Home \ Courses \ School of English
Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching by Web-based Distance Learning Masters (MA)
Duration:
2-4 years part-time
This course is available by distance learning
Course Content
The web-based MA Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching explores the role of language in human affairs using a variety of approaches, ranging from discourse analysis to corpus linguistics. With a particular focus on research methodology, this programme offers an opportunity for investigating language and communication from an interdisciplinary angle.
Typical topics covered on this course include:
- The Teaching of Language and Literature
- English Vocabulary: Teaching and Learning
- Discourse Analysis
- Corpus Analysis
- World Englishes
- Syllabus Design and Methodology
- Language and Gender
Please note that all module details are subject to change.
Towards the end of your studies, you will complete a supervised dissertation. This is a major piece of advanced independent research, which you will undertake with the supervision of a specialist in your chosen area. We will provide you with advice and guidance while you select and refine your area of study, and offer close supervision and support as you complete your research and your MA.
Course Structure
This course is only available on a part-time basis over 24 to 48 months.
The MA begins with a preparation in Descriptive Linguistic Analysis (30 credits) followed by a further 90 credits in optional modules (which can be begun at any time of the year and completed as quickly or as slowly as required within guidelines).
A 60-credit dissertation completes the MA.
You must take at least two-thirds (120 credits) of your course, including your dissertation, in an area of Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching.
Course materials and teaching for this course are available over the Internet.
All taught modules are assessed by written work of around 3,000 words or equivalent (for a 15-credit module). Tutors provide feedback on practice exercises as preparation, and detailed comments on assignments.
The dissertation module is assessed by written work of 12,000 - 15,000 words.
You will have access to many online resources, as well as your own personal tutor for each module that you take. Particular features of the programme include:
- a theoretical grounding in research methodology and linguistic description
- one-to-one tuition with expert members of staff
- an online discussion board and forum
- innovative and engaging teaching methods
- access to many online resources
- great flexibility in course content, optionality, and changes in direction.
All MA students in the School of English Studies join a lively and thriving postgraduate community. As such, you will be invited to attend a voluntary `Summer School` each year, giving you a chance to meet other students in the school face-to-face.
Modules
This module is a core course in language and linguistics. It introduces and then develops the key terms, theories, frameworks, ideological aproaches and methodologies required in linguistic study and research. It includes a substantial research methods component. It also invites and encourages critical evaluation, reflection and response to linguistic thinking and analysis.
The module will examine the use of representational materials in language teaching and the development of creative reading, processing and interpretative skills; language awareness, text awareness and cultural awareness will be seen as contributory factors to a five-skills approach to the teaching and learning of English as second or foreign language. This will involve the study of a wide range of texts and text-types, from both an analytical and a pedagogic viewpoint. Various approaches to language, linguistic and literary study will be considered, with their application to various pedagogic situations.
The module will further develop the use of representational materials in language teaching and the development of creative reading, processing and interpretative skills; language awareness, text awareness and cultural awareness will be seen as contributory factors to a five-skills approach to the teaching and learning of English as a second or foreign language. This will involve the study of a wide range of texts and text-types, from both an analytical and a pedagogic viewpoint. Various approaches to language, linguistic and literary study will be considered, with their application to various pedagogic situations. The module builds on TEACHING LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE I and develops a greater depth of knowledge.
The module will examine the historical and social development of the English language in contexts largely but not exclusively outside the traitional boundaries of Great Britain and the United States. This will involve an examination of language development, nativisation and acculturation in different contexts; social, political and ideological aspects of the phenomenon will be examined.
The module looks at various approaches to the study of spoken language. These include structural models based on the work of the Birmingham discourse analysts, as well as more sociolinguistically inspired approaches to conversation analysis and recent developments in spoken corpus linguistics. Each learning unit takes a different kind of discourse and progressively builds up a classification of discourse types or genres. Real spoken data are used throughout, for exemplification and practical analysis tasks. Both quantitative (corpus-based) and qualitative approaches to analysis are covered, and the implications for language pedagogy and other branches of applied linguistics (e.g.applications in other professional contexts) are considered.
The module develops approaches to the study of spoken language, building on structural models based on the work of the Birmingham discourse analysts, as well as more sociolinguistically inspired approaches to conversation analysis and recent developments in spoken corpus linguistics. Each learning unit takes a different kind of discourse and progressively builds up a further classification of discourse types or genres. Real spoken data are used throughout, for exemplification and practical analysis tasks. Both quantitative (corpus-based) and qualitative approaches to analysis are covered, and the implications for language pedagogy and other branches of applied linguistics (e.g. applications in other professional contexts) are considered in greater depth.
The course will provide a broad overview of vocabulary studies, including description of how vocabulary is used, exploration of the processes of vocabulary acquisition, and discussions of current best practice in teaching pedagogy. Specific issues covered include: what it means to 'know a word'; how many and which words need to be taught; explicit vs. incidental learning of vocabulary and reading; vocabulary learning strategies; and testing vocabulary.
The module will build on the theoretical elements of the study of international English followed by Q3D155 World Englishes I.. It will examine the historical and social development of the English language in the context of the geography of east Asia and the western Pacific rim. Englishes in the Indian sub-continent, south-east Asia and Australasia will be the focus of study. The module will develop the examination of language evolution, nativisation and acculturation in these historical and social contexts.
The module will build on the theoretical elements of the study of international English followed by Q3D155 World Englishes I. It will examine the historical and social development of the English language in the context of the geography delineated by the slave trade and black diaspora. Englishes in West Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas will be the focus of study. The module will develop the examination of language evolution, nativisation and acculturation in these historical and social contexts.
The course will explore the relationship between language and gender in spoken interaction and written texts, drawing on key approaches in the areas of discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and pragmatics. The extent to which gender affects the language we produce when interacting with one another in a variety of contexts will be focused on, along with the issue of sexism in language use. Various theoretical paradigms that have been presented to explain language and gender differences will be critically examined, along with gender ideologies which operate in society. Students will be encouraged to combine theoretical thinking with hands-on analyses of data from authentic examples of spoken interaction and from a variety of publications including the popular media. The practical consequences of the discipline in terms of how findings can have a political impact on wider society are also discussed.
The course will build on the theoretical and critical knowledge gained in Language and Gender I, in order to develop practical methodological and analytical skills in a range of discourse situations. These will include issues of language and gender in an educational and pedagogic context, in cyberspace, in the media, in medical settings and the courtroom. With further reference to current work in the field, students will apply their knowledge of discourse analytic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic approaches to examining the inter-relations between language, gender and society.
The module will examine the theory and practice of syllabus design. The emphasis is on developing practical strategies and thinking in order to design and teach ELT programmes to meet the needs of specific learners in a specified teaching context. The module explores the relationship between syllabus design and methodology, before going on to a critical appraisal of developments in ELT methodology. This includes the humanistic, social-constructivist and lexical approaches, and communicative methodology. Issues relating to the learner-centred syllabus are also be explored
The module will further examine the theory and practice of syllabus design, building on the knowledge and skills developed in the first module. The emphasis in this advanced course is on developing practical strategies and thinking in relation to a wider range of classroom situations. The student's own teaching environment and context will inform the area of study, and further critical positions are explored.
The module looks at the use of corpus methodology to study a wide range of areas and issues in applied linguistics. These will include, amongst others, the analysis of everyday discourse and of institutional discourse, the analysis of language and gender, the study of health communication, English Language Teaching, creativity in language use, the study of vocabulary and the linguistic study of literary texts. The aim of the module is to provide students with an introduction to some of the tools and resources used for corpus analysis, and to help them develop a range of skills needed to analyse computerised samples of natural language. The emphasis of the module is on the application of corpus analysis to specific research questions and students will have the opportunity to explore the use of corpus methodologies in relation to their own research interests, and to formulate new lines of inquiry that they will investigate with a corpus approach.
The module looks at various approaches of collecting and processing data using both qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation. With a focus on the area of applied linguistics, students will be introduced to the process of hypothesis formulation and testing, issues of interpretation, evaluation and replicability of data and of research results, questionnaire and interview design, data gathering and recording, statistical description and analysis.
Students will choose a topic in consultation with the MA Course Convenor and an appropriate supervisor. The topic will normally be based on interests and skills students have developed in the course of the modules already studied.
This module considers three fundamental and interrelated questions about psycholinguistics: 1. acquisition, or how language is acquired; 2. comprehension, or how words, sentences, and discourse are understood; and 3. production, or how words, sentences, and conversations are produced. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: lexical influences on sentence comprehension and production; first and second language acquisition; reading; language disorders (e.g., dyslexia, aphasia).
This module further examines psycholinguistics in the areas of: 1. acquisition, or how language is acquired; 2. comprehension, or how words, sentences, and discourse are understood; and 3. production, or how words, sentences, and conversations are produced. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: lexical influences on sentence comprehension and production; first and second language acquisition; reading; language disorders (e.g., dyslexia, aphasia).
This course examines the role of grammar in language teaching. In the traditional language classroom, the study of grammar has often been seen as synonymous with the study of language itself. Grammar-translation was widely used as a method until the 60s, and learners were given little opportunity to use language meaningfully. In the 70s, audio-visual approaches were in vogue. Students were encouraged to practise language actively, but the syllabus was still often grammatical, and rote-learning was encouraged. In the 1980s, there was a move towards more communicative methodologies, and, as a result, explicit grammar teaching was treated to some extent as an outdated methodology. The pendulum has swung back, and there is now general acceptance that grammar teaching has an important role to play in classroom language learning.
In this module we will examine the research in favour of grammar teaching, the way methodology influences grammar teaching, how grammar is presented in t
Click here to view print friendly version