English Language and History

A Combined Honours degree at Chester gives you the opportunity to study two subjects. You will spend a fairly even amount of time studying each subject area, with possible opportunities to declare a major – minor towards the end of your studies.<br/><br/>**English Language**<br/>Unlock the power of words through the investigation and analysis of the fundamental structures and theoretical principles of English language and linguistics.<br/><br/>During this course, you will study the structures and theoretical principles of English and language in general, and use them to understand and analyse spoken<br/>and written English discourse in context. This may include investigating sounds, word meanings, sentence structures, discourse analytical principles, child language acquisition, and language variation and change.<br/><br/>You will be offered a variety of assessment types, including standard essays, presentations, data collection projects, exercises, transcriptions, dissertation and<br/>even blogs. This will equip you with the academic experiences you need to make the most of employment opportunities following your undergraduate degree and/or postgraduate study.<br/><br/>The course has been repeatedly praised by external examiners, who have noted the unusually broad range of expertise provided by the teaching team, which covers some of the most cutting-edge subjects in English language and linguistics, such as Corpus Linguistics (computer-assisted discourse analysis). Staff also have considerable expertise in the areas of sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, child language acquisition, models of grammar, critical discourse analysis, dialectology and comparative linguistics.<br/><br/>**History**<br/><br/>Explore the past with modules covering a thousand years of local, national and international history, with themes ranging from identity, race and ethnicity, politics and justice, to leisure and the landscape to war, conflict and social change.<br/><br/>In the historic city of Chester, you’ll be surrounded by connections to the Medieval, Early Modern and Modern periods, enriching your experience and providing opportunities for group field trips and individual exploration. We embrace a range of approaches including social, cultural and political history, but also the study of material culture, digital humanities and the application of history in a practical context to develop your employability prospects.<br/><br/>You will challenge existing narratives about the past and be encouraged to think critically about how, and why, these narratives have developed. You will also explore themes and issues relating to race, diversity, gender, imperialism, conflict and climate change.<br/><br/>You’ll be able to choose from our wide variety of option modules to tailor your degree to suit your own interests and you’ll have the opportunity to work as a professional historian and produce material for public consumption. During the second year of your degree, you will be able to work directly with history and heritage organisations such as BBC History Magazine and the National Trust; you will also work with local heritage organisations, museums and archives, as well as local schools to apply your degree in a professional context and enjoy unique opportunities that will enhance your enjoyment of the subject, as well as your CV.