English Language & Creative Writing

Enable you to practice a variety of techniques for writing fiction and drama and reflect critically on your writing process Develop a critical and theoretical understanding of the ‘principles of story’ in historical and contemporary context Develop your ability to read, interpret and evaluate contemporary fiction and drama in light of the way it conforms to or challenges these principles Enable you to recognise the connections between fiction and drama as well as the unique challenges and possibilities of writing for page or performance.

This module focuses on exploring diverse genres while fostering imaginative engagement. You'll also develop critical analysis and writing skills, fostering an understanding of language use within various contexts and encouraging self-reflective growth as a writer.

This module will explore different approaches to ‘meaning’, focusing on aspects of meaning at the level of text and discourse. The module will explore the relation between linguistic expressions, language users and contexts. You will apply knowledge of critical discourse analysis, conversation analysis and rhetorical theory to the analysis of short texts (newspapers, political discourse, forensic texts, etc.).

This module enables you to focus on your subject-specific writing and research skills. You'll also learn more about your personal learning styles and explore how to get the most out of your university experience. You'll learn about punctuation for proofreading and correction, academic writing, and career planning.

This module is an introduction to the analysis of sounds, words and sentences. You will explore features of your own accent and learn how to represent Received Pronunciation in symbols. You will learn about traditional grammatical terminology, as taught on the National Curriculum for English, and how to analyse sentences into their component parts.

This module will develop your global writing analysis skills, with the option of creating original creative work. You'll explore modern approaches to portraying landscapes across various genres. Theoretical aspects cover literature's connections to place, environmental concerns, and globalisation. You'll hone English language skills for academic writing and research, and gain insights into the publishing industry and opportunities.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to key themes from socially-minded areas of linguistics and make you aware of the existence of linguistic variation in society. You will also be introduced to the idea that language use can influence and construct meanings and identities.

We'll introduce you to various concepts from sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and pragmatics. You'll develop an understanding of how linguistic identities are formed and observed. You'll also understand the methods used in sociolinguistic research and its gender approaches.

Writing Adaptions introduces a range of genres, including literary and popular forms. You will examine the adaptations of an original text and evaluate similarities and differences. You will consider the extension, prequel, sequel, point of view, setting, period, and culture. You will reflect on your writing practice as well as your technical abilities.

To engage with and critique the theory and practice of writing short fiction. To practice the techniques of writing short fiction and writing about this form/genre. To develop a critical and theoretical understanding of the short story as a distinct form in historical and contemporary contexts and markets. To encourage critical reading, selectivity and focused consideration of short fiction writers and their potential influence on contemporary writing practice.

This module uses linguistic approaches to better understand poetic language, literary effect and style. You will use a range of texts from different literary periods to explore foregrounding, speech and thought representation, metaphor, point of view, dramatic dialogue, rhythm and metre and other ‘sound effects’.

This module will develop your academic and transferable career skills. You will adopt lifelong reflective practices for independent and collaborative working. You’ll also develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. You’ll even have the opportunity to support and mentor others.

This module will teach you the techniques of writing for children. You'll develop your skills in reading, interpreting and evaluating current children's' literature and use context to critique them. You'll explore aspects such as tone of voice, setting, character and structure. You'll reflect upon the relationships between theory and practice and understand the roles of professionals.

This module will provide you with an exciting experience to revisit your favourite childhood tales. The major European collections of tales, such as those of Perrault, Grimm and Andersen, will provide the main focus of study, but non-European collections will also be considered.

This module will introduce you to the basic concepts and methods of Sociolinguistics. You will examine the progression of Sociolinguistics in language and society.

In this module, you will investigate how the media influences public perceptions of the social world by promoting or focusing selectively on particular aspects or definitions of controversial issues in order to elicit a particular response from an audience. In particular, you will relate different ways of framing the same issues to various types of newspapers and their political/ideological orientation.

This module aims to familiarise you with psycholinguistics, lines of enquiry, and research methods. It enables you to understand what the study of first language acquisition and disordered communication reveals about the storage and processing of language and develop your analytical, researching, and writing skills.

In this module you will be introduced to the basic concepts and approaches in semantics, historical, lexical, cognitive semantics and with the main theories of sense and reference.

Using the details of the history of English, this module explores how and why languages change. You will explore the social contexts which trigger change as well the linguistic outcomes of change. In addition to considering the Germanic origins of English, you will document the key features associated with Old English, Middle English, as well as Shakespeare’s and Austen’s English.

This module builds on the skills developed on LG1220 Introduction to English Syntax and Phonology. It introduces terminology, analytic skills and grammatical architectures which, a, are in widespread use in the current syntactic literature, and which, b, can be developed further in English Syntax and World Grammars at level 6. Where relevant, explicit links will be made between grammatical constructions and punctuation. Grammatical terminology will be linked to the teaching requirements of the National Curriculum for English. 

Our specific creative writing dissertation module will give you the chance to showcase all your skills that you have developed over the entirety of your course. You will produce an independent piece of work on your chosen genre by applying critical thinking to extensive research processes.

To enable you to practice experimental techniques for writing fiction and reflect critically on your writing process To develop a critical and theoretical understanding of experimental fiction in historical and contemporary context To encourage you to discuss, debate and challenge terms, definitions and genre boundaries To enable you to develop and communicate your own manifesto for experiment.

You'll undertake a research project, which typically – though not necessarily – involves the collection and analysis of linguistic data. This includes producing a textual commentary, analysis or critique. A literature review or similar is deemed to be original if it constitutes a critical synthesis not already available from any single existing source.

You'll begin by examining audience and the different bands within children’s literature. Explore a range of techniques including voice, character, setting and structure, as well as how to write and critique specific sub-genres. Gain an understanding of the current trends, the relationship between words and images and issues such as appropriate language and subject matter, censorship and the gatekeepers who inform and shape what children read. 

This module will explore the creative and critical possibilities of life-writing. You will examine a number of examples that demonstrate the different forms and approaches that life-writing can take including creative nonfiction, memoir, the lyrical essay, travel writing etc., autobiographical performance, and poetry. You will be introduced to the theory and criticism of life-writing including ideas around memory and the ethics of self-representation. You will be encouraged to experiment through a number of practical writing exercises as well as developing your final idea through the process of workshopping, giving and receiving feedback and deciding how to implement it in your final draft. You will be encouraged to consider the contemporary market for publishing within this form as well as to discuss and challenge the boundary between ‘creative’ and ‘critical’ writing.

On this module you'll develop your knowledge and skills of writing for science fiction and fantasy. You'll gain a theoretical and historical understanding of the genres and how to critically approach texts. You will be expected to familiarise yourself with a range of critical material and different fantasy and science fiction short stories, and to show evidence of your understanding in class discussions and your written work.

This module aims to help you to evaluate the relationship between fictional and filmic texts. You will investigate the extent to which such texts are the product of social, political, cultural and generic contexts. This module will help with more opportunities to analysis different written assessments.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the concept of 'power'. You will have the opportunity to examine the effect of power on and in language.

On this module, you'll study language as criminal evidence, covering frameworks like authorship analysis, plagiarism detection, and police interview evaluation. You'll engage in the analysis of documents (eg, ransom notes, terrorist materials, police interviews) from a forensic linguistics perspective.

Clinical linguistics examines language disorders and delays (acquired and congenital). This module covers various language-related pathologies like auditory processing disorder, aphasia, autism, and more. These pathologies and their causes are discussed, providing insights into the cognitive foundations of language.

Our module takes a theoretical approach to English phonology, building on the basic descriptive approach to English phonology studied in previous modules. You will study the basic components of phonological forms; the ways in which they can combine together; rules governing accentuation and morphophonology.

This module aims to develop your understanding of theoretical challenges that language presents, present a theory of language and English, expose you to theorising in practice and as a mode of intellectual enquiry, expand your awareness and understanding of English grammar. It also aims to expand your experience of studying ideas with the ideas’ originator.

On this module you'll consider the similarities and differences between the world’s language and engage with questions of universality. You will learn how to categorise/group languages, including English, according to structural type. You'll also have the opportunity to contrast some aspect of a second language with their native language, so that they can better explain second language errors.

This module introduces you to the practices of argument identification, analysis, reconstruction, analysis and evaluation, and critical thinking. You'll cover standard argument schemes and rhetorical analysis techniques, including the use of ethos, pathos, and logos for enhancing persuasive political discourse.

The aims of this module are to examine the contribution of Linguistics to the teaching of English Language as a first language. The module focuses primarily on the current policies and approaches to the teaching of literacy and English in the compulsory sector in the UK.