University of Groningen, BA, English Language and Culture

The programme concentrates on different aspects of the English language and and on literature written in English: language proficiency, linguistics, and the literature from the Middle Ages down to the present day, from the birthplace of the language in England to the United States and all parts of the Commonwealth. We cover theory, the entire range of genres and modes of writing, besides placing a strong emphasis on the cultural context of literary texts. In the first year of the BA in English Language and Culture you will read a broad range of literary texts and you will learn about English as a language. You will analyse many important works, study literary theory, and engage with writings in English from the beginning to the present. In the second year you will be able to choose courses on medieval literary studies, modern literature, and linguistics. For instance, you can study the writings of premodern women, the myth of King Arthur, the modernist novel, Shakespeare and his time, or contemporary American and postcolonial literature. You can fully dedicate yourself to your main interest by writing a dissertation on your preferred topic in your third year. There is a range of minors that complement an English Language and Culture degree, and many students spend time at a foreign university, for example in the UK or New Zealand.