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Introduction

Location

Institution code: D26

Course Length

UCAS course code: Q315
Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Why choose this course?

Key features:

 With a wide range of modules, you can study the theories and practice of English language in detail, as well as tailor your learning to your specific interests and career ambitions. You can select a route through this degree in English Literature, Creative Writing, Drama, Education, Film, History, Journalism or Media. These carefully chosen routes will complement and enrich your understanding of your main subject, alongside broadening your skillset to give you a wider range of career paths upon graduation.
 You will develop a range of skills and knowledge relating to the analysis of digital communication and the study of language through the application of digital tools and methodologies.
 Evolve a range of transferrable skills that are valuable to a variety of career paths. Our graduates have gone on to work at Meisei University in Tokyo, the Department of Transport, communications agencies, and schools in the UK and overseas.
 Visiting lecturers have included world-renowned expert of forensic linguistics Dr John Olsson, while organised trips to professional events have seen students visit the London Language Show.
 Gain workplace abilities and experience by putting your research, reasoning, and communication skills into practice on a placement or extracurricular internship during your degree.
 Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Overview

The language you speak shapes the world you see. This degree helps you understand both better, and to make connections between what you study and what goes on in the world beyond the classroom.

You will develop skills in linguistic analysis and your own abilities to use language adeptly and appropriately in any potential context. You will also acquire a range of key transferrable skills including, among others, textual analysis, synthesis, writing and general presentation skills, which will equip you for a wide range of careers.

We live in a world governed and connected by technology. At DMU we believe that you should study the nature of the 'wired' environment and how it influences who you are. As part of our approach to digital humanities, you will have the opportunity to see how communication and language operate on web-based platforms, and how the application of digital tools and methods can deepen the knowledge of your chosen subject area.

Modules

Year 1

Block 1: Approaches to Reading and Writing
Block 2: Words in Action
Block 3: Evolving Language OR you can select to study one route from the list below:

 English Literature: Intro to Drama: Shakespeare
 Creative Writing: Writers Salon
 Drama: Shifting Stages
 Film: Disney, Warner Bros and the Film Studio
 Education: Childhood, Social Justice and Education
 History: Global Cities
 Media: Media, Culture and Society
 Journalism: Understanding Journalism

Block 4: Topics in Linguistics: Theory in Practice

Year 2

Block 1: Structure and Meaning
Block 2: Research Methods for Linguists
Block 3: Sociolinguistics OR continue with the route selected in the first year:

 English Literature: Text Technologies
 Creative Writing: Story Craft
 Drama: Theatre Revolutions
 Film: Screen Archives
 Education: Preparing for professional practice and Cultural and Educational Transformations
 History: Humans and the Natural World
 Media: Public Relations
 Journalism: Beyond News

Block 4: Pragmatics, Theory and Practice

Year 3

Block 1: Yearlong: Dissertation
Block 2: Language Acquisition and Expression
Block 3: Language and Identity OR continue with the route selected in the first year

 English Literature: World Englishes: On the Page and Beyond
 Creative Writing: Uncreative Writing, Creative Misbehaviour
 Drama: Performance, Identity and Activism
 Film: British Cinema
 Education: Adult Learners and Lifelong Learning OR Reflection on Practice: Teaching and Learning OR Gender and Education
 History: The World on Display
 Media: Gender and TV Fictions
 Journalism: Music, Film and Entertainment Journalism

Block 4: Communication, Control and Resistance

Entry Criteria

ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.

IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

 104 points from at least 2 A'levels
 BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
 International Baccalaureate: 24+ Points or
 T Levels Merit

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

 Pass Access with 30 level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above.

We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

 We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

Interview required: No

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Assessment

ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Teaching and assessments

You will be taught by staff with a wide range of knowledge and experience in English Language and linguistics (theoretical, applied, and historical), modern foreign languages, English literature, English as a foreign language, history, international relations and American studies. Members of the team are engaged in a wide range of research projects which feed directly into our teaching. The staff who teach you also demonstrate a deep commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, as evidenced by the holding of awards from the Higher Education Authority and Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award.
There is a varied mix of assessment including: reports, essays, blogs, wikis, tests and oral presentations. The assessments are designed to build on each other as you progress in your studies and you will have opportunities to receive feedback on your work throughout. With a variety of different assessment methods, you can build on your individual strengths as well as develop a range of skills in creativity, project management, team work, verbal communication, writing for a variety of audiences and the use of different technologies.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. In your first year you will normally attend around 10 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Career Opportunities

Placements

Insight into the professional world is a valuable opportunity to enhance and build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career. 

Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, across a range of companies including public relations agencies and local schools. For instance, our students have worked as teaching assistants in schools, supported children with special educational needs through speech and language therapy, assisted with Digital Humanities research projects at DMU’s Centre for Textual Studies, worked in local publishing, at the Leicester Mercury and for the BBC. 

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Students on this course have been on DMU Global trips to explore ekphrastic writing and themes of oppression in Berlin, as well as visiting TED HQ and key literary locations in New York.

Graduate careers

Our graduates have strong linguistic, reasoning and analytical skills, making them highly employable. We develop our students’ information analysis and presentation skills to produce articulate, adaptable, professional communicators who can operate with ease in any setting and with any group of people.

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