Joan Beal

What’s in a name?UCAS website allows search for ‘English

Language’This gives 884 coursesOf these only 23 have the title ‘English

Language’4 are called ‘English Language Studies’http://www.ucas.ac.uk/

A confusion of codesCourses entitled ‘English Language’ come

under 10 different codesEach of these codes is used for a diversity of

other courses

Codes

300 301 302

304

310 311 313 330 140 1Q3

Glas Ess Ed Lan

Ang Rus

Mids

Card

E.Lon

Edge Hill

Man

Bang

Sus

Ast

Hud

Ncl

Bm

Ches

Glou

Leeds

Liv Hope

Ports

Read

SHU

Other namesQ302 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 BenchmarksNone 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/benchmark/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

socio-historical 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;

QuestionsWhat 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?