Applied Linguistics – (M.A.)

Contents

Students on the MA in Applied Linguistics take six taught 20-credit modules. The first three modules are taught in the September–December term and the second three modules are taught in the January–March term. Students also write a 12,000-word dissertation (from April to September).
In addition, there are two non-assessed components in the programme. All students take a short course – Introduction to the Bank of English, which introduces them to the 400 million-word Cobuild Bank of English corpus, an invaluable collection of authentic language data against which theory, intuition and pedagogic materials can be measured. Students who have not previously been educated through the medium of English also have the opportunity to take a course in Academic English.

The core modules are as follows:

* Describing Language (20 credits)



This module includes the study of lexis and of Systemic-Functional grammar. This gives you the tools to describe and analyse language in a range of settings.

* Social and Psychological Aspects of Language (20 credits)



This module includes courses on both Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics. You will look at issues of language in society, focusing on the linguistic and political implications of language variation and languages in contact. In Psycholinguistics, you are introduced to the study of first and second language acquisition and cognitive models of language. * Discourse Culture and Communication (20 credits)



This module covers aspects of how spoken and written discourse is organised, how it varies, and how it may be described and analysed. There is a strong focus on issues of culture and communication. As an alternative to this module, you may choose to take the Discourse for Teachers module from the MA in TEFL/TESL. * Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (20 credits)



This module includes a course in methods and approaches to research in Applied Linguistics. In addition, you will select one option from the range on offer and apply what you have learned to a small research project. Students then choose two optional (20 credit) modules that can focus on their chosen area of application. The teaching of specific options will depend, to some extent, upon staff availability and levels of student interest (for example, it would not be viable to run an option for just one student), but options would commonly include:

* Bilingual Dictionaries and Terminology
* Business English
* Computer Assisted Language Learning
* Corpus Linguistics
* Discourse for Teachers
* English as a Global Language
* English for Specific/Academic Purposes
* Forensic Linguistics
* Genre Analysis
* Intercultural Communication
* Language and Literature
* Language Teaching Observation and Practice
* Management of Innovation
* Media Literacy
* Teacher Training

Dissertation

Under the guidance of a supervisor, students produce a 12,000-word dissertation on an area of interest of their own choosing. The dissertation carries 60 credits.