English Language and English Literature

About This Course

Our English Language and English Literature (with Foundation Year) option is a four-year course with an integrated foundation year which leads to the same qualification as our three-year honours degree. It has been specifically designed for those wanting to undertake degree-level study but who may not meet the entry requirements or have traditional qualifications.

This English Language and English Literature (with Foundation Year) course gives you the opportunity to study two important aspects of the best-described language in the world. You will examine how English works, why and how it is used, and where it has come from.

The English Language component of this degree will give you the opportunity to learn about the grammatical structure of English (e.g., how words and sentences are formed), how meaning is made, interpreted and extended across whole discourses, how sounds are formed, produced, and understood, and how language use varies across speakers and groups and how it changes over time. You will also explore the history of English, the development and emergence English dialects and World Englishes, how English is used in society (e.g., how socio-cultural variables shape the use of English) and the role of English in society, in education and as a global lingua franca.

In studying English Literature, you will read and learn to critically analyse a range of English literature in different genres and forms and from across the span of English history, from Anglo-Saxon times to today. You will also develop critical techniques, skills in reading literature and study texts and authors from a wide range of English, British and American literature. Literary works will be studied in different of ways - looking at social or political contexts or taking a more linguistic or stylistic approach.

The Foundation Year (Year 0) offers you the chance to expand and strengthen your confidence, skills and knowledge – ensuring that you are well-prepared and qualified to progress into Year 1 of the undergraduate degree.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• We are a vibrant, accessible, friendly department with staff committed to high-quality teaching, excellent student experience, strong pastoral support, and the integration of current cutting-edge research and topics into your lectures throughout the duration of your studies. We are also dedicated to ensuring that our English Language and English Literature (with Foundation Year) students develop excellent skills in critical thinking, data analysis, presentation and independent research to enhance their employability upon graduation.
• We are committed to small-group teaching: many of our modules are delivered through weekly seminars, alongside lectures; others are taught solely by weekly seminars.
• You will gain sound insight into the structure and use of language as well as develop the ability to critically analyse a wide range of literature.
• Teaching staff are active researchers in a range of theoretical and applied areas of English Language, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and English Literature - many have international reputations in the field.
• Our state-of-the-art linguistics and English language learning facilities include a professional grade sound / recording studio (our Speech laboratory), an eye tracking laboratory, and an event-related potential (ERP) laboratory and a corpus-linguistics resource facility. We also have audio and video equipment that can be checked out for field work. Our facilities also include an extensive collection of books on Linguistics and English Language and a language library which is maintained by our undergraduate student association - the Bangor Linguistics Society (BLS).
• You will join a vibrant literary community. Our close links with Pontio, the University’s, £40 million Arts Centre, local theatres, poetry groups and vibrant student societies – including our Bangor English Drama Society (BEDS) – there are lots of chances for you to get involved.