English Language and Culture

Description

The Groningen BA in English Language and Culture is consistently rated as the best in the country. We teach exclusively in English, and all of our students profit from our strong research culture.

In the first year of the BA degree in English Language and Culture you will read a broad range of literary texts and you will learn about English as a language. You will analyse many important works, study literary theory, and engage with writings in English from the beginnings to the present.
In the second year you will be able to choose courses on medieval literary studies, modern literature, and linguistics. For instance, you can study the writings of premodern women, the myth of King Arthur, the modernist novel, Shakespeare and his time, or contemporary American and postcolonial literature.
You can fully dedicate yourself to your main interest by writing a dissertation on your preferred topic in your third year.
There is a range of minors that complement an English BA, and many students spend time at a foreign university, for example in the UK or New Zealand.
After the BA degree, many students pursue one of the two MA programmes we offer: English Literature and Culture or Writing, Editing, and Mediating. You can also combine your MA in English with a teacher training course.

Job perspectives

As a graduate, you can find a career in government, cultural organizations, tourism, PR and communications, publishing or consultancy firms. The positions you could hold are varied, but your communication skills will always be very important.

• Uitgever
• Redacteur
• Docent
• Literator
• Tolk/vertaler
• Communicatieadviseur/medewerker/manager
• Internationale banen

Detailed Course Facts

• EUR 1951 Year (EEA)
• EUR 7800 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

Specialisations / Tracks

• Minors English Language and Culture (minor)

  Through the choice of a Minor, you can tailor-fit the curriculum to meet your academic, personal and professional interests. See which Minors you can choose from.

• Premodern Literature and Culture (track)
• Modern Literature and Culture (track)
• English Linguistics (track)
• University of Groningen Honours College (honours program)

  The Honours College will give talented, motivated students the chance to be challenged even more by following Honours programmes and taking part in numerous other activities.

  The Honours College comprises a broadening part and a deepening part and has a study load of 45 EC credit points besides the 180 ECTS credit points from your regular Bachelor programme.

Programme schedule

Courses year 1

• Introduction to English Literature (5 EC)
• Introduction Ling.: Phonology (5 EC)
• English Proficiency 1, Major (B2/C1) (10 EC)
• Survey I: Engl. Literature before 1550 (5 EC)
• Introduction Ling.: Words and Sentences (5 EC)
• Survey II: Engl. Literature after 1550 (5 EC)
• English Linguistics II: Sociolinguistics (5 EC)
• Minor (10 EC)
• English Proficiency 2, Major (B2/C1) (5 EC)
• Approaches to English Literature: Theory (5 EC)

Courses year 2

• Students must choose four of the six available electives of option group A
• Shakespeare & Early Mod. Engl.Literature (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• English Proficiency 3, Major (C1) (5 EC)
• English Linguistics: English Words (5 EC)
• Minor (or electives) (30 EC)
• English Linguistics IIIb: Sounds (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• Saints and Sinners in Medieval England (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• The Long 19th Century English Literature (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• King Arthur, Romance, and Empire (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• English Proficiency 4, Major (C1) (5 EC)

Courses year 3

• Students must choose two of the six available electives of option group C and one of the three BA Thesis course units of option group B
• English Linguistics: Language in Use (Option Group A) (5 EC, optional)
• Reading Middle English (5 EC)
• Minor (or electives) (20 EC)
• Modernism and Beyond: English Literature (5 EC)
• English Proficiency 5, Major (C1) (5 EC)
• Contemporary Writing I (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• Contemporary Writing I (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• Language & Culture: Anglo-Saxon England (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• English in Time and Space 1 (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• Ba Thesis English (Modern Literature) (Option Group B) (10 EC, optional)
• Shakespeare at Stratford (5 EC, optional)
• Ba Thesis English (Older English Lit.) (Option Group B) (10 EC, optional)
• Ba Thesis English (Linguistics) (Option Group B) (10 EC, optional)
• Contemporary Writing II (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• Special Topic: Medieval Literature&Cult. (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)
• English in Time and Space 2 (Option Group C) (5 EC, optional)

The programme concentrates on different aspects of the English language and and on literature written in English: language proficiency, linguistics, and the literature from the Middle Ages down to the present day, from the birthplace of the language in England to the United States and all parts of the Commonwealth. We cover theory, the entire range of genres and modes of writing, besides placing a strong emphasis on the cultural context of literary texts.

Study abroad

• Study abroad is optional
• For an average of 16 weeks
• Maximum of 30 EC

(Binding) study advice

• A minimum of 45 EC in the first 12 months ( binding )
• A minimum of 60 EC in the first 24 months ( binding )

You will be offered study advice after first and second years of study. You can expect a positive result if you have earned more than 45 ECTS credit points (out of a total of 60 ECTS). If you have earned fewer than 45 ECTS and are issued a negative result, you will not be allowed to continue with your degree programme.

In addition, you are also expected to pass all your first-year exams by the end of your second year of study. If you don't, you will be issued a negative result and will have to leave the degree programme.You will receive preliminary study advice in December to make sure that you know where you stand.

Please contact your study advisor as soon as possible if you have any questions about the BSA system.

N.B. Some degree programmes use a tutoring system; please check with your study advisor.

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 580 TOEFL iBT® test : 92

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

Specific requirements / More information

• previous education

Dutch VWO diploma, a German Abitur, an International Baccalaureate diploma, a European Baccalaureate or another diploma that is sufficient for acceptance to a Dutch university.

Language requirements: IELTS 6.5 on all items or TOEFL 580/237/92 (with a minimum of 22 on all items)

Admissible Dutch diploma profiles

• CM
• EM
• NG
• NT
• HBO-p

  As of 1 September 2015, students will no longer be automatically granted admission to this degree programme on the basis of a Dutch HBO propaedeutic certificate (in combination with a Dutch HAVO diploma). The degree programme may set additional requirements. Please contact the study advisor for more information.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Alumni Study Travel Fund

  Scholarships for students who are already attending the University of Reading.

• Amsterdam Merit Scholarships

  The University of Amsterdam aims to attract the world’s brightest students to its international classrooms. Outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area can apply for an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship.

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Groningen.