English Language

In this course, Dr Helen Ringrow (University of Portsmouth) explores issues of gender and sexuality in media texts. In the first module, we provide a brief introduction to some of the issues we'll be discussing in the rest of the course, including...

In this course, the novelist Anthony Cartwright (UWE, winner of the Betty Trask Award for his 2004 novel, The Afterglow) introduces some techniques for improving creative writing, both descriptive and narrative. In the first two modules, we think...

In this course, Dr Christian Ilbury (QMUL) explores the use of language on social media. In the first module, we think about the influence of technology and the internet on language more generally. After that, in the second module, we think about...

In this course, Professor Annabelle Mooney (University of Roehampton) explores the relationship between language in power. In the first module, we explore the concept of speech acts and Jakobson's six functions of language. After that, we...

In this course Dr Johann Unger (Lancaster University) explores language in the media, focusing in particular on the realm of politics. In the first lecture, we think about what we mean by the term ‘media’ (and ‘the media’) and its relation to...

In this course, the writer and critic Edmund Gordon (author of The Invention of Angela Carter: A Biography) provides some tips and tricks for improving one's creative writing, both fiction and non-fiction. In the first module, we think about the...

In this course, Professor Jonathan Charteris-Black (UWE Bristol) explores political language. In the first module, we explore the various definitions of political language, before turning in the second module to think about the different levels at...

In this course, Professor Jane Setter (University of Reading) provides an introduction to phonetics and phonology. In the first module, we look at the speech chain and think about how people actually understand speech. In the two modules after...

In this course, Dr Marcello Giovanelli (Aston University) explores several aspects of narrative. In the first module, we think about what narrative actually is. In the two modules after that, we think about written narratives, focusing first on...

In this course, Professor Lesley Jeffries (University of Huddersfield) explores some aspects of language and power. In the first module, we think about the relationship between power, ideology and language, including the concept of ideation. In...

In this course, Professor Peter Stockwell (University of Nottingham) demonstrates the power of literary linguistics through of series of close readings of literary texts. In the first module, we provide an introduction to literary linguistics by...

In this course, Professor Veronika Koller (Lancaster University) provides an introduction to discourse analysis. In the first module, we introduce the concept of discourse, before turning in the second module to think about the concept of critical...

In this course Dr Sean Sutherland (University of Westminster) explores discourse analysis. In the first lecture, we provide an introduction to the terms discourse and discourse analysis. In the second lecture, we think about different types of...

In this course, Dr Jack Wilson (University of Salford) explores the use of gesture in communication. In the first module, we think about the concept of multimodality, the idea that communication can involve different 'modes', e.g. linguistic,...