and embedded nature of English Language practices and institutions

English Literature

English Literature at university level is a wide-ranging and evolving subjectnew approaches to traditional texts and new areas of study continually refresh and revitalize this discipline. At Lancaster students study a substantial number of authors and texts from different periods and areas of literary history, and these are interrelated in a variety of ways. At the heart of the subject lies a rigorous, focused and imaginative engagement with literary texts.

Students are encouraged to:

• develop their close reading skills that increase their appreciation and understanding of the creative powers of language and literary forms.
• learn about the many contexts (for example, historical, geographical, social, political, stylistic, ethnic, sexual) in which literary texts are produced and read.
• reflect on the active role played by literature both historically and in contemporary society,
• acquire an enhanced sensitivity to cultures and ideas different from their own.

All this is underpinned by an awareness of key debates concerning the status, value and interpretation of literary texts. Students learn to appreciate what complexities underlie acts of reading, interpretation and evaluation, and make use of theories about language, authorship, history, gender, nationality, ideology and the self.

The course, introducing students to a variety of texts (and approaches to these texts), both requires and fosters open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity, and stimulates the capacity to respond creatively and innovatively to new challenges. All this is underpinned by the departments well-attested research strengths in a number of areasnineteenth century, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (especially drama), womens writing and feminist theory, medieval theatre, and modern literature (including creative writing) and critical theory.

Our desire is that students will retain an enthusiasm for literature, and a sense of its past and present importance in society, beyond the period of their formal studies.

The degree programme provides graduates with a wide range of key skills, knowledge, interests and attitudes that enable them to compete successfully for employment in a wide range of job markets. It also provides well qualified English Literature graduates who are suited for further study in the subject and will go on to work in schools, colleges and universities.

The programme specifications and outcomes for the English Language degree and English Literature degree apply to the joint degree in English Language and Literature. The English Literature programme inculcates a high level of argument, writing skills and rigorous analytical abilities within that subjects traditional frame of reference. As well as re-enforcing those learning outcomes, the English Language modules provide a focus on linguistic issues and phenomena, and offers an empirical, social science perspective on the study of texts.

English Language

Knowledge and Understanding:

By the end of the course, the typical students should be able to demonstrate:

• A familiarity with traditional areas of language study applied to English:

-           Sounds, pronunciation and sound structure (phonetics and phonology)

-           Grammar (morphology and syntax)

-           Meaning (semantics and pragmatics)

• A familiarity with one or more new areas of language study applied to English including:

-           Language and society (sociolinguistics)

-           Language and gender

-           Literacy

-           Stylistics

-           English Language Teaching

• The ability to think critically and independently about English Language issues, including:

-           correct English and standard English

-           varieties of English, including British English, American English and World English

-           English in different social situations, e.g. academic English, e-mail English

Skills

Intellectual skills

• Be able to find out valid information about the English language by combining

-           the ability to analyse natural data

-           an understanding of relevant theory

-           familiarity with modern methodologies

• Be able to extract useful information from large computer-based English Language corpora by the application of highly specialised IT skills

Transferable skills

Be able to:

• Summarise and compare conceptually based theoretical arguments,
• Assimilate information from taught material with independent reading and produce written work that demonstrates a grasp of the main learning outcomes of particular courses
• Communicate ideas to others, make presentations based on prepared material and participate effectively in small group contexts
• Use library and IT resources effectively in the preparation of written work
• Work independently and carry out independent research under supervision and guidance;
• Manage time effectively

English Literature

The scheme of study provides opportunities for students to develop the following learning outcomes. Since these outcomes are foundational to the subject, they are set up as objectives early in the scheme and remain essentially the same throughout the three years of study. Students knowledge, understanding and skills increase incrementally in competence, depth and complexity. There is a greater expectation in final year that students will be able to make connections across courses, thus demonstrating skills in analytical comparison, and skills of synthesis and informed generalization, all of which contribute to their final achievements as critics.

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Knowledge of a wide historical and generic range of literary texts, and a capacity to discuss their affinities and differences in informed ways;
• Skills of close reading of literary texts;
• Acquisition of necessary critical terminology;
• Knowledge of conventions and literary forms;
• Appreciation of the creative, expressive and rhetorical powers of language;
• Informed historical understanding; knowledge of the complex relationships of texts to their various contexts; understanding of cultural difference and historical process as they affect literary texts;
• Theoretically informed understanding of the production, reading, interpretation and evaluation of literary texts and literary criticism (including ones own critical work);
• Knowledge of some of the relevant scholarly research in the subject (published and ongoing) as an aid to understanding texts.

Skills:

• powers of analysis across a variety of forms of discourse;
• informed, critical engagement with complex material and with others ideas in an open way; skills of critical reasoning;
• research in both short (essay-length) and extended projects (dissertation): identifying questions, the structured systematic acquisition of substantial amounts of complex information, and its analysis and organized use;
• independent thinking, self-directed study;
• problem solving within a small group;
• coherent, sustained and persuasive oral and written argument on the basis of evidence;
• the ability to communicate with clarity, confidence (and possibly vividness and elegance), employing a range of language-based skills;
• meticulous and scholarly presentation of material in the manner required;
• word-processing skills; other IT skills (depending on courses taken and research projects);
• the ability to combine independent with interactive work, and the capacity to respond to guidance in a reflective and positive manner;
• self-reflection and negotiation;
• organization of work and time-management;
• ability to apply these skills to a wide range of issues and tasks.