BA (Hons) English and Media Studies
- UCAS code: QP33
- Mode of study: Full time
- Duration: 3 years
- Entry requirements 2013: 240-300 points from 3 A levels or equivalent, to include 100 points from A level English.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 8299
Email: humanities.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies
Course overview
Our BA (Hons) English and Media Studies is an exciting degree that allows you to combine literary study with the critical analysis of a broad range of contemporary media forms. The programme is composed of compulsory strands in English literature and media studies, along with a wide-ranging choice of options in both subjects.
After the first year you are able to vary the balance of your studies across the two disciplines, tailoring your course to reflect individual interests and future career plans. While the degree is primarily academic, the programme includes opportunities for practical and project-based media work such as video production projects.
Analysing literary and media texts (films, TV programmes, adverts, etc.) draws on similar interpretive and theoretical skills. This course enables you to develop these skills while also understanding what is distinctive about each subject as a discipline.
You might study English units with a particular relevance to media studies, such as Popular Fiction and Literary Detectives, or media units which help you understand the contemporary cultural context for English fiction, such as Television Studies or Hollywood and Europe.
The BA (Hons) English and Media Studies is part of the Division of English and History, which means that you will also have the opportunity to meet and socialise with a lively group of students from sister degrees. This breadth of specialist interests fosters a wide range of perspectives and helps to make Portsmouth a vibrant place to study English.
While we fully expect that you will enjoy your time at Portsmouth, we also recognise that at the end of the course you will need to get a job. To help you with this transition, the course also includes a careers management unit, which will help you market yourself to prospective employers, hone your presentation skills and put together a viable CV. It will also help you research the job market and understand application procedures.
We welcome applicants with many different sorts of qualifications who can demonstrate evidence of competence to succeed on our programmes. We particularly welcome applications from mature students over the age of 21 and/or applicants who have an Access qualification or equivalent.
Placements
This course allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies. The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.
How do I apply?
All undergraduate applicants should apply through UCAS by 15 January each year. Late applicants should contact the Admissions Centre first for advice.
For further information and advice, please contact our Admissions Centre (details below). As the support base for all our students, the Admissions Centre is happy to help you with your enquiry, through to completion of application forms and offer.
Course content
Year one
- Literary History
- Literary Theory
- Media Studies: Theories and Methods
- Contemporary Media Events
- Introduction to Narrative
- Research Skills: Media
Year two
- Literary History 2
- Screen media
- Literary Prize and Public Acclaim
- Options including:
- Eighteenth Century and Romantic Literature
- Shakespeare and Modern Drama
- American Literature
- Nation and Travel
- Victorian Literature and Visual Culture
- The Media and Propaganda
- Approaches to Popular Culture
- Print Media
- Languages (University Wide Option)
- Learning from Experience
- Media, Culture and National identity
- Researching Genre
Year three
- Dissertation (English Literature or Media Studies)
- Options including:
- Early Modern Literature and the Bible
- Enlightenment: Literature, Culture & Modernity
- Magical Realism
- Postmodern Historical Fiction
- War and Fascism
- Tracing Borders: Women & Writing 1890-1940
- Twentieth Century Avant-Garde Fiction
- Friendship, Community and Identity in C17th Poetry
- Charles Dickens
- European Literary Decadence
- Food and Appetite in Victorian Culture
- Holocaust Writing
- US Masculinities
- Tropical Gothic
- Cultures of Consumption
- TV Talks Shows
- Research Animation
- British TV Drama and Society
- Comedy, Culture and Form
- News, War and Peace
- Representing Science in the Media
- Media Fan Cultures
Please note that whilst a range of options will be offered, there will inevitably be some variation in the availability of individual units at any given time.
Teaching and assessment
Our teaching approach involves lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You will be expected to participate fully in group discussions and group projects, as well as develop and apply word-processing and presentation skills. You will also have the opportunity to experience practical media skills through workshops and project work.
As making sure you have a supportive learning environment is important to us, you will have a personal tutor assigned to you as part of the study skills and careers research management programmes.
All staff also have office hours and are often available at short notice. In your final year you will be assigned a personal supervisor to help plan and produce your dissertation project.
We use a range of assessment methods including coursework essays, close textual analysis, presentations and a dissertation.
Career prospects
Studying English is a great preparation for a career in publishing, the media, teaching or research. Portsmouth English graduates enjoy a wide range of career pathways including television script writing, journalism, public relations, web design and postgraduate study.
While studying English and media studies is clearly a great foundation for a career in the arts, the sophisticated analytical and presentational skills you will gain are also highly valued by a range of non degree-specific graduate employers.
Given this, our English graduates also enter a diverse range of non degree-specific pathways, including human resource management and information services work.
Facilities and features
Over the last four years the University has substantially invested in our teaching facilities. We have multimedia audiovisual facilities in our lecture rooms, dedicated IT teaching facilities, quiet areas for you to work in and a café.
The School also has its own resources area with dedicated staff who can assist you with film and documentary video resources, film viewing facilities, video-editing equipment and audio equipment.