English Language and Culture (BA)

Programme structure

The English Language and Culture programme focuses on four areas: English language, literature, philology and linguistics. The electives in the second and third year allow you to pursue your interests and specialise in one or more of our four fields of study.

What you will learn

Your existing English language skills will be substantially developed, both in spoken and written proficiency. In linguistics, you will delve deeper into language as a system. In literature classes, you will become familiar with the rich world of English literature, while in the philology courses you will study Old and Middle English literature, as well as the earliest stages of the English language.

You will also develop academic and professional skills such as writing, presenting, problem-solving, conducting research, working in teams, and critically assessing information. Many of those skills are sought after by employers and will be valuable in your future career.

Some of our courses

Year 1

Linguistics 2: Analysing English Sounds and Words

This is an introduction to modern English phonetics (pronunciation, perception, and intonation) and morphology. You will learn how speech sounds are produced and how they can be transcribed phonemically. You will also learn about the smallest units of grammar and the rules of English word-formation.

English Language 1: The Spoken Word

In this course, you will acquire and develop the skills that will enable you to express yourself accurately and fluently in spoken English. Your active vocabulary will be increased, enabling you to speak comfortably about everyday topics, as well as academic, social and cultural issues.

Philology 2: Introduction to Old English Language and Literature

This course introduces you to the language, culture and history of early medieval England. At the end of the course, you will be able to read, translate and understand short texts, including saints' lives, riddles and heroic poetry. Leiden's course offerings in FOld English are unique within the Netherlands.

Year 2

English Language 4: Dimensions of Written Text

This course explores how situational features influence the composition, generation, and assessment of written text. We start by distinguishing among the core concepts of register, genre and style, and then turn to the question of how these language dimensions interact in written texts within the context of situational variation. We then examine the implications of these text dynamics, alongside the rapid development of AI tools based on large language models, for writing in the future.

Literature 3A: American Literature, Beginnings to 1865

This seminar surveys the development of a distinctly American literary culture and history from the first encounters between Native Americans and Europeans to the mid-nineteenth century. In exploring this expanding terrain, we will encounter new genres and media, consider the impact of race and gender on ideas of freedom and democracy, and assess the formation of an American literary canon.

Philology 3: History of the English Language

How did English come to look the way it does in the present? From the Angles, Saxons and Jutes to today, English has gone through tremendous transformations and is now spoken far beyond the British Isles. This course offers a bird’s eye view of the major developments which the English language underwent from its very roots and beginnings until the present day. You will examine changes in the English lexicon, grammar and sound system from past to present. In doing so, you will consider important historical, political, social and linguistic factors that contributed to the rich variation and change that can be observed throughout the ages.

Year 3

Literature: Introduction to American Film

This course explores the breadth of mid-twentieth-century film, and includes examining the relationship between the cinema and other modes of performance, whether in the theatre, radio, or television. This course considers these works of art in their cultural context, and scrutinises the ways in which popular film expressed, critiqued or questioned developments within American society.

Linguistics: Abbreviation in Digital Language

Sentences and phrases in English can be shortened in many ways, and such shortening (also called omission or ellipsis) has to comply with specific rules. We identify the types of omissions and the syntactic and discourse conditions under which words and phrases can be omitted. We also look at more drastically abbreviated registers such as diaries, newspaper headlines, as well as SMS/WhatsApp messages, in which many elements can be omitted — articles, subjects and objects and even verbs — that normally cannot be omitted in the standard register. We will try to understand why abbreviated registers allow all these elements to be missing.

Thesis in English language and Culture

Your thesis, comprising between 7,500 and 10,000 words, will be written in the final semester of the third year. Its assessment includes the student’s ability to devise and clearly define a research topic, the critical use of the secondary literature and source material, and the use of language, structure and layout.

Lectures and supporting videos

Several lecturers make short videos to support their teaching. In his video, Thijs Porck introduces Old English, spoken in the early Middle Ages and NOT by William Shakespeare.

Due to the selected cookie settings, we cannot show this video here.

Watch the video on the original website or

Detailed programme

See below for an overview of the curriculum. For a detailed description of the courses, check the Prospectus. Please note that both the schedule below and the prospectus apply to the current academic year, which means that the curriculum for next year may slightly differ.

The English Language and Culture programme can be followed full-time as well as part-time. Both versions of the programme are identical in ontent; they differ only in length and workload.

Click on the magnifier to enlarge the picture.

More information

Contact the study advisor.
Join us for an information event.
Read the Prospectus for more information.

Tailoring the programme to your interests

In the third year, you will have several options to tailor the programme to your interests. You can choose to do the programme’s electives, or put together your own tailored electives package. Leiden University offers a wide range of minor programmes, for example in Translation Studies. Dutch-speaking students can take an educational minor, which qualifies them to teach at junior level in Dutch secondary schools. Additionally, there is the option to do an internship with an international company or NGO. You can also participate in an international exchange programme at a university in an English-speaking country, such as Ireland, Canada or the US.

For excellent students, there is also the prestigious Harting programme, which offers the opportunity for students to study at the University of York or other leading British universities.