Language & Cultural Diversity

Teaching staff: Dr Alexandra Georgakopoulou
Module code: 7AABMA17
Credit level: 7
Assessment:  coursework 

The module will appeal to students with interdisciplinary interests in (socio)linguistics, social anthropology, social psychology, media and cultural studies. The main aim is to draw on the cross-fertilizations of those areas to examine critically the interrelationships between language, identity and culture, as attested to both at the level of theorizing and at the level of empirical work. More specifically, the module will demonstrate the role of language in the reproduction but also construction of social and cultural practices and relations. To do so, it will look into case studies of language use in a variety of communication contexts ranging from small group to organizational and mediated communication. It will also refer to studies of the examined phenomena in different cultures, societies, speech and language communities, with the aim of providing students with further insights.

Teaching staff: Melanie Cooke and Dr Eva Ogiermann
Module code: 7SSEA006
Credit level: 7
Assessment:  coursework 

This module covers methods for research on spoken language data, including basic procedures such as transcription, linguistics techniques (elicitation of linguistic structures, grammaticality assessments), basic sociolinguistic methods (ethnographic fieldwork, transcontextual and micro-analysis), techniques of endangered language recording and preservation. It thus introduces students to social, cultural and cognitive research perspectives on language and speech.

Teaching staff: Professor Ben Rampton
Module code: 7SSEA00314
Credit level: 7

This module is designed for students committed to pursuing MPhil/PhD research, and it enables them carry out a limited piece of empirical analysis, working under the supervision of a tutor who has worked on broadly the same data. The student is provided with a manageable dataset and some relevant texts, and they are then required to identify their own research question, to re-process the data in ways that relate to their question, to conduct the analysis (noting strengths & weaknesses), and to write a report and archive the reprocessed data. The student is also required to attend any MPhil/PhD data sessions running concurrently.

The module involves less classroom contact time than other modules, and requires a high level of self-organisation on the part of students, who would also benefit from some prior experience of empirical data analysis. It runs by special request and with prior agreement of the tutor involved. If you are interested, please contact Prof Ben Rampton.

Module code: 7SSEE002
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  summer session 1 
Assessment:  coursework 
1 essay of 3,500 words

All students need to be able to meet the linguistic demands of a course of study and this need is critical if they are studying in a second or foreign language. This course focuses on the central problem of written communication in academic contexts, and gives participants an opportunity to develop an understanding of the language and teaching issues that are central to EAP programmes. The course draws on a range of important theoretical and descriptive frameworks in building an account of how best we can help EAP students in particular functional systemic linguistics, genre analysis, and corpus linguistics. It also give practical insights into how to use this understanding in preparing practical courses for students studying in English. Apart from this focus on teaching writing, this course gives students the chance to focus on important issues in EAP in particular: preparing for the IELTS test, study skills, needs analysis and the management of EAP courses.

Module code: 7SSEE003
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  summer session 1 
Assessment:  coursework 
1 essay of 3,500 words

This module scrutinises the 'standard' principles and theories of language teaching against the backdrop of the socio-political context of ESOL/ESL in the UK, and other English dominant settings such as the USA, Canada and Australia. It places the teaching of migrants in the broader contexts of globalisation, 'superdiversity' and public policy, with particular reference to the backgrounds of adult migrants and ESOL/ESL teachers. We will explore some key social theories, eg theories of identity, Bourdieu's theory of capital, which have been applied to English language teaching and learning in English dominant settings.

Teaching staff: Prof Ben Rampton
Module code: 7SSEM023
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Assessment:  coursework 
One 6,000 word assignment.

This module addresses a number of perspectives on the relationship between language and power. It sets up a dialogue between theories and methods from social theory, critical discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. It examines the dynamics of language and power in, for example, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, education, informal, institutional & mass-mediated discourse, and global and local interaction. The module also helps students to conduct their own analyses.

 

By the end of this module, participants will have an understanding of relations of language and power in a wide range of domains and communicative settings, and an understanding of how relevant research approaches might be practically applied.

Module code: 7SSEE004
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  summer session 1 
Assessment:  coursework 
One 3,500 word assignment

This module aims to consolidate and build on the theoretical and experiential knowledge of language testing and assessment that module participants have acquired in their previous academic studies and professional practice. It aims to offer an up-to-date account of current developments and thinking in the field of language testing and assessment, with particular reference to English Language Teaching in different world locations. Discussions on theory and practice will be explicitly referenced to the two established paradigms in language assessment: psychometrically oriented language testing and classroom-based teacher language assessment.

Module code: 7SSEM024
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Assessment:  coursework 
6,000 word assignment

This course is designed for teachers, lecturers and others who are interested in examining some of the societal and individual linguistic consequences of the encounters between peoples and languages. The course will include the analysis of concepts such as bilingualism, multilingualism and the formation and function of languages like Caribbean Creoles and the Black Englishes of the United States and the UK.

Teaching staff: Prof Constant Leung
Module code: 7SSEM006
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Assessment:  coursework 
One 6,000 word assignment.

This module is designed for those who are involved in the education of language minority students in the primary, secondary and FE sectors in the UK and other similar societies where there is a high degree of ethnic and linguistic diversity. Students will gain an understanding of:

 

policy, theory and practice in the teaching and learning of English as a Second/Additional Language (ESL/EAL) in school/college settings principles and practice of integrating language and content teachingassessment of ESL/EAL development.

Teaching staff: Dr Alexandra Georgakopoulou
Module code: 7AABMA16
Credit level: 7
Assessment:  coursework 

The study of narrative represents a diverse and inter-disciplinary area of enormous consequence both methodologically and analytically for the humanities and social sciences. This course is specifically aimed at delving into linguistically informed approaches to narrative (e.g. social pragmatics, discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics). It will discuss a representative range of narrative theories, foreground their links with related areas (e.g. narrative psychology, literary theory), where appropriate, and above all provide students with a toolkit for the analysis of narrative. The discussion and presentation of narrative approaches will be complemented by close analysis of a variety of narrative texts (spoken, written, multi-modal) but emphasis will be placed on non-literary oral narratives, more specifically a) narrative data as research methodology (i.e. life stories mostly elicited through interviews) and b) interactional narratives occurring in ordinary conversational contexts.

Module code: 7SSEE007
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  summer session 1 
Assessment:  coursework 
1 essay of 3,500 words

This course will give participants a better idea of the role of materials within the ELT curriculum, and provide them with tools to investigate learners' needs, plan courses for ESP and General English classes, and analyse, design and adapt tasks and materials for their students. The course builds on work already done in all the previous courses, especially on task-based instruction and SLA, descriptions of English, curriculum design and pedagogy. Participants will have the opportunity to apply theory and principles from these earlier courses and put them to practical use.
This is a theory-informed practice oriented course and quite a large part of class time will be used for workshops where participants will work together in pairs and groups, evaluating, adapting and designing materials, and planning courses based on the needs of their students, with the help of the tutors. Some of the outputs from these workshops may be included in participants' assignments. Participants will be expected to find time between sessions to do further work on materials development tasks that they start in the workshop sessions, in addition to reading the key texts. It is also recommended that during the course participants spend some time looking carefully at published materials as a source of ideas on content, topics, task types, layout and design, methodology and syllabus. The assignment for this course can be in the form of a piece of professional work in materials design or materials evaluation, rather than a traditional academic essay.

Module code: 7SSEA001
Credit level: 7

This module offers an introduction to the role of discourse in health, illness and medical practice. Discourse analysis explores social life through the analysis of language in its widest sense (including verbal interaction, non-verbal, images, symbols, documents). In this module, we will study genres of language including case reports, scientific papers, drug advertisements and media health stories, as well as interaction in consultations. There will be a particular focus on introducing students to relevant methods in the study of medical discourses.

Module code: 7SSEE010
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Assessment:  coursework 
1 essay of 3,500 words

Psycholinguistics is the study of the psychological, cognitive and neurobiological factors that affect the ability (or inability) to acquire, learn, use and understand language in humans and other animals. Whereas people acquire their first language quite effortlessly and unconsciously, the acquisition of a second language tend to be a conscious effort and thus psycholinguistic knowledge can have a real impact in both the learning and teaching of foreign languages. In addition, we will also look at language disorders, such as autism and Williams' syndrome, focussing on how studies of disorders can inform on language in general. The course also includes a practical session in a computer lab where students are familiarised with experimental design and learn to operate various software programmes and hardware used in psycholinguistic experiments.

Module code: 7SSEE011
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Assessment:  coursework;  presentation/s; 
One essay of 2,000 words (60% of the assessment) and one 10 minute oral presentation (40% of the assessment) 

This course will explore the nature of both the individual and social processes involved in the development and use of a second language. Participants will be provided with an overview of SLA theory and research that has developed over the past 40 years, with a view to identifying key trends and principles relevant to classroom-based and informal pedagogies. On this course SLA is framed within a bi/multilingual development perspective.

Module code: 7SSEE012
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Assessment:  coursework 
One 3,500 word assignment

This module aims to provide English language teaching professionals with an overview of the field of sociolinguistics, both micro- and macro-, along with an opportunity for in-depth study of those areas within the field that have particular relevance to their professional lives. The module embraces both traditional variationist approaches to sociolinguistics and more recent socio-political approaches, and includes the following:

• Key concepts and issues in sociolinguists
• The difficulty in defining ‘standard’ English
• The global spread of English
• World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca and implications for ELT
• Pidgin and Creole language
• Language, thought and culture
• Gendered language
• Politeness theory
• The role of sociolinguistics in ELT

Module code: 7SSEE013
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 15
Semester:  summer session 1 
Assessment:  coursework 
1 essay of 3,500 words

For teachers who have little or no experience of teacher training, this course will provide a thorough overview of the field and introduce participants to the key issues. For those who are already teacher educators or responsible for teacher development in a managerial role the objective will be to extend and deepen knowledge and understanding of the central issues in teacher training, education and continued professional development in English language pedagogy. The course will familiarize participants with the relevant literature and encourage critical evaluation of this in the light of individual experience in order to develop awareness of the key choices available to a teacher educator in terms of approaches, methods and materials. This will involve the development of teacher training skills through collaborative workshops and through simulated teacher supervision and evaluation.
In addition to discussion of teacher education literature, there will be consideration of recent developments in applied linguistics. This will involve reflection on the implication of these with regard to the nature of curricula in existing teacher education programmes, and in relation to the planning and implementation of training/education/development initiatives in different teaching contexts.