- UCAS course code
- QR32
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA English Language and German
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: QR32 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Study with a language
- Typical A-level offer: ABB
- Typical contextual A-level offer: BBC
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBC
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 34 points overall with 6,6,5 at HL
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Find out more from student finance
- Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
- Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
- Many students work part-time or complete a student internship
Course unit details:
Forensic Linguistics
| Unit code | LELA31632 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course introduces students to forensic linguistics and, more specifically, to the use of linguistics to provide evidence in criminal or civil cases. When language becomes evidence in a forensic case, a linguist can be called as an expert witness regarding various matters, such as, for example, the authorship of a text, the meaning of a particular word or phrase, or the modality of production of a text. The use of linguistic knowledge and methods can provide these answers and the aim of the course is to demonstrate how this is done. Through the use of lectures and seminars, the course will develop the theoretical and applied knowledge for the students to carry out forensic linguistic analyses on real cases. In addition, students will learn the implications of this type of work for the field of linguistics in general.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pragmatics: Meaning, Context, and Interaction | LELA20292 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
| Stylistics of English | LELA21511 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
| From Text to Linguistic Evidence | LELA10401 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
Aims
The principal aims of the course unit are as follows:
- To learn how to apply linguistics to solve forensic problems
- To know the state of the art of forensic linguistics
- To understand basic concepts of individuality in language production
- To be able to choose the correct linguistic techniques for the analysis of an applied problems
- To understand the most important linguistic characteristics of forensic texts
Learning outcomes
Syllabus
The syllabus below is an indication only:
Week 1. Introduction to Forensic Linguistics
Week 2. The birth of Forensic Linguistics
Week 3. Idiolect and linguistic uniqueness
Week 4. Forensic authorship attribution
Week 5. Forensic authorship profiling
Week 6. Textual borrowing and plagiarism
Week 7. Language crimes
Week 8. Issues of meaning
Week 9. Linguistic evidence for trademark cases
Week 10. The linguist as expert witness
Week 11. Revision
Teaching and learning methods
The teaching for the course will include lectures and seminars in which case studies will be examined using the techniques and tools currently adopted by forensic linguists. Each week students will present their findings on a case introduced the week before. The first two seminars will be tutorials in a computer lab aimed at familiarising students with some of the corpus linguistic tools used in class.
Lectures and supporting materials will be made available on Canvas.
Knowledge and understanding
- Have an understanding of the basic methodologies to analyse texts in a forensic context
- Have an understanding of the register characteristics of malicious forensic texts
- Know the history of forensic linguistics
- Know the main findings related to key cases in forensic linguistics
- Understand the state of the art of individuality in language production
Intellectual skills
- Critically evaluate the literature regarding forensic linguistics
- Critically evaluate conclusions of a forensic linguistic analysis
- Be able to describe the language of a malicious forensic text
- Develop professional knowledge in the application of linguistic theory to naturally occurring texts
Practical skills
- Apply linguistic methods to solve forensic problems
- Develop professional knowledge in the analysis of texts for forensic purposes
- Develop general knowledge of the provision of evidence in court
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Develop general problem solving skills
- Develop the verbal and written abilities to express conclusions
- Be able to apply linguistic theories to solve real-word problems
- Develop general knowledge of investigation procedures
Employability skills
- Other
- With this course, students will learn skills that can be useful for applied linguistics and legal or investigative jobs. The kinds of skills used to analyse forensic texts can enhance the students' problem solving and critical abilities in employing linguistic theories to solve applied problems. As such, this course can help students to creatively employ their knowledge. Above all, students will learn how to carry out independent research and to solve real-life problems.
Assessment methods
| Assessment Task | Formative or Summative | Weighting |
| Group Presentation x 2 | Summative | 30% (15% each) |
| Coursework Portfolio | Summative | 70% |
Feedback methods
| Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
| Group presentation feedback | Formative |
| Mock exam feedback | Formative |
| Written feedback for coursework | Summative |
Recommended reading
Coulthard, M., & Johnson, A. 2007. An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics. London: Routledge
McMenamin, G. R. 2002. Forensic Linguistics: Advances in Forensic Stylistics. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press.
Olsson, J. 2003. Forensic Linguistics: An Introduction to Language, Crime and the Law. London: Continuum.
Shuy, R. 1996. Language Crimes: Use and Abuse of Language Evidence in the Court Room. Oxford: Blackwell.
Solan, L. M., & Tiersma. P. M. 2005. Speaking of Crime: The Language of Criminal Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 22 |
| Seminars | 11 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Andrea Nini | Unit coordinator |