What do you mean by traditional? I doubt there are any media/film type modules as Durham doesn't have a media studies or film studies department so it would be a big effort to find a lecturer for the module, etc. However you can take modules from other departments, so you can take sociology modules about film and popular culture, or they may be relevant history of art, history or politics modules. You can take 2 out of your 6 first year modules in any department (providing they don't clash with your English modules' lectures), and 2 modules from another department over years 2 and 3 (ie 2 in second year and 0 in third year, or 1 and 1 or 0 and 2).
Here are some media-related modules in other departments:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/module_description/?year=2011&module_code=SOCI3441http://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/module_description/?year=2011&module_code=EDUC1011http://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/module_description/?year=2011&module_code=EDUC1441http://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/module_description/?year=2011&module_code=HIST2901You can see the assessment methods for each module and the modules available here:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/faculty.handbook/degrees/frameworks/q300.pdfI have 2 friends doing English Lit and I think they have 4 exam modules and two coursework only (essay) modules.
I remember looking at York when I was looking at unis and I think all their modules were essay and seminar assessed only, no exams and you had to study a language or read foreign literature or something? So obviously that's a huge difference from Durham if you do/don't like essays/exams and do or don't want to have to study another language. It may have changed though since I looked so please don't take my word for it!
You can take language modules (including foreign literature) modules at Durham, but you don't have to.
You can be flexible with your dissertation if you have a particular interest though. Eg if you were interested in the portrayal of sport in literature in a certain time period, you could write an English Lit dissertation on that (or equally, a history or sociology dissertation).