BA (Hons) English Language & Communication

Course Overview

Humans are unique. Our intelligence and ability to use language to communicate makes us unique and language is everywhere that humans are. Communication is absolutely fundamental to almost everything we do and who we are. We use language not only to pass on information, but also to influence people, to negotiate, to make people feel good and for fun. Our BA (Hons) English Language & Communication degree develops your awareness of human communication in general and of the English language in particular. We train you in the skills to describe what you observe. You will analyse what people say and the way they say it. How do we do things like criticise and compliment people, persuade and instruct them? The variation we observe could be because they are being polite, are foreign, are aligning with a particular social identity or because they have a disorder, for example. At its heart the degree talks about the question “why do people say what they say, in the way that they say it?” For example, I chose those particular words to express that particular thought because the vowels in ‘they’, ‘say’ and ‘way’ are the same, adding alliterative power to my sentence. This is a key skill in persuasive texts in politics, media, religion and advertising, as well as in creative texts.

More Info

Linguistics is at the centre of academia. It bridges fields as diverse as psychology, sociology, philosophy, education, history, business and wherever else people are the subject of study. Our students come to us with really varied interests and the degree embraces that. Because it is a broad subject area, it will benefit any career path you choose, equipping you with an unrivalled flexibility on your career path. And if it takes you a bit of time to find your path, that’s fine too as it will make a perfect start for many nonlinear careers as well. We have small classes, which is really supportive and helps you get your head around the difficult topics. It’s a great way to meet people who are just like you, to work with them, and to create life-long friendships and collaborations, wherever you go when you graduate. We aim to challenge you, to help you set and achieve new goals and to help make your dream career become a reality. The rest is up to you.

Why this course at Marjon?

It’s a unique degree in the West of England!
It’s a highly practical degree.
You’ll have the flexibility and freedom to explore what interests you.
Includes elective modules from across the university!
Varied placements – for example, with schools, businesses, refugees and care homes.

Perfect if you're curious about:

How do people persuade and influence others using language?
How is language used to include and exclude people and groups?
How can we describe language and what does language use tell us about being human?
How do we teach it and can we fix it when it goes ‘wrong’?

Book an Open Day How to apply for this course

Course Snapshot

Dr Stephen Disney - Course Leader

"Your first year will give you a broad understanding of linguistics, phonetics and phonology. You will also learn about the principles behind human communication and how that can work in a professional environment. Second year modules can vary based on which area the student wishes to study. Some take modules on how the brain is wired for language while others look at communication in business or literature; it’s up to you! In your third year you will learn about the ‘rules’ of conversation and how this makes an impact on everyday life. You’ll learn about power dynamics in conversation and also do a dissertation on your choice of topic."

Modules

Optional modules are marked with (*).

1st Year

Introduction to Linguistics
An introduction to morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, which, forms the foundation for your skills for describing language. This module is shared with the Speech & Language Therapy programme.
Phonetics & Phonology
The terminology for describing the sounds of language and what sound systems are. We examine connected speech, the acoustic properties of speech, and some clinical issues. This module is shared with the SLT programme.
Language & the Life-course* (half module)
From learning language as a child, to language loss in old age, the role of language is central to life and your evolution as a person. This module introduces the basics of acquisition and disorders.
Human Communication: Principles & Practice
What are the basic ‘rules’ in human communication? Does anything go, or are there constraints? What do we actually do with language and are there basic patterns that can be observed and described?
Communication in Context
This is the first of your professional self-development modules. We focus on communicating in a university context and develop your written and presentational skills. You carry out a project that you have designed on a topic of your choice.
Communicating beyond words* (half module)
This module considers animal communication, body language & gestures, semiotics & photography, sign languages and other ways of communicating thoughts and attitude. :-)
Introduction to People Management *
Most graduates will have a job managing people at some point. This is your chance to get a basic grounding in people management as an optional module delivered by our partners in the Business school. A broad overview of human resource management developing your knowledge of human resource management processes and practices, for example, recruitment selection, performance management and training and development. You will also develop a range of skills including team working, conflict resolution and leadership.
Visualising Language
We can see speech on computer screens. We can draw pictures of grammatical structure. We can design maps of word meaning. Bring your pen, write on the walls, prepare to be challenged.

2nd Year

Words at Work
Communicating using language needs words. This module looks at word meaning; semantics. Consider the words black, blue and white. What do they mean? What are the connotations of these words? Evil, purity, feeling sad? Why? How do we know which meaning is meant in a sentence? There's a surprise in their history as well for us to have a look at!
Language in the Mind*
How is the brain wired for language? How does this help children learn language so easily? What effect on language does a damage to a particular part of the brain cause? Traditionally the field of psycholinguistics.
Yesterday & Today: Variation in English
The English language has changed considerably over time. The results of these changes give us huge variation in modern English. So here we look at dialect and accent variation as well as how language has changed in the last 1200 years.
People Management for Enterprise*
This is another chance to learn about people management as an optional module delivered by our partners in the Business school. Learn how business owners confidently manage their employees and encourage a creative and productive workforce. Work in teams to discover your most effective working styles and explore the people management structures of local, national and global businesses.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
Another optional module delivered by our partners in the Business school. Perfect if you are curious about the differences between enterprise and innovation. What does it mean to be intrapreneurial within an organisation? And how does that differ from an entrepreneur? You need to be serious about business to take this module!
Researching Human Communication
How do we know all these things that we know about language? Well, we can’t just guess, so we need to research people using language in real situations to find out! Here you learn about the basics in how to research communication and some aspects of data reporting and representation.
Communication at Work (with placement)
This is the second of your professional self-development modules. We focus here on communicating in a professional context and develop your ability to communicate about communication in a real life environment outside of the classroom in a work or business location of your choice. Alternatively, you may choose to do a communication based project or volunteer helping people. The assignment will still focus on what you learn about communicating, whatever you decide to do.
Optional module*
Optional module from a choice across Marjon.

3rd Year

Meaning in (inter)action
People talk. A lot. They seem to do so without consciously applying ‘rules’ of conversation. But we all know immediately when something goes wrong in communication; people can be seen as rude or unusual just because they don’t seem to know these unwritten ‘rules’. This is one of our core communication modules. Here we look at exactly how people achieve a range of actions and activities in the real world using language. We want to ask here why people are not just direct and straightforward with things like requests and instructions. How does this work? How are responses managed? What are the functions of pauses and hesitations? This module is concerned with the fields of pragmatics and conversation analysis.
Power, Persuasion & Politeness
The title of this module absolutely speaks for itself. Every relationship involves power differences, with people trying to persuade people about ideas or actions. All that is managed carefully by judging what level of politeness is needed and what strategy to use. Get these wrong, and nothing you can do or say can save you! This works at an individual level and also at a social level. So let’s get started; our subject open day talks may give you a sample of this in action!
Language Acquisition*
Here you explore everything from babbling to the acquisition of complex grammatical structures. You also look at what these aspects of language learning tell us about the brain and how child disorders can occur. A fascinating journey indeed!
Business Leadership*
If you took the level 5 module, this is a chance to learn even more about people management as an optional module delivered by our partners in the Business school. What does it take to be a great leader? How does an entrepreneurial leader differ from any other type of leader? In this module you will examine leadership theory and use case studies to evaluate leadership in practice.
Optional module*
Optional module from a choice across Marjon.
Dissertation Project
Dissertation Project
Your chance to become an expert in a topic of your choosing. This is a guided independent large piece of work, with a presentation at the end to tie it all together. What really makes your mind explode? Research it, write it, love it!

Please note: This course is subject to validation which means that it is either a new course or that the content is currently being updated. You can apply for this course now while some of the details of the course are being finalised by the University. Please contact the course leader if you would like further information.

What might you become?

Many of our graduates follow careers in teaching, abroad or in the UK. Others have management level jobs that require good knowledge of communication including roles in marketing and social media. What is it you want to do? This degree can help you design your life! , It is also useful in a range of areas relating to people and communication, such as counselling, teaching, elocution and working with text. Many of our graduates follow careers in teaching, abroad or in the UK or progress into management level jobs.

“My job is exciting, fast paced and creative. I hold various responsibilities and feel trusted and valued, I create the newsletter, coordinate the PR and create marketing materials. Gaining work experience while studying is my main advice, as this also helped me to prepare for work. Marjon has so much to offer students in this area. Going to university allowed me to grow my skills and mature, I felt self-assured going into the workplace with my degree behind me.”

"What I enjoyed most about the course was the small teaching groups. It meant that you were able to ask questions easily, and discuss aspects with other people, without feeling intimidated by a large group. I also really enjoyed writing my dissertation. I loved that we were able to work on it throughout the academic year, enabling ideas to develop and improve, with the help of very supportive lecturers and tutors."

"My experience at Marjon included a caring, holistic learning experience, studying in a friendly, inclusive environment and the lecturers passion for linguistic study. My continuing interest in sociolinguistics led me to go on to achieve an MA in Modern English Language and I will soon be commencing PhD study.

How will you be taught?

Includes lectures, small seminars, one to one and group tutorials and lots of practical workshops and placement opportunities.

How will you be assessed?

We have a range of assessments that look at the theory of language and communication in a huge variety of social and individual contexts. Other assessments are highly practical working with the real language data, which you can collect yourself based on your interests.

Current Students

"Language really interests me. I like learning about how and why we communicate and the history behind all languages. After graduating, I hope to gain my TEFL qualification and teach across Europe and Asia."

Lecturers

Dr Sally Bates

Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy

Sally is a dual trained phonetician and speech and language therapist with a clinical specialism in developmental speech disorders. She teaches clinical linguistics and phonetics, psycholinguistics and developmental speech and language disorders.

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Dr Hazel Bending

Senior Lecturer

Hazel is a chartered psychologist. She teaches psychology, mental health and wellbeing and reflective practice. Her research focuses on how students best learn; investigating how various techniques from using technology to wellbeing can enhance students’ experiences and skills.

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