BA (Hons) English Language and Psychology

English Language

English is an important language socially, politically and economically. A global language with c.1.5 billion speakers worldwide, English is the best-described language in the world. On this course you will explore how English works, why and how it is used, and where it has come from. You will learn about subjects such as: the grammatical structure (e.g. word order, sounds, meaning); the history of English; dialects and social variation; social, educational and cultural aspects; global English, and more.

On this course you will learn about, understand and interpret many aspects of human language. You will get the opportunity to explore the ways in which people’s language abilities develop, how our language changes according to the context in which it is being used and who is speaking, how language is organized and processed in the brain, how language is learnt and how it is taught. You will look at the way English has changed over the centuries, considering what will become of it in the future, comparing English use in different parts of the globe, and considering important practical aspects of English such as the hundreds of millions of people worldwide learning English as an additional or foreign language. You will learn about linguistics and how language in general can be studied, and you will get the opportunity to compare English with other languages, particularly in the context of multilingual societies where English is not the only language used.

Psychology

This ‘pure psychology’ course will allow you to gain a scientific understanding of the basic processes by which we learn, think, feel and adapt to our social conditions. The course covers the investigation of behaviour from infancy to old age, and deals with the biological, social and individual factors that affect human psychology. This course offers the widest choice of modules in the third year enabling you to tailor your study as your interests develop.

On this course your horizons will be broadened by learning all of the exciting and diverse areas that a psychology degree has to offer. You’ll learn about human development through the lifespan and the myriad of influences upon people from their biology and physiology to how parenting and socialisation influence us. You’ll learn not only about the intricacies of what makes humans tick and how we are able to navigate such a complex internal and external environment but also the mechanics and effects of what happens when these complex systems stop working well.