Joan Beal
What’s in a name?
 UCAS website allows search for ‘English Language’
 This gives 884 courses
 Of these only 23 have the title ‘English Language’
 4 are called ‘English Language Studies’
 http://www.ucas.ac.uk/
A confusion of codes
 Courses entitled ‘English Language’ come under 10
different codes
 Each of these codes is used for a diversity of other
courses
300
301
302 304 310
311
Glas
Ess
Ed
Mids Card E.Lo
n
La
n
Ang
Rus
Codes
Ban
g
Sus
Ast
Hud
Ncl
Bm
Ches
Glou
Leed
s
Liv
Hop
e
Port
s
Read
SHU
313
330
140
1Q3
Edge Man
Hill
Other names
 Q302 York EL/ lings. Others include EL for
international/ exchange students (Essex, Canterbury
Christchurch) Lang/ Lit (Lancaster)
 Q300 90 courses. Only Glasgow is ‘English Language’
Central Lancs is ‘English Language Studies. Others
are ‘English’ ‘English Studies’, Lang & Lit or Lit
What is an ‘English Language’
degree?
 A degree called ‘English Language’?
 A degree including ‘English Language’
 What about ‘English Linguistics’?
QAA Benchmarks
 None for ‘English Language’
 ‘The breadth of English means that any attempts at
prescription should be avoided. It is recognised, for
example, that some degree programmes will offer a
balance of English language and literature; some will
be predominantly or exclusively literature based;
others will be predominantly or exclusively language
based’.
 http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/bench
mark/honours/english.asp#5
Some guidelines...
 knowledge of literature and language, which in the
case of literature should include a substantial number
of authors and texts from different periods of literary
history. For Single Honours literature students this
should include knowledge of writing from periods
before 1800; for Single Honours language students this
should include a broad knowledge of the history and
development of the English language;
Some guidelines....
 knowledge of the structure, levels and discourse functions
of the English language;
 knowledge of linguistic, literary, cultural and sociohistorical contexts in which literature is written and read;
 knowledge of useful and precise critical terminology and,
where appropriate, linguistic and stylistic terminology;
 awareness of how literature and language produce and
reflect cultural change and difference;
Questions
 What is distinctive about ‘English Language’ degrees?
 How does ‘English Language’ differ from ‘Linguistics’?
 Are there core elements that should be present in any
English Language degree?
 Should we produce our own benchmarks?