BA Applicant (Teaching)

The BA degree in English Language and Literature in Education is offered jointly by the Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures and the Department of the English Language and ELT Methodology.

We welcome applicants with a strong command of written and spoken English who have a keen interest in the fields of literature in English, cultures of the English-speaking world, and English language/linguistics, and wish to pursue these in relation to teacher training. The programme trains students in the basics of teaching English as a second language, with a thorough grounding in English-language linguistics and the literatures and cultures of the English-speaking world. The programme aims to equip students with a broad foundation in each of these fields, as well as providing them with opportunities to develop their interests in specific areas, in relation to teacher-training. In the Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures core courses are designed to guide students through the main periods of English and American Literature, significant issues in British and American culture and history, and to develop foundational skills in literary interpretation, academic writing, research and presentations.

Instruction is mixed format, ranging from large lectures to small group seminars that facilitate discussion, close reading of specific texts and individual attention from the instructor.

Find out more about the application procedure:

Forms of Study

Joint-subject study only
Joint-Subject students are enrolled in the English Language and Literature for in Education AND another Education Programme within the Faculty of Arts (e.g., History, Czech, Spanish, etc; see the list of programmes available for combination on the Faculty website). They must pass entrance exams in both subjects. In their final year (at least six months before the viva) they must choose a thesis topic in one of their two subjects of study.

Duration

The BA programme is normally three years (i.e. six semesters of instruction) for full time students. Students may also apply to study abroad for a maximum of two semesters as part of the Erasmus programme. However, as courses and credits are not always equivalent, you may need to prolong your studies by one or two semesters.

General Structure

The programme combines three main components:

General Teaching Skills
The component is designed to provide students with prerequisites that allow them, in the follow-up MA programme, to develop knowledge and competence that are indispensable for a teaching career, including practical skills to organise lessons.
Subject-specific Teaching Skills
The component contributes to the formation of subject-specific teaching skills. In the follow-up MA programme, graduates can build on these and develop knowledge and competence necessary for a teaching career in the given subject and in other related subjects, primarily philological.
Subject-specific Component
This is structured around three main areas:
1. Literatures on the British Isles; British, Irish and Commonwealth Cultural Studies
2. American and Canadian Literature and Cultural Studies
3. English Language and Linguistics taught by the Department of the English Language and ELT Methodology.

Literatures on the British Isles; British, Irish and Commonwealth Cultural Studies
The curriculum consists of a three-semester course (lecture and seminars) which provides an introduction to the development of the literature and relevant cultural background to the following principal topics: English Drama up to the Restoration, the Rise of the Novel, Romanticism, the Victorian Novel, Modernism and Contemporary Literature. The course is complemented by a one-semester lecture on medieval literature and culture on the British Isles.

American and Canadian Literature and Cultural Studies
The curriculum consists of a three-semester course (lecture and seminars) devoted to American literature from the colonial period to the present. The central topics are Colonial Literature, American Romanticism and Transcendentalism, Main Trends in Later Nineteenth-century Poetry, Humour and Satire in Later Nineteenth-century Fiction, Realism, Naturalism and Other Developments in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-century Fiction, Modernism, The Writing of the Expatriates, Southern Literature, The War Novel, The Development of Twentieth-century Drama, African American and Contemporary Literature, including Postmodern Tendencies and Literary Activities of Varied Ethnic Groups. Seminars focus on historical traditions and cultural trends, literary techniques, and artistic expression.

English Language and Linguistics
The curriculum combines courses enhancing the students’ command of the English language (level C1-C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) with a focus on linguistic description and analysis of the English language (phonetics/phonology, morphology and syntax, lexical semantics, history of the English language). For full information please refer to website of the Department of English Language and ELT Methodology.

In addition, in the first year of study students must take mandatory courses in:

English Skills in Cultural Communication (two-semester seminar)
Introduction to Literary Studies (two-semester seminar)

These courses function as prerequisites for courses in the second and third years of study. Without passing these courses students will be unable to continue with their studies at the Department.

Students have the opportunity to take optional seminars offered by the Department as well as within the University.

All students in the programme must fulfil credit requirements in Academic Skills and a Foreign Language.

For detailed information on credit requirements and the recommended sequence in which to take please consult the study plan.

Graduate Profile

Graduates of our teacher-training degree are equipped with requisite academic and pedagogical skills for starting a career in education, and ready to resume further training in our Master’s degree in Teaching of English Language and Literature, or in related MA-level subjects.
Our teacher-training programme equips the graduate with the pedagogical as well as psychological basics of teaching methodology and practice, and further grounding in the specifics of the subject area, i.e. the teaching of English language and literature.
Apart from a career in education, our graduates are also highly qualified for a wide range of professional positions which require a Bachelor’s degree in the humanities (e.g. media, publishing, advertising, etc.). Our graduates’ transferable skills (superior command of spoken and written English, critical thinking, research expertise, IT and media literacy, creative problem-solving) are highly sought after on today’s job market.