Course description
Course Description
The MA in English for Specific Purposes focuses on the teaching, learning and use of English for academic and occupational purposes. As English is now the most widely used language for international communication in the areas of business, science, medicine and education, many ELT/EFL/TESOL teachers are required to teach adults either preparing for university study through the medium of English or using English for work-related purposes and this programme teaches key topics in this area.
Modules and Options
The lists of modules below represent the range of options available for each year of study. This may not be a complete list of the options you will study, and may be subject to change, so please contact the department for further details.
Stage 1
ACQUISITION OF SECOND LANGUAGE PHONOLOGY
APPROACHES TO SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BLACK ENGLISHES
CHILDREN'S ENGLISH
COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TESTING
Compulsory: ASSIGNMENT WRITING AND DISSERTATION PREPARATION
Compulsory: FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
Compulsory: GENRE ANALYSIS, ACADEMIC ENGLISH FOR ESP
Compulsory: RESEARCH TOPICS IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
Compulsory: TEACHING ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES
Compulsory: TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS I
COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS II
COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING: THEORY, RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
CONSTRAINT BASED PHONOLOGY
CONVERSATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
Core: DISSERTATION: MA
CORPORA IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
CULTURE IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING
DESCRIPTIVE SYNTAX
DESIGN OF LANGUAGE TEACHING PROGRAMMES AND MATERIALS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS
DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE PROCESSING
DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDERS
DEVELOPMENTAL SECOND LANGUAGE SYNTAX
DISCOURSE AND LANGUAGE TEACHING
ELT PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS
ENGLISH PHONOLOGY
ENGLISH SYNTAX
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
FOUNDATIONS OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING
FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCULTURAL AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
FOUNDATIONS OF LINGUISTICS
FURTHER QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN LANGUAGE STUDY
GENRE ANALYSIS, ACADEMIC ENGLISH FOR ESP
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
GRAMMATICAL DEVELOPMENT IN FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD LANGUAGE LEARNERS
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN L2 LEARNING
INPUT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING
INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS
INTRODUCTION TO HEAD-DRIVEN PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION TO LEXICAL FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
INVESTIGATION INTO THE YOUNG LEARNERS CLASSROOM
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND THE CRITICAL PERIOD
LANGUAGE AND GENDER
LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN ADULTS
LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN CLASSROOMS
LANGUAGE PROGRAMME EVALUATION
LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN CLASSROOMS
LANGUAGE TEACHING
LANGUAGE TESTING
LEARNER AUTONOMY
LEARNER PERSPECTIVES ON VOCABULARY
LEARNER STRATEGIES AND METALINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE: EXPLICIT ASPECTS OF L2 LEARNING
LEXICAL CHANGE IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING OF READING TO YOUNG LEARNERS
MATERIALS DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
MATERIALS EVALUATION
MINIMALISM SYNTAX II
MINIMALIST SYNTAX I
MORPHOLOGY
MULTILINGUALISM
NON-EXPERIMENTAL QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR
PHILOSOPHY OF LINGUISTICS
PHONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND PHONOLOGICAL DISORDERS
PHONOLOGICAL THEORY AND SECOND LANGUAGE PHONOLOGY
PIDGIN AND CREOLE LANGUAGES
PRAGMATICS: DISCOURSE AND RHETORIC
PROLOG I
PROLOG II
QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING/APPLIED LINGUISITICS RESEARCH
RELEVANCE THEORY
RESEARCH TOPICS IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
RESEARCHING WRITING IN EFL/ESL
SEMANTICS
SENTENCE PROCESSING
SOCIOLINGUISTIC METHODS I
SOCIOLINGUISTIC METHODS II
SOCIOLINGUISTICS I
SOCIOLINGUISTICS II
SOCIOPHONOLOGY
SOCIOPHONOLOGY RESEARCH
SYLLABUS DESIGN
TEACHING PRACTICE I
TEACHING PRACTICE II
TEACHING WRITING IN EFL/ESL
TEACHING, LISTENING AND SPEAKING
THE MENTAL LEXICON
THEORETICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE PHONOLOGY
TOPICS IN HEAD-DRIVEN PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR
TOPICS IN LEXICAL FUNCITIONAL GRAMMAR
TOPICS IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
VARIATION IN ARABIC 1
VARIATION IN ARABIC II
VARIATION IN ENGLISH I
VARIATION IN ENGLISH II
VERB MEANING AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Teaching and Assessment Methods
A: Knowledge and Understanding
Learning Outcomes
A1 : Knowledge of key principlies involving the historical development and existing practice in ESP
A2 : A detailed acquaintance of genres spanning written/spoken discourse and a variety of specialised contexts (academic and non-academic) in which English is taught and used
A3 : An appreciation of the strategies employed by ESP learners in different disciplines and of the roles of ESP teachers
A4 : An understanding of how the above apply to particular teaching situations, especially those that the student is familiar with, in the context of accepted contemporary professional practice
Teaching Methods
1-4 are taught initially through staff-led modules, using a variety of means of delivery (formal lecture, seminar, question-answer discussion session, group-work task-based session, computer lab session, student oral reports, workshop). 4 is enhanced by classroom observation. Staff feedback to students on coursework is a connected important feature enhancing learning. Learning is expected to be deepened through directed and independent self-access library study and use of web material both put up by staff and generally available on the internet.
Later, the dissertation research deepens understanding of 1-4 via a real integrated project supported by staff supervision and group tutorials. At any time support is available in the form of advice from staff in their consulting hours, and staff replies to student email queries.
Assessment Methods
Initially 1-4 are assessed through a 3000-word written assignment (or equivalent) for each module, either of the essay type (e.g. literature review, or argumentative) or practical exercises. 1-4 are also assessed later in an integrative way when the student has to draw on this knowledge selectively for the dissertation.
B: Intellectual/Cognitive Skills
Learning Outcomes
B1 : Critical skills needed to evaluate disparate sources of information, both academic (e.g. lectures, books) and experiential, and collate, select, and apply the information to a specific teaching issue or situation critical skills needed to evaluate disparate sources of information, both academic (e.g. lectures, books) and experiential, and collate, select, and apply the information to a specific teaching issue or situation
B2 : An ability to formulate coherent and logically sound arguments
B3 : Ability to reflect independently on own teaching/learning experience and relate it to the ideas and research in the field
B4 : Ability to identify a research question or hypothesis, choose appropriate research methods, and interpret own and others' data and see the implications for a hypothesis or question
Teaching Methods
1-4 are fostered repeatedly by all the means of teaching/learning described in (A)
Assessment Methods
1-4 are all assessed via 3000-word written assignments (or equivalent shorter pieces) of the literature review or argumentative type, and finally collectively in the dissertation research project
C: Practical Skills
Learning Outcomes
C1 : Ability to seek and retrieve relevant information from a variety of sources (e.g. library, journals, WWW)
C2 : Ability to communicate lucidly in speech and writing about theoretical matters, teaching and learning issues and own teaching experience, in appropriate style
C3 : Practical skills in analysing the core properties of syllabuses and materials in different language learning/teaching situations
C4 : Ability to propose, plan, execute and write up an original, complete but limited study related to ESP with due treatment of appropriate prior research and theory, generation of research aims, application of relevant methods (e.g. empirical data gathering, or syllabus/materials design or evaluation) and management and presentation of the whole project with due attention to proper professional practice and ethics.
Teaching Methods
1 is promoted by library staff guidance and by a departmental IT induction course, as well as being guided by staff teaching particular modules, and giving advice
2 is promoted by the oral and written tasks associated with the taught modules, and feedback on them, and by guidance in course booklet and an unassessed module on assignment and dissertation writing
3 is dealt with by embedding practical data analysis tasks into specialist modules.
4 is promoted by supervision of the obligatory dissertation
1-4 are further supported by advice from staff in consultation hours or by email, and by web-based self-access material.
Assessment Methods
1 and 2 are assessed indirectly via the written or oral assessments for the taught modules generally
3 is assessed specifically in the modules dedicated to them, by essay (or equivalent)
4 is assessed primarily via the dissertation, along with 1-3 again
D: Key Skills
Learning Outcomes
D1 : a. Oral participation in group discussion and lectures b. Academic writing, both in the form of argumentative academic papers and research reports, in appropriate style c. Critical reading: researching and utilising information, including scanning, recognising opinion and bias, detecting relevant points, collating different sources.
D2 : Using advanced computational tools and software packages to obtain, store and process information stored in electronic form (e.g. from the Library, WWW or CD-rom), and (where appropriate) SPSS to analyse data and results
D3 : a. Analysis of tasks and identification of objectives b. Identification and use of relevant information sources c. Establishing main features of a complex problem d. Planning and selection of approach to reach a solution
D4 : Participation in pair/group class tasks (including organising and evaluating own and others' contributions)
D5 : a. Use of independent time management skills, initiative, and different approaches to working autonomously to meet assignment and dissertation targets b. Use of feedback and support from peers, lecturers and supervisor to meet targets and improve over the year
Teaching Methods
1 and 5 are promoted by many taught modules, and involve listening and note taking in lectures. They are also facilitated by feedback.
2 is promoted mainly by the practical tasks of the IT induction course, and any specific requirements associated with modules, as well as self access material on WWW. More generically, students will be expected to become familiar with basic PC management and the word processing of academic documents, internet searching, etc. in connection with their work for all modules. In working for their dissertations, students will also gain familiarity with electronic library and bibliographical databases.
4 and 6 are promoted via the assignments and dissertation which impose requirements for students to apply these skills
1-2 and 4-6 are all further practised for the dissertation, and aided when necessary by staff advice by email or consultation
Assessment Methods
1-2 and 4-6 are assessed integratively with other skills/knowledge in the module assessed work and the dissertation.
