English Language and Literature

Overview:
Explore how language shapes everything from social justice to personal identity, and how stories help us make sense of it all.

This degree blends the best of both subjects. You’ll dive into literature from Shakespeare to the present day, engaging with powerful voices from around the globe and across genres. Study how stories respond to and reflect the world, tackling issues like inequality, identity, and the power of persuasion. You'll learn to analyse texts critically, analysing their rhetorical techniques and assessing the validity of their claims, a crucial skill in an age of ‘fake news’.

In the English Language component, you’ll gain a strong foundation in how language works — from rhetoric and pragmatics ,to accents and dialects. Explore how language shapes society and how its analysis can be applied in real-world contexts, from identifying criminal suspects and diagnosing speech impairments, to building rapport and spotting ideological bias. These modules also connect closely with your literary studies, as you examine how language evolves, how context shapes meaning, and how we communicate across different settings.

This course develops your ability to think deeply, write clearly, and communicate with purpose — skills that open doors in fields from publishing and media to education and beyond.

Careers and Opportunities:
Employers across a wide range of sectors value the unique blend of skills you'll develop through studying both language and literature. Your CV will demonstrate:

• a deep understanding of how language works in different social, cultural and political contexts

• the ability to critically analyse complex information and communicate it clearly

• confidence in interpreting diverse perspectives and engaging thoughtfully with global issues

• strong written and spoken communication skills, tailored for different audiences

• collaborative working skills and the ability to build inclusive, respectful dialogue

• cultural sensitivity and an awareness of how words shape the world around us

After the course, you could work in areas such as:

• advertising and marketing

• copywriting

• film and television

• journalism

• lexicography

• publishing

• research

• speech and language therapy

• teaching

Course modules

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-english-language-and-literature#modules