Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

All students engage in a final independent project. Drawing from the theoretical and practical disciplinary knowledge acquired throughout the duration of the programme, you will explore an area of Applied Linguistics research and/or practice. The specific topic can be aligned to your own disciplinary interests and is negotiated with a personal project supervisor.

This module explores the fundamental building blocks of language with a focus on sound, structure, and meaning. Sounds, including how we produce them and the patterns they are produced in, are studied in phonetics and phonology. The structure of words and sentences are explored through the study of morphology and syntax, respectively. Meaning, and how it is constructed in language, is examined via semantics. Studying these essential components of language will provide you with the terminology and techniques needed to describe and analyse language in relation to its fundamental foundations as a tool for communication.

This module explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of the research process in Applied Linguistics. From critical reading in the literature review to justifying research design choices in the methodology, the module focuses on developing the skills required for engaging in research projects. You'll write a proposal for an independent research project in which you will draw from the skills acquired in this module to critically evaluate both relevant literature and appropriate methodologies for collecting and analysing data in Applied Linguistics.

This module focusses on English language teaching and learning from theoretical and practical perspectives, and deals with principles, underlying approaches to, and procedures for teaching and learning language skills and systems. It integrates the latest, most effective technological applications that can be used for teaching, learning and practising the language. It also introduces you to a range of theories that explain second language acquisition, and provides you with opportunities to examine and evaluation those theories.

This module focusses on curriculum design: the main principles and approaches in the creation and quality management of language courses. It delves into the following stages in the course design process: 

• Learner needs and contextual analysis
• Goals and objectives setting
• Selection of appropriate syllabus type and teaching approach
• Whether to design or select learning materials
• How to evaluate the efficacy of the course
• How to assure and manage quality in each of these stages

There is an extended focus on language assessment and testing of the language systems and skills.

This module will provide you with the core competencies required for the effective design, teaching and assessment of courses in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), while increasing knowledge across the range of key concepts and issues related to teaching EAP. With a strong focus on employability, this module enables you to enhance your teaching skills and understanding of EAP.

This module sits within critical intercultural communication research. It engages with contemporary non-essentialist paradigms of intercultural communication. It equips you with conceptual tools to explore and navigate culture on the go. It discusses intercultural encounters from different social domains and introduces you to transdisciplinary insights into communication. Central to this module are principles of affirmative ethics, global ethics of care, and global cosmopolitanism.

The course engages with and responds to contemporary issues pertinent to language and globalisation, drawing on current debates on the status of English in the world.

Language is central to the functioning of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales to ensure that justice is served in accordance with the rule of law. All interactants in the Criminal Justice System have a range of codified and uncodified rights related to language. This module explores such language rights and critically evaluates the extent to which linguistic (dis)advantage may have an impact on how justice is delivered. In exploring issues at the interface between language and law, you will have the opportunity to apply skills and competencies in linguistic theory and analysis developed on other core modules.

The module will enable you to develop advanced knowledge and understanding of the key issues surrounding Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL), and will focus particularly on relating the practicalities of classroom activities (materials, lesson plans, activity types) to the theoretical issues underlying them (theories of language, learning and skills development).