Study information

Programme Specification for the 2025/6 academic year

BA (Hons) English and Media and Communications with Study Abroad

1. Programme Details

Programme nameBA (Hons) English and Media and Communications with Study Abroad Programme codeUFA4EGLCMM01
Study mode(s)Level 1
Academic year2025/6
Campus(es)Streatham (Exeter)
NQF Level of the Final Award6 (Honours)

2. Description of the Programme

The BA (Hons) English and Communications with Study Abroad programme offers you the opportunity to combine study of a wide and exciting range of material in English literature, film and television. You will study literature from the medieval period to the present day and watch films from American, European, and other World cinemas, as well as learning about the trends and technologies of television. The range of material studied will equip you to understand the complex histories of these written and visual media as well as how important issues of cultural difference are raised through them, giving you the tools and vocabulary to take a questioning attitude to your own literary and media cultures. We encourage you to make the most of the facilities available to broaden and enhance your study of film, not just on campus and in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum but also through the lively English and film cultures (art-house cinema, media facilities) in the city itself.

As you progress through your degree into the second and final years, you will be able to follow your own interests by choosing from the variety of topics on offer, culminating in your own research project, a dissertation, in your final year. You will also learn to work flexibly and creatively with others and engage in debate as well as exercising independent thought and judgement whilst becoming an effective independent learner.

This programme is studied over four years. The first two years and the final year are university-based, and the third year is spent at a university abroad on an approved programme of study.

Advice and guidance on your programme can be sought from your personal tutor and programme director. All staff offer regular office hours that you can drop into without a prior appointment for this purpose.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

4. Programme Structure

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

Media & Communications modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=comms
English modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=english

Stage 1


30 credits of compulsory English modules, 60 credits of compulsory Communications modules and 30 credits of optional English modules.

 

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
EAS1035 Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 30No
CMM1001 Perspectives on Communications 30No
CMM1002 Communications Challenges 30No

Optional Modules

a - You must select 30 credits from this list of optional English modules

 

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
English Stage 1 CH Option Modules 2025-6 [See note a above]
EAS1016 Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry 15 No
EAS1037 The Novel 15 No
EAS1038 The Poem 15 No
EAS1041 Rethinking Shakespeare 15 No
EAS1044 Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing 15 No

Stage 2


Stage 2: 60 credits of optional English modules and 60 credits of compulsory and optional Media & Communications modules.

 

Compulsory Modules

 

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
CMM2002 Communications in the Workplace 30No

Optional Modules

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

b Select 60 credits from this list of optional English modules.

English modules in stage 2 are divided into three groups:

  • Group 1, modules concerned with pre-1750 literature;
  • Group 2, modules concerned with post-1750 literature;
  • Group 3, modules not concerned with a particular historical period.

Combined Honours students may not take more than one module from each group.

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
Media & Communications Stage 2 CH Option Modules 2025-6
CMM2010 Professional Writing 30 No
CMM2012 Communications and the Climate Crisis 30 No
CMM2014 Design Thinking 30 No
CMM2016 Economies of Engagement: Gamification and Platform Cultures 30 No
CMM2017 Internet Foundations and Frontiers 30 No
CMM2018 Media and the Law: Regulation, Governance, Ethics 30 No
EAF2502 Shots in the Dark 30 No
English Stage 2 Pre-1750 Option Modules 2025-6 [See note b above]
EAS2026 Desire and Power: English Literature 1570-1640 30 No
EAS2036 Theatrical Cultures in Early Modern England 30 No
EAS2071 Chaucer and His Contemporaries 30 No
EAS2080 Renaissance and Revolution 30 No
EAS2102 Satire and the City: English Literature 1660-1750 30 No
English Stage 2 Post-1750 Option Modules 2025-6 [See note b above]
EAF2510 Adaptation: Text, Image, Culture 30 No
EAS2029 Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings 30 No
EAS2103 Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960 30 No
EAS2106 Romanticism 30 No
EAS2116 Empire of Liberty: American Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century 30 No
English Stage 2 Neutral Option Modules 2025-6 [See note b above]
AHV2018 Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres 30 No
EAS2031 Creative Writing: Building a Story 30 No
EAS2032 Creative Writing: Making a Poem 30 No
EAS2089 Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future 30 No
EAS2090 Humanities after the Human: Further Adventures in Critical Theory 30 No
EAS2113 Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World 30 No

Stage 3


Stage 3: 120 credits of compulsory modules

For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the Faculty Study Abroad Coordinator. Details of individual modules that may be taken whilst abroad can be found by accessing the partner institution’s factfile at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/where/ and navigating to the “Course Requirements” section of that factfile where a link to the modules on offer in the partner institution is displayed.

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
HAS3999 Study Abroad (HASS) 120Yes

Stage 4


Stage 4: 30 credits of compulsory dissertation, 90 credits of optional modules (including 30-60 credits of English modules, and 30-60 credits of Media & Communications modules)

 

Compulsory Modules

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

c Select a Dissertation in either Media & Communications or English: CMM3002 or CMM3003 or EAS3003 or EAS3122 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
CMM3002 Communications: Dissertation [See note c above]30No
CMM3003 Communications: Practical Research Project [See note c above]30No
EAS3003 Dissertation [See note c above]30No
EAS3122 Creative Writing Dissertation [See note c above]30No

Optional Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
Media & Communications Final Stage CH Option Modules 2025-6
CMM3005 Gender, Sexuality and Media 30 No
CMM3006 Digital Inequalities 30 No
CMM3007 Critical AI Studies 30 No
CMM3008 Imagining Tech Futures for the Common Good 30 No
CMM3009 Selling the Self: Influencer Culture and Digital Capitalism 30 No
CMM3010 Social Media and Migration 30 No
DRA3102 Audio Dramaturgy: Theatre of the Ear 30 No
EAF3501 American Independent Film 30 No
EAF3515 Something to See: War and Visual Media 30 No
EAF3518 Queering British Film and Television 30 No
EAF3519 Cinema in the Anthropocene 30 No
EAF3522 Film, Philosophy, and the Internet 30 No
EAF3523 Perspectives on Animation 30 No
English Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6
EAS3100 Hardy and Women Who Did: the Coming of Modernity 30 No
EAS3128 Writing the Short Film 30 No
EAS3131 Advanced Critical Theory 30 No
EAS3152 Heroes and Exiles: English Poetry of the Age of Beowulf 30 No
EAS3167 James Joyce's Ulysses 30 No
EAS3191 Writing for Children and Young Adults 30 No
EAS3194 Resource Fictions: Oil, Water and Conflict in the World-System 30 No
EAS3219 Virginia Woolf: Fiction, Feeling, Form 30 No
EAS3225 'Reader, I Married Him': The Evolution of Romance Fiction from 1740 to the Present 30 No
EAS3228 Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare 30 No
EAS3241 Harlem and After: African American Literature 1925-present 30 No
EAS3254 American Literature in Magazines, 1945 to present 30 No
EAS3255 Food, Environment, and Literature in Early Modern England 30 No
EAS3256 The Poetry of Place 30 No
EAS3311 Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730 30 No
EAS3408 Poetry and Politics 30 No
EAS3409 Ghosts, Witches and Demons: the Renaissance Supernatural 30 No
EAS3414 Jane Austen: In and Out of Context 30 No
EAS3415 The Development of British Children's Literature 30 No
EAS3417 Sex, Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Literature 30 No
EAS3421 Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century 30 No
EAS3500 American Counterculture in Literature 30 No
EAS3501 Fiction Matters 30 No
EAS3502 Shakespeare and Crisis 30 No
EAS3507 Writing Song Lyrics 30 No
EAS3509 From Pen to Printed Page: Exeter's Literary Archives 30 No

6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

1. Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the historical development of a range of media & communication technologies.
2. Identify, evaluate, and appreciate a variety of methodological approaches and critical traditions within media and communication studies.
3. Apply a range of critical theories to the study of communication technologies and media texts.
4. Interrogate and analyse media texts within their particular contexts of production, dissemination, and reception.
5. Position debates about media and communications within a wider context of cultural and intellectual history.
6. Apply critical terminology and, where appropriate, methodological, linguistic, stylistic, and/or formal terminology to an understanding of communication technologies and media texts; utilise appropriate bibliographical style.

ILOs 1-6 are acquired through lectures, seminars, workshops, study groups, tutorials and other learning activities throughout the programme. The degree of specialisation of subject knowledge increases during the programme, culminating in the dissertation. Modules at stage 3 are most closely related to the research specialism of the staff teaching the module. The precise method of teaching varies according to each module. On team-taught modules you will normally engage in both lectures and seminar groups. In smaller options you will normally spend most of your contact time in seminar groups and workshops.
 
Your learning is further developed through engagement with assessments, following guidance from tutors and lecturers and through feedback on work submitted

The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, annotated bibliographies, web-based assessments, audio-visual and written essays, exams, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation or large-scale practical project. Essays, exams, and presentations are especially significant within the programme because they assess each of the skills in ILOs 1-6.

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

7. Apply critical skills in the analysis of communication technologies and media texts.
8. Articulate knowledge and understanding of relevant concepts and theories relating to media and communication.
9. Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data in order to frame questions and answer questions relevant to academic study and the graduate workplace.
10. Demonstrate the ability to sustain fluent arguments and analysis in writing and in presenting ideas to others.
11. Apply bibliographic skills appropriate to the discipline, including accurate citation of sources and consistent use of conventions in the presentation of scholarly work.

ILOs 7-11 are developed throughout the programme in all modules, with the emphasis becoming more complex as students move from stage to stage. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work, and oral work (both in presentation and seminar discussion).
 
They will culminate in the substantial and independent research skills demonstrated within the dissertation or large-scale practical project.

The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, annotated bibliographies, web-based assessments, written and/or audio-visual essays, exams, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation or large-scale practical project.

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

12. Apply advanced literacy and media & communication skills in appropriate contexts including the ability to present sustained and persuasive written and oral arguments.
13. Analyse and critically examine diverse forms of material, both textual and visual.
14. Acquire and interrelate substantial quantities of complex information of diverse kinds, in a structured and systematic way, and involving the use of the distinctive methodological and interpretative skills of the subject areas.
15. Apply research skills for the retrieval of historical material, and develop the ability to gather, sift and organise this material independently and critically, evaluating its significance.
16. Interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical positions, and weigh the importance of alternative perspectives in a critical and self-reflective manner.
17. Exercise independent thought and judgment.
18. Engage with others through the presentation of ideas and information in groups, and work towards the collective negotiation of solutions.
19. Plan and execute written and other forms of project-work over both short and long timescales.
20. Complete tasks under time-constrained conditions and effectively manage deadlines and targets.

Personal and key skills are delivered through all modules, and developed in lectures, workshops, study groups, tutorials, work experience and other learning activities throughout the programme.

The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, annotated bibliographies, web-based assessments, essays, exams, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation or large-scale practical project.
 
ILOs 12-17 are also strongly developed over the course of the portfolio of assessed essays and other audio-visual and/or written work produced through the programme. These assessments work on the principle of offering formative feedback to support the development of your work within as well as between modules. Feedback on one assignment is intended to inform the next piece of work you undertake on the module; the next piece of work on the programme, or the future learning of graduates.
 
ILO 18 is associated especially with the range of group presentations taking place in modules during the programme. Group presentation assessment brings into focus an important range of skills for students, including sharing workloads, responsibility for tasks, team working, collaborative and communicative skills. Individual contributions to group work are also assessed individually, most often in the form of a reflective presentation report.
 
ILOs 19-20 are also accomplished during the course of ‘real-time’ formal assessments such as presentations and end of module exams, which occur through the programme.

7. Programme Regulations

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

All students within English and Media & Communications have a personal tutor for their entire programme of study and who are available for at least three hours a week at advertised ‘office hours’. There are induction sessions to orientate students at the start of their programme. A personal tutoring system will operate with regular communication throughout the programme. Academic support will also be provided by module leaders. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.

10. Admissions Criteria

Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(Quality Review Framework.

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

Not applicable to this programme

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

0

18. Final Award

BA (Hons) English and Media and Communications with Study Abroad

19. UCAS Code

Not applicable to this programme.

20. NQF Level of Final Award

6 (Honours)

21. Credit

CATS credits

480

ECTS credits

240

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

Level 1

23. Dates

Origin Date

01/01/2020

Date of last revision

18/02/2025