English Language and Culture

The English Language and Culture Minor aims to improve your command of the English language, in writing, speaking, listening and reading. You will learn to analyse English literary texts from a historical perspective and gain a general sense of the development of English-language literature and culture over the last four centuries.

Summary

Number of EC

30 EC

Number of courses

4 compulsory courses

Start

Block 1

Coordinator

Dr. Koen Sebregts

Course overview

English Language and Culture

Code minor

ENG-MINOR-14

Entry requirements

None (not accessible to students of the BA programme in English Language and Culture)

Associated MA programmes
Register between 30 May and 23 June 2023

Make sure to register for the minor as well as all its courses

Goal and content minor

The English Language and Culture Minor is intended for students interested in English, and in the literatures and cultures that use it. As a global language, English is a useful means of communication in all fields of study. The Minor offers an obligatory component of advanced English proficiency, comparable to what first-year students of English are taught.

This minor is not accessible to students of the BA-programme English Language and Culture.

    Courses

    The minor begins with a linguistics course which trains students’ spoken fluency and pronunciation skills, as well as their listening comprehension. It also introduces students to core principles of articulatory phonetics, as well as the basics of the sound systems of British and American English. Students also explore grammatical differences between English and Dutch. The focus then shifts to literature and culture from the second course onward: students learn a basic critical vocabulary, engage with genre, further enhance their presentation skills and construct properly-referenced academic essays.

    These skills are then practised and applied in the two survey courses in periods 3 and 4, tackle historical and cultural perspectives on English-language writing from around the world in the Early Modern and Modern periods, respectively. Students are expected to report critically on their reading in appropriate academic English. Successful minor students improve their command of the English language, in writing, speaking, listening and reading to C1 level; they learn to analyse English literary texts from a historical perspective and gain a general sense of the development of English-language literature and culture over the last four centuries.

    Curriculum

    The minor English Language and Culture consists of 4 compulsory courses (30 EC):

    Albion is the study society of the Bachelor's degree programme in English Language and Culture, but also offers those who follow the minor the opportunity to become a Friend of Albion. For more information, visit our website or email us at albionutrecht@gmail.com.

     

    Application and registration

    How to register for this minor and its course modules, depends on whether you are a student of Utrecht University or not.

    More information

    If you wish to know more, or have questions about this minor, please contact the Student Desk Humanities.