BSc Politics and English Language

Key facts

3 years full time or 4 years with integrated placement year/year abroad

UCAS Code: QL32

Typical Offers
A-levels: ABB from 3 A-levels. General Studies accepted. Aston DOES NOT accept the double AS qualification in lieu of 2 AS-levels.

IB: 32-34 points in the IB diploma including TOK/Bonus points. Standard level Maths and English 5 required.

Access: Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in each module. Humanities or Social Sciences Access course preferred, but other courses considered on an individual basis.

BTEC: National Extended Diploma DDD – DDM. Mix of Diploma/ Subsidiary Diploma/A-levels acceptable.

We accept a wide range of UK, EU and International qualifications: please contact us for further advice.

Specific subject requirements:
GCSE English Language and Maths Grade C.

Applicants receiving offers are invited to an open day.

Tuition fees: £9,000 (£1,000 during placement year) for UK/EU students. (2013). More on fees

Scholarships available for 2013

Key benefits

Politics at Aston is 26th, up from 54th, in the Guardian University Guide 2013
100% of students agreed that the English Language staff are enthusiastic about what they teach (National Student Survey, 2012)
90% of Politics students at Aston are satisfied with the quality of their course (Guardian University Guide 2012).

Subject guide and modules

The English Language strand of the course aims to provide you with the theoretical knowledge and understanding of English language, how it works in society and its role in the world today. We emphasise the practical application of English Language studies to the real world through professionally relevant modules such as Teaching and Learning English and Language in a Legal Context.

The Politics strand of the course is concerned with the study of government and political action. In year one you will study introductory modules in Politics, the European Union, and governance. At the core of your second year are modules dealing with the history of political thought, as well as a focus on British foreign and domestic policy. In your final year a Politics research dissertation on an agreed topic of your choice counts for a substantial and challenging part of your programme.

Josh Benjamin, winner of the LSS Student Video Competition, puts students on the spot and asks them to describe the School of Languages & Social Sciences in one word - 'I feel this shows viewers how the students themselves view the department they study in'.

Sample module options

The following module descriptions are indications only - the modules on offer and the content of the modules is subject to change.

Click on the module titles to find out more.

Year 1

In this module, students look at how words are used in written and spoken texts to create meanings, and use dictionaries, corpus analysis and other practical techniques to understand the processes involved, and to analyse words in different ways.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 20% and 80%.

This module introduces you to the basics of one model of grammar: Systemic Functional Grammar, including key concepts and terms. It also involves practical workshop activities where you apply in practice what you have learnt in theory.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 30%/70%

This module looks at language as it is employed for a variety of purposes in both private and public contexts. It also extends methods of communication to cover non-verbal means whereby messages are conveyed, as substitutes for and supplements to the use of words. Topic areas to be covered will include paralinguistics in interaction and in texts (links between image, gesture and word), language and technology, media language and the language of interpersonal communication.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (project) – 100%

The module provides a brief introduction to the historical development of English, as a basis for the investigation of the concepts of language varieties and boundaries. This leads to an exploration of the issues and controversies surrounding the present-day role of English as a world language. An emphasis on language description reinforces the terminology and concepts taught in the companion modules of Level 1, while the teaching also focuses on the socio-historical forces which have shaped the development of English, reflecting the perspective of the programme overall.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) – 100%

This module considers language as an aspect of social practice, and looks at the links between linguistic and social issues. Using a ‘problem-solving’ perspective, we look at domains in which language is itself a matter of controversy and explore the concepts needed for informed analysis of the issues.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) 100%

This module introduces the concepts of register and genre: the ways in which spoken and written texts are shaped by their purpose, the relationship between reader and writer or speaker and hearer, and formal aspects of the communication (pictures, writing, speech, song etc).

Assessment method: Coursework 20%; Examination 80%

This module introduces language description at the levels of phonetics and phonology. It provides the descriptive and analytical tools needed to discuss phonological processes and aspects of speech production, involved in variation across accents of English.

Assessment method: Essay 30%; Transcription 20%; Assignment 50%.

This module seeks to provide you with a good introductory knowledge of politics. We concentrate upon some of the basic elements of political study: Power and Authority, Legitimacy, The State, Nationalism, Democracy, Representation, and Voting Systems. During Teaching Period 1, the emphasis is upon understanding these key political concepts and issues, and some of the key political thinkers. During Teaching Period 2, the module’s focus changes significantly. Here, you form research groups, focusing on a mutually agreed topic: Feminism, Capital Punishment, The Labour Party, The Euro zone Crisis – these are just four examples. Over the term, you organise the group’s research, meet up, plan your project, research it, present draft findings to the whole group, and submit a full research dossier at the end of term.

Assessment method: A 2-hour exam at the beginning of Teaching Period 2, and a (group) Research Dossier at the end of Teaching Period 2. (50 per cent each).

The module provides an introduction to the changing ways in which British governments and political parties have responded to the changing domestic and international environment, from the post-war period to date. Particular reference is made to the link between politics and economics, including industrial relations, and to British membership in international organizations. In Teaching Period 1 the main focus is on Domestic Politics, while in TP2 the main focus is on Britain’s Foreign Relations.

Assessment method: 2x 1,500 word essay (one for each Teaching Period, counting for 50% each).

This module provides an analytical and substantive overview of European history from 1789 to the present, with a focus on the post-1945 period. The module is structured thematically. Students will analyse and interrogate certain critical junctures in European history that have determined the shape of both the European continent and the contemporary world. The primary aim of the course is to provide an empirical background for students in the international history of Europe from the 19^th to 21^st centuries that will allow students to apply, contextualise and better understand the political science and international relations theories that form the focus of the other core modules.

Assessment method: two examinations, 1x 2 hour (January), 1x 3 hour (May).

This module provides you with a good knowledge of formulating and analyzing research questions and presenting sources in an academically relevant way. Students will be able to learn to research, plan and structure an essay; acquire language specific features of essay writing; identify the research tools in the library; work into a virtual learning environment; and use electronic resources to polish their work.

Assessment method: A Take Away Paper at the end of the Teaching Period.

Year 2

This module explores the main organisational features of written discourse and a range of analytical approaches, including revisiting concepts from Grammar and Meaning to show how we build unified texts from individual clauses and sentences.

This module introduces you to different variations of English, including: social and regional variation; Englishes around the world and differences between spoken and written modes.

The context for the module will be set by considering how language and work are inter-related on a macro scale. It will look at the impact of global trends on both work and language practices, as increasing numbers of business enterprises trade across national borders, necessitating international – and ‘intercultural’ – communication. The remainder of the module will take a more micro perspective, reviewing the ways in which speakers, writers and readers make use of particular kinds of discourse in work-related communication.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which media texts both reflect and construct our social practice and values. It addresses a range of issues, such as what makes something newsworthy, whether there is objectivity in news reporting, whether different social groups are equally represented in mass media texts, and what part visual images and layout play in our media messages; and it introduces you to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating media texts in relation to these issues.

This is an introductory course to TESOL. By the end of the module, the students will have become aware of the basic requirements of a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. They will have had the chance to develop some of the skills necessary for the TESOL teacher. The emphasis will be on developing the skills, organisational and pedagogical, which will allow them to teach or tutor their specialism. The areas covered will be course and syllabus design, materials evaluation and preparation, strategies for teaching lexis and grammar, lesson planning, delivery and evaluation.

This course introduces students to a variety of texts in the canon of political philosophy. It begins with an account of ancient political philosophy taking into account the writings of Greek and Roman philosophers (Plato, Aristotle and Cicero) before delving into significant pre-modern authors; namely, Aquinas and the scholastic movement. The second half of the course examines enlightened and modern themes of political philosophy through a thematic investigation of the social contract tradition, utilitarianism and modern criticisms of these ideas.

Assessment method: Students are expected to produce two research papers (one per teaching period) and sit a cumulative final two-hour exam.

This module seeks to provide you with a strong understanding of the institutional configuration of the EU and how these institutions have been shaped by the relations between member states of the European Union. The module introduces you to the theories of European integration, and challenges you to assess competing views on the dynamics of the integration process over time. In the second part of the module, we explore a core set of policies areas of the EU, and students are asked to relate the politics and institutional make-up of the EU to developments in those policy fields.

Assessment method: A 2-hour exam at the beginning of Teaching Period 2.

This module seeks to provide you with a broad understanding of the design and conduct of research into political and social topics. Students learn about the basic concepts related to the design and conduct of research, such as ontology and epistemology. They also learn about the main schools of political and social enquiry and the tools that are utilised in social science research. There is analysis of the main traps and pitfalls in the way that data is collected, manipulated and presented, so that students avoid these traps and are alert to abuses by others.

Assessment method: An assignment or assignments to the equivalent of 1,800 words in TP2.

Year 3 - Placement Year

Final Year

In this module, students learn the key concepts and terminology of corpus linguistics

and how to use corpus tools to conduct research into language in use, and look at some areas of applied linguistics in which corpora are used, such as lexicography, pedagogy, and translation.

This module considers frameworks, methods of analysis and applications associated with critical discourse analysis. It also considers the relationship between critical discourse analysis and other forms of discourse analysis, thereby developing a critical awareness of discourse analysis in general.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which the social construction of gender both reflects and inflects our discursive practices. It addresses a range of issues, beginning with an overview of feminist language study and alternative views of the relationship between gender, language and society. The second part of the module then moves on to consider questions of how gender issues are reflected in a range of social and institutional contexts, including for example, education, the media and the workplace. You will be introduced, throughout the module, to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating gendered linguistic practices in relation to these issues and contexts.

This module will provide an introduction to key approaches to the analysis of authentic spoken language in interaction.It will give you an overview of how conversations are ‘constructed’ and the relationship between what is said and what is meant, as well as some of the ways in which these two crucial aspects vary according to context and culture. It will therefore equip you to describe and evaluate a range of types of spoken text in English, and will enable you to anticipate and resolve issues of data collection and transcription, including ethical considerations.

This module will focus on one specialist area of Applied Linguistics, the application of the tools and techniques of language description to spoken and written texts which have a significance in court cases. The module will look at topics such as: techniques for authorship attribution; questions of copyright and the detection of plagiarism; disputed police records of interview and confession; suspect suicide notes; and anonymous letters.

This course aims to enable students to research in significant depth a topic in English Language, and address, elaborate and apply key concepts used in the linguistic analysis of discourse, in professional, social, educational and/or cultural institutions and contexts. The dissertation allows students to undertake supervised research on a topic that is new to them. It is the longest and most sustained piece of research undertaken in the English Language part of their degree programme.

This module looks at the role of intellectuals in political life. It is historical and thematic, looking, for example, at intellectuals in the Dreyfus Affair, or during the 1920s and 30s, or today – their role in the Arab Spring, for example; or at specific individuals as expressions of the phenomenon: e.g. Orwell, and de Beauvoir. The module also examines the role of culture in the creation of intellectuals in a range of countries and epochs – why, for example, are intellectuals viewed so differently in different countries? The module also widens our focus to discuss whether other activities and roles should also be considered: artists, inventors, singers? Do these play a social and political role comparable to that of intellectuals? And what today is the role of celebrity culture in the creation of iconic individuals who affect the political process?

Assessment method: 3, 000-word essay

This module examines theories of leadership, and looks at the evolution of the phenomenon, in Europe and the United States, in Latin America, and beyond. We focus particularly upon the rhetoric and styles of particular leaders, and the ways in which they persuade and generate allegiance. How they ‘perform’ and what are the historical, cultural, and institutional conditions of their performance. We look at a range of leaders, often comparing them – Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, for example, or Churchill and de Gaulle. Some leaders we look at in minute detail: JFK’s press conferences, MLK’s March on Washington speech, X’s The Ballot or the Bullet, etc. We also look at particular issues, such as the changing conditions of leadership style, women in politics, political rhetoric, the role of culture, and the role of the media.

Assessment method: 3, 000-word essay

The module offers an introduction to central and east European politics. It begins with an overview of the events that led up to the collapse of communism, before considering the key themes that have dominated politics in this region since 1989. These include economic reform, democratic transition, institutional design, nationalism, security questions, accession to Nato and the EU and so on.

Assessment method: 1x 3000-word essay to be submitted at the end of the module.

This module considers the countries of the Western Balkans (Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo) on their path to European integration and efforts in dealing with legacies of conflict and transition. The module begins by looking at the recent past of the area – the 1991 collapse of Yugoslavia, 1992-1999 conflicts – and how these events have influence the subsequent political development of the successor states. The module then considers the region’s various challenges including post-conflict governance, statehood, intervention, ethnic tensions, war crimes, Kosovo independence and EU integration.

Assessment method: 3,000 word policy brief (100%)

This course aims to enable students to research in significant depth a topic in Politics, and address and elaborate key concepts used in the analysis of historical, political, social and cultural institutions and processes. This knowledge, and drawing upon previous modules studied in levels 1 and 2 form the conceptual, methodological and analytical bases for research into their topic. Students will produce an independently researched piece of work, supervised by a lecturer from Politics and International Relations.

Assessment method: 4,000-6,000 word dissertation (100%)

Extended Politics Dissertation (LP3006): 10,000 word dissertation (80%) and oral exam (20%)

Placement Year

The Placement Year is optional for students studying Politics and English Language. If you choose to take a placement year, this will take place during your third year at Aston and is worth 10% of the final degree result. Unlike some other universities, the placement year at Aston is not a ''bolt-on'' year, it is an integral part of your degree for which you are prepared in your second year.

A distinctive feature of our placement year is the flexibility that we offer. You will be able to choose between undertaking a paid work-experience placement with a company or working as a teaching assistant in a school (either in the UK or abroad) - you might even choose to combine two of these options.

We are extremely proud of the high level of preparation, orientation and support that we provide before and during your year abroad. We have a full-time Placements Team who will give you plenty of individual help and advice, and even come and visit you during your time away.

Find out more about the Placement Year.

Learning, teaching and assessment

You will be involved in lectures and seminars, small group work projects and independent study. Many of your modules will be in workshop format, alternating theoretical input with practical analysis, and allowing you to test out your understanding in discussion with other students and your tutor. There are also opportunities for group and collaborative work. Students undertake a major piece of independent research in Final Year.

You will be allocated an academic supervisor for this work and a Personal Tutor who can provide you with help and advice throughout your studies.

Assessment is through a combination of exams, project-based course work, essays, presentations and an extended dissertation during your Final Year.

Career prospects

Aston is ranked 5th in the UK and 1st outside London for graduate employability - beating Oxbridge (2012 Sunday Times University Guide).

Our graduates are in demand from a wide range of employers who value their understanding of different cultures and societies, their communication skills and motivation for team work. Recent destinations for our Languages and Social Sciences graduates include:

Graduate Trainee Managers for British Airways, Aldi Stores, John Lewis Partnership and Selfridges
Journalist for Tatler Magazine
European Union/European Parliament Officers/Assistants
London Borough of Bexley – Policy and Planning Officer
Marks and Spencer – Finance and Commercial Managers
Trainee Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Case Worker - Crown Prosecution Service
Birmingham City Council – Organisational Development Officer
PhD Research in Public Sector Management, Sociology and Society
MSc Human Resource Management, King's College London
Tenancy Support Worker, Midland Heart

Facilities & equipment

The School of Languages and Social Sciences has a dedicated Learning Support Team and excellent facilities including:

70 computers in 4 rooms
Free DVD library (French, Spanish, German, English)
Audio and video-editing tools
corpus linguistics tools (Wordsmith and Antconc)
research software (NVIVO and PASW/SPSS)

Teaching staff

Read what the Politics and English Language staff have to say about their courses:

Dr Krzysztof Kredens - Director of Undergraduate Programmes in English

''Our lecturers are renowned internationally for their work in Forensic Linguistics, Language and Gender, Language and Diversity and TESOL Studies. Staff at the Centre for Forensic Linguistics work routinely with law enforcement as expert witnesses in cases where speech and/or text constitutes part of the evidence. Most of our lecturers are research active. We are passionate about the teaching we provide and use our own research findings to inform it.''

Dr Nathaniel Copsey, Head of Politics and International Relations, Co-Director of the Aston Centre for Europe (ACE)

"Politics and international relations at Aston offers a fascinating insight into the challenges facing our societies in the 21st century. It is also home to the Aston Centre for Europe, a world-class research facility for the study of Europe which provides access the most up-to-date new thinking on all matters relating to Europe. We aim to prepare our students thoroughly for demanding, often international, careers and the placement year gives our students a distinct advantage on the graduate labour market.''

Contact us

School of Languages and Social Sciences Undergraduate Admissions
Tel: 0121 204 3700
Email: lss_ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

Student Profile

Roberta Smith

BSc English Language

I love my course because it opens up so many doors for my future; it isn't the same old stuff from A-level but an exciting development into linguistics and language. My favourite module is one I am studying at the moment called “language of evidence” which is an introduction to Forensic Linguistics.

Related courses

BSc English Language

BSc Politics with International Relations

BSc English Language and International Relations

Fees & funding

Find out about tuition fees & student loans, and the bursaries and scholariships available.

Accommodation

All our accommodation is based on campus and over 80% of our rooms are ensuite. We offer a guarenteed place scheme for first years.

Student life

Our city centre location gives you the best of both worlds: a welcoming, lively campus community, in the heart of a vibrant city.

Student support - we're with you all the way

We offer a range of support services to ensure your time here is a success in academic, social and personal terms.

Outstanding graduate career prospects

Aston is ranked 5th in the UK, and the best outside London, for the percentage of graduates entering employment who achieve graduate level jobs (Sunday Times University Guide 2012)

gjgjgkghkg

Birmingham - home to 65,000 students!

With fantastic nightlife, great restaurants, beautiful parks, superb shopping and much more, Birmingham is a true student city.

Graduate Profile

Anna Wallace

2007 Graduate - BSc German and Politics

I am currently the Public Affairs Manager for the HR professional body, the CIPD. I couldn’t work in public affairs without the knowledge of the UK parliamentary system I learnt at Aston.

BSc Politics and English Language

Key facts

Key benefits

Jump to:

Sample module options

Dr Krzysztof Kredens - Director of Undergraduate Programmes in English

Dr Nathaniel Copsey, Head of Politics and International Relations, Co-Director of the Aston Centre for Europe (ACE)

Related courses

Schools

Connect

Students

Working at Aston

Contact us