| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 01250300 | Faculty of Humanities | Department: School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 year | Total credits: 180 | NQF level: 09 |
On completion of the qualification the student should be able to:
a. demonstrate a sound understanding of the theoretical bases of applied linguistics.
b. utilise such theory to justify the design of a multiplicity of possible language interventions.
c. demonstrate an ability to do research in applied linguistics that can be used at advanced levels of enquiry.
d. apply the design principles encountered in the compulsory modules (specifically in the mini-dissertation) to design and justify a language solution or language solutions of their own design within
multiple and varied contexts.
Students will be required to successfully complete the mini-dissertation, each core module and each elective with a minimum of 50%.
Students who obtain an average of 75% across all modules and the mini-dissertation will pass with distinction.
Students must complete 4 core modules (20 x 4 = 80 credits) + 2 elective modules (2 x 20 = 40 credits) and the mini-dissertation (60 credits) = 180 credits.
Please contact the department to confirm the availability of elective modules.
Module content:
This module will consider the history of applied linguistics, from the perspective of different styles of work within the discipline from its inception to the present day. It will focus on the phases of applied linguistic design, and how the design process affects the three main artefacts: language assessment, language curriculum and course design, and language policy development. It will explore how a responsible framework for designing applied linguistic interventions enhances both their quality and their theoretical justification.
Module content:
This module deals with the effect that both traditional and innovative approaches to language teaching have had on curriculum and course design. The eclectic and post-modern mix that language curricula and courses sometimes exhibit will be examined critically. Students will be required to demonstrate competence in designing their own short course on the basis of their knowledge of different styles of teaching, and in justifying these theoretically.
Module content:
This module focuses on the fundamental concepts underlying the assessment of language ability, such as reliability, validity, appropriateness, interpretability, and fairness. It deals with understanding how a blueprint or definition of language ability can be conceptualised, and how productive task types can be designed to operationalise the components of a blueprint. Students will be required to illustrate how they would employ a framework of test design principles in order to validate a test of their own making.
Module content:
This module will investigate the processes of making arrangements to facilitate language use within institutions such as the state, the university or business. It will deal with the critical questions of accountability, accessibility and appropriateness, and focus on the development of language policies in a range of social relationships, with particular reference to their implementation in a multilingual environment.
Module content:
The use of technical tools to manage language data and the beneficial effects of this on pedagogical presentation will be dealt with in this module. The methodological tools that enable mixed or multi-media language instruction will be examined, as well as the use of computer programs that enable us to measure and analyse language ability both online and on paper. The use of more efficient, computer-adaptive language teaching and assessment will be applied to concrete problems from the students’ own
professional contexts.
Module content:
The various theories of how second languages are acquired are the focus of this module. Specifically, students will be expected to have a sound understanding of how innatist, constructivist, interactionist and other theories have been employed to justify the design of language teaching and testing. They will be expected to demonstrate how they will justify their own designed interventions with reference to theory.
Module content:
By the end of the module, students should be able to do the following: use corpus terminology accurately to talk about linguistic research; evaluate corpus methods and processes for particular purposes; review existing corpus construction projects and critique them; summarise and critique research using data from corpora; devise the construction of corpora to answer specific linguistic questions; build corpora using a variety of methods; use corpus methods to analyse linguistic data; use a variety of
appropriate software for corpus construction and linguistic analysis; and comment on own projects critically.
Module content:
Structure and function of terminological databases, terminology management and terminology management systems, utilization of corpora for terminological purposes.
Module content:
Like second language acquisition studies, this subfield has enabled us to understand language policy, curriculum and test design better, in this instance as activities affected by social context. For this module, an understanding of South Africa’s multilingual context is essential, as well as a familiarity with the latest studies that show how cultural, economic, social and other factors influence performance in language.
Module content:
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the main principles and theories that underpin writing centre practices. It will require students to engage with and understand the writing challenges of university students, the support rendered through one-on-one consultations, strategies used during such interactions well as what consultant training should cover.
Module content:
Students will read significant texts from the main genres (drama, prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry). They will consider how trends and events at different times and in different places are reflected in the themes explored and techniques used by writers. They will follow the rules and conventions of good writing and create informative and imaginative texts, for example: autofiction and autobiography; write what you don’t know: explore and research; critique the world: politically astute and subtle satirical writings; comedy; travel writing; and nature writing.
Module content:
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the key theories, concepts, and methodologies affiliated to sociocultural linguistics. Sociocultural linguistics is concerned with intersections between identities, cultures, epistemologies, and diverse applications of languages among humans. Central to this branch of linguistics is the notion of “Discourse” (Gee, 2015). Discourses, with a capital “D”, are ways of being, interacting, and utilising tools and technologies that are specific to cultural communities.
Module content:
This module seeks to examine how academic literacies can be reconceptualised to respond to the essential competencies required in a global context. It will draw on key theories for a reimagined academic literacies curriculum and bring them to bear on the idea of a 21st century graduate and global workplace. In addition, it will explore new pedagogical approaches for the teaching and assessment of academic and professional literacies in the global context.
Module content:
This will cover an introduction to basic lexicographical concepts; the typology of the dictionary; the structure of the lexicon; the prescriptiveness vs descriptiveness of dictionaries; needs assessment; problematic aspects of lemmatisation; corpus building; cross-referencing as a lexicographic device; and an introduction to specialised lexicography.
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