Content
The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
Year one
You will study:
- Constructing Language(s)
- Phonetics and Forensic Linguistics
- Making Meaning
- English: Past, Present and Future.
Study exchange (if applicable/possible)
If you choose the study exchange option, you'll spend Year two studying at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands).
See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.
Year two
You will study:
- Studying Speech Communities
- Language Acquisition.
Plus, four optional modules from:
- Intercultural Communication
- Language at Work
- Investigating Language as Social Impact
- Language of Life
- Nonverbal Communication.
Placement year (if applicable)
If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after Year two.
You'll complete a placement learning module.
See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.
Final year
You will study four optional modules (three if you've completed a placement year) from:
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages*
- Creative Writing and the Self
- Critical Discourse Analysis
- Language in the Mind
- The Cultural History of the English Language
- Language Project
- Gender, (Im)politeness and Power in Language
- Language and Cognition.
*This does not result in the awarding of any TESOL certificate.
This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.
"My course developed my language and communication skills, which prepared me for a career in Speech and Language Therapy. I also gained voluntary experience at the Bristol Centre for Linguistics, where I supported adults with their language learning." Francesca, 2019 English Language and Linguistics graduate
Learning and Teaching
Learn through lectures, workshops, one-to-one tutorials and smaller discussion-based seminar groups. You'll be supported through your course with essay feedback tutorials, study skills support and writing workshops, as well as peer-assisted learning (PAL) sessions.
Build a compelling set of professional skills, with access to leading facilities and opportunities to work with experienced professionals.
Modules in English language will help you develop skills in examining and analysing texts. Build an understanding of how meaning is made in spoken and written texts, and explore how English has developed into the global language it is today. Explore how communication happens in different settings and cultures, and look at topics such as non-verbal communication and communication and identity.
The linguistics modules will take a social and scientific approach to the study of language. Learn about structure (morphology and syntax, how words and sentences are built), sound (phonetics and phonology, the study of speech sounds and how they are stored in the mind) and language and the mind (how language is learned and stored).
Work with new technology such as our Eye Tracker system, take part in dialect studies on Twitter, and work on live briefs with our external partners.
Apply the knowledge you gain in lectures on field trips and study visits. For instance, you'll explore aspects of forensic linguistics and see how language is used on a visit to Bristol Crown Court.
Build your own research skills, and work with academics and partners helping to shape new thinking in the field.
Learn to become 'enterprising', building your confidence to take your skills into many different careers.
Find out more about our academic staff, their teaching expertise and research interests.
To find out more, see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Get involved
Join the dynamic Linguistics Society, which organises language-related talks and social events, and sharpen your skills by writing for UWE Bristol student media including the UWE Bristol Lingo blog and other student-led outlets.
Take part in research projects through the Bristol Centre for Linguistics, such as Sounds Bristolian, which celebrates the kaleidoscope of languages, language varieties, styles and identities that make the city of Bristol distinctive.
Develop as an 'engaged citizen', getting involved in projects such as teaching English to women at Bristol's Somali Centre, or working with primary schools to develop more inclusive language policies.
Study time
You'll have 12 hours per week contact time over 24 weeks, with an additional hour for peer-assisted learning (PAL) sessions each week.
Outside of class, you'll undertake course reading, seminar exercises, preparation and writing of assignments, as well as organising group presentations (both oral and poster). We expect you to spend at least as much time again in essential independent study.
Assessment
You'll be assessed through exams, essays and portfolios. You'll graduate with a body of work that demonstrates your skills to employers.
Learn more about assessments.