Programme Title

BA English and Politics

Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)

Bachelor of Arts

Programme Code

ENG-BA-JS

UCAS Code

QL32

HECoS Code

100320

ATAS Clearance Required

No

Mode of Study

Part Time

Type of Programme

Joint Honours Single

Length of Programme

6 Academic Year(s)

Total Credits for Programme

360

Exit Awards available

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Arts, English and Languages

Framework for Higher Education Qualification Level 
www.qaa.ac.uk

Level 6

QAA Benchmark Group
www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

English (2015)

Accreditations (PSRB)

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

Programme Specific Regulations

Each level must include 60 CATS in English and 60 CATS in Politics.

Transferring from Single to Joint Honours:
On completing Level 1 a Single Honours student in either of English or Politics who has completed 40 CATS at Level 1 in the other subject and has achieved an average mark across the 40 CATS of 60 or above may be admitted to this Joint Honours Programme subject to having obtained the approval of the Adviser of Studies in the subject in which they have only 40 CATS.

Students will be notified each academic year of the optional modules being offered in the following academic year. Students are advised that not all optional modules will necessarily be offered in each academic year. Also, the delivery of a module may be subject to a minimum number of enrolments as well as unforeseen circumstances (eg illness of a member of staff). The range and content of optional modules will change over time as degree programmes develop and students' choice of optional modules may also be limited due to timetabling constraints.

Students with protected characteristics

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

recognise and appreciate the varying effects of different
literary and linguistic forms of expression;

respond to, and differentiate between, different ideological and theoretical positions;

analyse and interpret material from different geographical, cultural, and temporal contexts;

think independently, originally and self-reflexively;

demonstrate a capacity for critical reflection and judgment in the light of evidence and argument;

discriminate between substantive and peripheral concerns in their understanding of literary and linguistic issues;

identify, collate and organise relevant data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources in support of their argument;

understand complex tasks and an ability to present appropriate solutions in written form;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Class discussion in which analysis and interpretation of texts takes place allows the students to develop a comparative understanding of different approaches to material. It allows for both tutor- and student-led opportunities for the discussion and comprehension of directed reading and secondary source information.
Analytical literary-critical exercises – both formative and summative – test students’ ability to engage with, contextualise, and interpret texts. The ability to collate and obtain information is developed through introductory training in the use of libraries and online resources.
Extended essays test their ability to order and shape information, and to recognise ways in which the presentation and prioritisation of material is conducive to its rhetorical effect.

Methods of Assessment

Progress through the degree is one in which the autonomous learning undertaken by students is gradually increased, from lecture/tutorial based teaching at stages 1 and 2, to student-centred learning, through 2- or 3-hour seminars, at stage 3.
Extended essays and the dissertation test students’ ability to order and shape information, and to recognise ways in which the presentation and prioritisation of material is conducive to its rhetorical effect. In all modules, students are encouraged to refer to current critical and theoretical debate in order to form their own judgement of the text or data in question.
Class discussion, in which analysis and interpretation of texts takes place, allows students to develop a comparative understanding of different approaches to material.
Analytical literary-critical exercises – both formative and summative – test students’ ability to engage with, contextualise, and interpret texts.
The dissertation, examinations and essays require students to demonstrate coverage of material, appropriate methods of analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument.

be self reflexive and practice sound judgement, and will possess the necessary skills to enhance their ability to think critically and independently;

formulate and express their own (and opposing) political views on a variety of topics.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The modules within the programme are laid out to foster the development of the above cognitive skills, and are delivered through a variety of teaching methods including formal lectures, small group tutorials and seminars, many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as power point presentations and handouts.

Methods of Assessment

Assessed by a variety of traditional and innovative methods including essays (including students choosing their own essay and dissertation topics), exams, journals, portfolios, dissertations, group work and tutorial /seminar contributions.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

display a broad knowledge of a range of periods in literary history, including literature before 1660, and an understanding of the social and political contexts in which texts are both written and read;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Knowledge and understanding are developed through lectures, tutorials, seminars (many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as hand-outs, and key readings available online through Queen’s Online) and through the assessment and feedback process.

Methods of Assessment

A range of assessment methods ensures that these skills are evaluated in different ways.

have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of particular periods, movements and authors according to individual progression through the degree;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to texts.

Methods of Assessment

Formative written work assists the development of understanding, critical judgment, and independent thought, both through the feedback given, and through the process of writing itself.

demonstrate knowledge of English, American, Irish and postcolonial writing, and familiarity with debates surrounding the shaping of individual and cultural identity;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Seminars offer the more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Methods of Assessment

The dissertation, examinations, essays and seminar presentations and language project work require that students demonstrate coverage of material, appropriate methods of textual and linguistic analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument.

understand the rhetorical, stylistic and aesthetic strategies of the different genres of prose fiction, drama and poetry;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Extensive background reading is required throughout the pathway, developing students' specialist knowledge of particular genres and periods of literature in addition to a broad base of knowledge about literary history.

Methods of Assessment

The dissertation, examinations, essays and seminar presentations and language project work require that students demonstrate coverage of material, appropriate methods of textual and linguistic analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument.

display familiarity with a range of theoretical approaches to literature and language, and with the key critical debates that form and inform the disciplines themselves;
demonstrate familiarity with major periods in the development of the English language and of contexts of language production and variation;


exhibit an awareness of major structural levels of linguistic organisation in speech and writing;

demonstrate familiarity with major periods in the development of the English language and of contexts of language production and variation;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Extensive background reading is required throughout the pathway, developing students' specialist knowledge of particular genres and periods of literature in addition to a broad base of knowledge about literary history.

Methods of Assessment

The dissertation, examinations, essays and seminar presentations and language project work require that students demonstrate coverage of material, appropriate methods of textual and linguistic analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument.

develop in-depth and extensive knowledge and understanding about the nature and significance of politics as a human activity;

apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to the analysis of political ideas, institutions, policies, social/political movements, political parties and practices;

engage with the major issues and debates about differing political systems; the nature and distribution of power; and the attending social, economic and cultural aspects within which power operates;

engage with all four specialist research areas in Politics at Queen's (Political Theory; International Studies and Comparative Politics; Irish Politics and European Governance) as well as the opportunity to undertake a significant piece of independent research.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Politics enables students to develop in depth and extensive knowledge and understanding of Politics from normative/theoretical, comparative, institutional/administrative, policy and historical perspectives.

Teaching methods include formal lectures, small group tutorials and seminars, many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as power point presentations and handouts.

While these teaching and assessment methods are intended to deliver information to the students and test their knowledge of that information, it is expected that students engage with knowledge on their own terms and develop the skills and confidence to independently process and understand that knowledge.

Methods of Assessment

Assessed by a variety of traditional and innovative methods including essays (including students choosing their own essay and dissertation topics), exams, journals, portfolios, dissertations, group work and tutorial /seminar contributions.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

read texts with a developed awareness and appreciation of their formal, structural and generic properties;

assess critical interpretations of the ways in which different cultural and historical contexts inform the reading and writing of texts;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures provide specific contextual and theoretical information as well as offering practical examples of different critical approaches.

Tutorials and seminars allow for close reading of texts in a group situation, while developing students’ ability to formulate their own arguments and responses.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods vary in accordance with the specific learning outcomes of particular modules as detailed below and as set out in the Arts, English and Languages Handbook.

analyse the forms, function, and development of language;

utilise a critical vocabulary and engage with different critical perspectives in the analysis of texts;

be aware of key debates concerning the development of the discipline of literary criticism;

write coherent, structured and relevant essays in answer to specific questions on literature and language;

select and utilise primary quotation and secondary critical material in the formulation of an argument;

display familiarity with bibliographic convention and should be able to research, reference and present written work according to the requirements of the subject area.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Formative work – both written and oral – enables students to combine the knowledge and skills developed through lectures and tutorials, and to formulate, and receive feedback on, their own independent arguments.
Module and programme information and style sheets guide students in their choice of, access to, and citation of relevant secondary materials.

Methods of Assessment

All assessment methods, whether the dissertation, essays or oral presentations, aural tests or examinations, require students to demonstrate the English subject skills which are detailed in the Marking Criteria and the English Assessment and Feedback Policy made available in Module Resources.

develop in-depth and extensive knowledge from across four key areas of the study of Politics: Political Theory; Irish Politics; International Relations and Comparative Politics; and European Governance;

students will be introduced to the basic methodological issues of Politics, which will enable them to complete a significant piece of independent research through a dissertation or placement;

engage with subject specific skills such as: developing knowledge and understanding (e.g. about differing political institutions); generic intellectual skills (e.g. constructing a reasoned argument); and transferable skills (e.g. collaborative work, time management, prioritising information/data; awareness of different perspectives on the same topic/issue).

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

The Politics programme encourages learners to develop specific knowledge and understanding about politics. The teaching methods used to embed this knowledge and understanding include formal lectures, small group tutorials and seminars, many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as power point presentations and handouts, small group teaching, student-led discussions and role play.

Methods of Assessment

The methods used to assess this knowledge include a variety of traditional and innovative methods including essays, exams, journals, portfolios, dissertations, group work and tutorial/seminar contributions.

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

manage time efficiently and effectively;

demonstrate basic word-processing and IT skills;

collate and process information from a variety of sources;

use libraries and online resources;

respond positively and productively to feedback on work;

think both creatively and maturely in diverse intellectual situations;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Class presentations and student interaction hone communication and rhetorical skills. Student centred learning situations encourage and test the ability to present and summarise knowledge to their peers in a coherent, structured form, and inter-personal skills are developed in seminars and tutorials.
In some language modules, students undertake directed lab work in addition to lectures and tutorials, acquiring skills in analysis and in the manipulation of speech and language data.

Methods of Assessment

Writing skills tutorials and lectures develop essay writing on stylistic, rhetorical and bibliographical levels. The ability to source and collate information is developed through introductory training in the use of libraries and online resources. IT courses are available through the university and can be used to develop computing skills as required. All students are required to word-process essays, thus testing their acquisition of IT skills.

display interpersonal skills and the ability to work productively in a group context;

demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Individual and group presentations; at all stages there are modules which offer a mix of individual and collaboratively produced presentations.
Erasmus programme and Exchange programmes with international universities.

Methods of Assessment

Individual and group presentations; learning portfolio and coursework projects in a stage 1 skills module.
For most international exchanges, students enrol on the host institution’s undergraduate programme.

acquire and develop generic critical thinking, analytical, reasoning, literacy and communication skills which will be beneficial in terms of employment or further study;

solve problems, process and prioritise a wide variety of information, and express arguments and positions in oral and written form;

be self-reflexive and practice sound judgement, and will possess the necessary skills to enhance their ability to think critically, work in collaboration, demonstrate initiative, and use communication and information technology where appropriate.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Politics programme enables learners to develop a broad portfolio of skills which will enhance their employability and/or provide them with a sound basis for progression to further research at postgraduate level (either MA or doctoral work) or elsewhere. The learner will develop skills in the following areas:
communication (presentations, written assignments, teamwork); writing skills (note-taking, organisational skills, logical progression of argument, the ability to gather information from a wide range of both contemporary and archival sources, prioritising information); interpersonal skills (small group or team work activities, debate, discussion), including the ability to understand, appreciate and evaluate a variety of positions and perspectives on the same topic or issue; IT skills (including PowerPoint, use of the internet as a research tool, Queens Online).

Methods of Assessment

Transferable skills will be assessed by a variety of traditional and innovative methods including essays, exams, journals, portfolios and tutorial/seminar contributions.

understand the role and use of feedback in assessing and improving performance;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students receive online feedback on their uploaded assignments and may seek further feedback in one-to-one meetings with tutors.

Engagement with Personal Tutors promotes student reflection upon academic performance. Personal Tutors also discuss career options with students; and the Schools work closely with the Careers Liaison Offer to present students with information on possible careers.

Methods of Assessment

Feedback (on Queen's online, on draft materials, or in class) provides students with an ongoing feedback experience throughout their degree.

Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor in stage 1 and meets with him/her throughout the duration of the degree programme.

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, objective-setting, prioritising and time-management;

reflect on their own learning, seeking and making use of constructive feedback;

produce intellectually coherent academic analysis within word limits and time deadlines;

apply requisite referencing and presentation formats in the production of written analyses;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

In all modules, students are encouraged to refer to current critical and theoretical debate in order to form their own judgment of the text or data in question. They work towards a number of deadlines for formative and summative work, and for class presentation, thereby learning to prioritise assignments and objectives, and in doing so hone their time management skills.

Methods of Assessment

Feedback is provided for each type and instance of assessment and students may seek dedicated feedback sessions with course tutors.

The Personal Tutor system facilitates student reflection upon academic performance and assists in developing strategies for improvement.

solve problems, process and prioritise a wide variety of information and interpretations of data/information, and be confident and able to express arguments and positions in oral and written form;

understand the general methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of Politics, as well as develop in depth and extensive knowledge of the history of the discipline, its specific concepts, issues and vocabulary;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will be introduced to problem solving and information processing strategies, as well as general methodological and theoretical approaches in the study of Politics.

Self-reflection and evaluation will further enhance critical thinking and sound judgment.

Methods of Assessment

Assessed by a variety of traditional and innovative methods including essays (including students choosing their own essay and dissertation topics), exams, journals, portfolios, dissertations, group work and tutorial/seminar contributions.