Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

• To provide students with an intellectually stimulating environment within which they can develop knowledge, understanding and skills in both History and English.
• To encourage a sense of enthusiasm for History and English; to foster critical, creative and independent thinking; and to develop a sensitive and disciplined approach.
• To stimulate productive reflection on the similarities and differences between modes of study in both subjects.
• To develop competence and practical skills which are transferable to a wide range of professions and employment as well as life experiences.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

• QAA History Benchmark Statement
• QAA English Benchmark Statement

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the idea of academic disciplines as dynamic, plural and contested; developed within the broader framework of the social sciences and humanities;
• the potential applications of concepts within a broader critical framework;
• the main methodologies used in the analysis and interpretation of texts and other sources; 

and within the History portion of the programme:

• past societies and historical processes over a chronological and geographical range;
• the use of primary evidence in historical argument;
• History as an academic discipline, its schools of interpretations, and the variety of methodological approaches and theoretical foundations;

and within the English portion of the programme:

• a range of authors and texts from different periods of literary history, including those before 1800;
• the distinctive characteristics of the different literary genres of fiction, poetry and drama;
• an appreciation of the structure and function of the English language;
• an appreciation of the power of imagination in literary creation and an awareness of the range and variety of contemporary approaches to literary study;
• practical experience of a range of research and critical methods in English;
• an awareness of the role of culture in a changing landscape of literary production; the ability to understand the epistemological underpinnings of different research traditions in the subject area.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1.  demonstrate a reflexive approach to learning;

2.  abstract and synthesise information;

3.  assess the merits of contrasting theories, explanations and arguments;

4.  critically evaluate and interpret a range of evidence, including texts and other sources;

5.  undertake problem-solving and decision-making;

6.  develop a reasoned argument;

additionally, within the History portion of the programme:

7.  appreciate the complexities and diversity of past events and mentalities;

8.  show a critical awareness of the problems inherent in historical sources and in interpreting the past;

9. solve problems with imagination and creativity.

and within the English portion of the programme:

10.  on successful completion of the programme students will have acquired critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts and will have a thorough understanding of texts, concepts and theories relating to English studies;

11.  they will have an appreciation of the central role of language in the creation of meaning and will have gained rhetorical skills of effective communication and argument.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1. locate and retrieve information using a variety of research methods;
2. select, combine, and interpret different types of source material;
3. deploy bibliographic skills including accuracy in the citation of sources and the use of proper conventions in the presentation of scholarly work
4. present cogent and persuasive arguments in oral, written and practical form;
5. undertake independent learning and research;
6. recognise and critically debate moral and ethical issues underpinning particular debates or enquiries.

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to handle complex information in a structured, systematic and analytical way. They should be able to participate effectively in group work using communication effectively, including dialogue, writing formats and visualisation. They should possess effective organisational and time-management skills. They should posses an independence of mind, creativity and intellectual maturity. 

4. Programme structure

4.1

(1)      Candidates normally study a total modular weight of 60 credits in both History and English in each academic year (Parts A, B and C).  However, candidates may take 20 credits of Language options in each Part, chosen from a list produced by the School of Social Sciences, depending on their previous qualifications.  These candidates must take at least 50 credits in both History and English in Parts A and B, and at least 40 credits in both History and English in Part C.

(2)        Candidates must take at least 20 credits in History and 20 credits in English in each Semester.

(3)       Candidates must take a total modular weight of 120 in each Part with a minimum module weight of 50 in each semester, taking into account both compulsory and optional modules.

(4)          Due to timetabling constraints, not all option combinations may be available.

 4.2          Content 

(1) Part A – Introductory Modules

Students must be registered for a minimum of 50 credits and a maximum of 70 credits in each Semester

History Component

(i) Compulsory Modules (total modular weight 20 Credits)

(ii)  Optional Modules (total modular weight 40 Credits)

Students can either take a 20 credit module in each semester, or a 10 credit module with a language option.

English Component

(i)  Compulsory Modules (total modular weight 40 Credits)

(ii)  Optional Modules (total modular weight 20 Credits)

(2) Part B – Degree Modules

EITHER  

(a)  Standard Route

N.B. Candidates choosing Language modules (10 credits in each Semester) should include these modules as part of the English component.

History Component

(i) COMPULSORY MODULES (total modular weight 20 Credits)

(ii)  OPTIONAL MODULES (total modular weight 40 Credits)

Candidates should note that combinations of modules of the same titles but with different credit-weightings are mutually exclusive.

English Component

(i)  Compulsory Modules

None

(ii) Optional Modules (total modular weight 60 Credits)

OR

(b)  INTERNATIONAL SEMESTER ROUTE

Candidates may replace the modules required for Part B Semester 2 with an approved course of study taught in English at a foreign University.  Candidates will undertake assessed work equivalent to 50 credits, as required by the School of Social Sciences, along with a Distance learning Research Design module. Candidates must register for a total of 20 credits of History modules and 40 credits of English modules in Semester 1.  Candidates should note that combinations of modules of the same titles but with different credit-weightings are mutually exclusive. 

(3)          Part I

Candidates following the four-year programme are required to undertake a Part I placement, which occurs between Parts B and C and may be EITHER (i) an academic year abroad at a French-, German- or Spanish-speaking university, following an approved course of study leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (ii) an academic year abroad on an approved course of study at a foreign university where teaching is in English leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (iii) an approved Teaching Assistantship at a school or other approved placement in a French-, German- or Spanish-speaking country, leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (iv) an approved placement in the UK or abroad leading to the Diploma in Professional Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI.  Participation in a Part I study abroad or placement is subject to School approval and satisfactory academic performance during Parts A and B.

(4)  Part C – Degree Modules

Students must be registered for a minimum of 50 credits and a maximum of 70 credits in each Semester. Credits from either Dissertation must be split equally (20:20) across both Semesters.

 (i)           COMPULSORY MODULES (total modular weight 40 Credits)

 (ii)          OPTIONAL MODULES (total modular weight 80 Credits)             

Candidates taking Languages modules (10 credits in each Semester) must choose these modules as part of the English component if taking the Dissertation module EUC800 OR as part of the History component if taking the English Dissertation EAC009.

History Component

Candidates must choose History modules to the value of 60 Credits from the following list.  Candidates who have chosen to take EUC800 Dissertation should take a further 20 credits of History modules from the list below to total 60 credits for this component.

English Component

Candidates must choose English modules to the value of 60 credits from the following list.  Candidates who have chosen EAC009 English Dissertation should choose a further 20 credits of English modules from the list below to total 60 credits for this component.

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

5.1 In order to progress from Part A to Part B, from Part B to C, and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must not only satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX but also achieve a module mark of at least 30% in all modules in each Part.

5.2 Provision will be made in accordance with Regulation XX for candidates who have the right of reassessment in any Part of the programme to undergo re-assessment in the University's special assessment period.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of their performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C. The percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part B 40%, Part C 60% to determine the final programme percentage mark.