Welsh and English Literature (BA)

This is a three-year, full-time course, consisting of 120 credits a year. You’ll study six 20-credit modules a year, split equally between the subjects.

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2020/21 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2020.

Year one

You will take 120 credits in all. There are two routes in the first year, one for students who have studied Welsh as a first language and the other for students who have studied Welsh as a second language. First-language Welsh students will take 60 credits in Welsh and 60 in English Literature, while second-language students will take 80 credits in Welsh and 40 in English Literature.

The emphasis in year one Welsh is on developing key skills (linguistic, analytical, creative and employability) in the fields of language and literature, and all students follow a set number of modules with an appropriate number of contact hours. The School will also provide additional arrangements for second language students to develop and practise their language skills.

Normally, students who have studied A-level Welsh as a second language follow the second-language route, but we will consider your linguistic skills, both oral and written, before deciding which route you will follow.

For the first-language route the core modules are:

• Iaith ac Ystyr [Language and Meaning]
• Awdur, Testun a Darllenydd [Author, Text and Reader]
• Y Gymraeg yn y Gymru Gyfoes [The Welsh Language in Contemporary Wales]

For the second-language route the core modules are:

• Sgiliau Llafar [Oral Skills]
• Defnyddio’r Gymraeg [Using Welsh]
• Astudio Llenyddiaeth [Studying Literature]
• Y Gymraeg Heddiw [The Welsh Language Today]

Year one English Literature is a foundation year designed to equip you with the skills for advanced study and to give you an overview of the subject that will enable you to make informed choices from the modules available in years two and three.

Year two

You will take 60 credits in Welsh and 60 credits in English Literature.

In year two Welsh, you will build on the skills and knowledge acquired in year one. The core linguistic elements of the course focus on language skills within both an academic and a vocational context, and include a period of work experience in a workplace in which Welsh is used on a daily basis.

Alongside these core elements, the Welsh course offers optional modules in years two and three in Welsh language, literature and culture, including several with direct relevance to specific fields of employment, such as language planning, scriptwriting and translation.

There are no compulsory modules for English Literature in year two. You may select from a range of modules based on period, genre or theme in which you will be reading a variety of texts in their historical and cultural contexts.

These might include modules such as Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama, The Novel in the Romantic Age, Welsh Fiction and Poetry, as well as Ways of Reading, the American South in Literature and Film or Creative Writing.

Year three

You will take 60 credits in Welsh and 60 credits in English Literature.

By year three you will have gained experience of a variety of literary periods, topics, genres and approaches, developing your critical faculties and your skills in analysing texts and contexts. You will therefore be in an excellent position to choose between a range of more specialised English Literature modules that engage with current issues in research and scholarship in relation to authors and texts both well-known and possibly less well-known to you.

In Welsh, it is compulsory to choose one of the following modules:

• Blas ar Ymchwil [Research Taster]
• Ymchwilio Estynedig [Extended Research]

You will have a choice of an essay or project for of 5,000 words (20 credits) or 9,000 words (40 credits), to be completed under the direction of a member of staff who is an expert in the relevant field. This may lead to further research or provide an effective showcase for potential employers. You will also choose more optional modules.

The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.