BA Hons English Language in the Media

We know the media matter to politicians and celebrities. But they also matter to everyone else, to managers, advertisers, teachers, parents, doctors, patients – anyone who might depend on them for information, or find themselves affected by their images. The clearest way to begin understanding media is to analyse media texts in detail: news broadcasts, situation comedies, magazine advertisements, talk shows, press photos, e-mails, or text messages on a mobile phone. You’ve probably already seen some of what can be done when you did English Language A-level. The idea behind the English Language in the Media degree is that language is used for communication in the public sphere, it is not just a complex abstract system. So we need to look beyond the words themselves to what people do with language, how they use technologies, and how language interacts with other modes of communication.

What do we mean by the media?

People tend to talk about 'The Media', lumping them all together into an all-powerful monster. Or they think just of television, and maybe new media such as the World Wide Web. But it is helpful to de-glamorise the media, and consider all the ways we extend our abilities to communicate, telephones, e-mail, magazines, leaflets, radio, posters, maps, and even such everyday media as notes left on the refrigerator. Once you consider the full range of media, you are likely to realise that there is a lot to learn about how these various channels work, and about the institutions and ways of working that have grown up around them.

What will I study?

In Part I you will take the following:

In Part II you take eight units in total, four in each year. At least six units must be taken within the Department (you can choose to take up to two units in another department, as a 'minor'). The following courses are compulsory:

  • LING203 English Sounds and Structures (to be taken in the second year)
  • LING211 The Language of Advertising - half-unit course (to be taken in the second year)
  • LING232 Understanding Media (to be taken in the second year)
  • LING233 Researching Media - half-unit course (to be taken in the second year)
  • LING306 Corpus-based English Language Studies (to be taken in the final year)
  • LING334 English Language in the Media Dissertation (to be taken in the final year)

The remaining units can be selected from the Department’s list of courses. LING204 Discourse Analysis: Looking at Language in Use is highly recommended and there are also a range of courses in other departments (Sociology, Politics etc) which complement this degree scheme.

What qualifications will you need?

We normally expect successful applicants to have AAA/AAB at A2 level, or equivalent, including English Language, or English Language and Literature, or a foreign or classical language. We normally expect three subjects at A2 Level. However, the third A-Level may be substituted by the average of two AS grades, one of which should have been taken in year 13. This requirement is to make sure students have enough background and aptitude in language analysis, which is the core of this degree.

We have planned this degree to appeal to students who have taken English Language A-level. But the course would also be of interest to students with a range of other qualifications, for instance mature students who have done access courses. The course focuses on English language texts, but students who learned English as a second or foreign language are at no disadvantage. Talk to us if you are unsure whether your qualifications are appropriate.

How is my work assessed?

As in all courses, there are examinations at the end of the first year before proceeding to the second and final years. In the second and final years, you will normally take an examination for each course at the end of the year in which you study it. Coursework typically involves an essay (2000-2500 words) each term for each course, but it often comes in other forms. The weighting of coursework varies with departments: in the Department of Linguistics and English Language the final mark is usually based on 40% coursework and 60% examination.

< Back to degrees list