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M.Phil. Programme in English (Applied English Linguistics) (Full-time and Part-time) & M.A. Programme in English (Applied English Linguistics) (Full-time and Part-time)
Course Descriptions
| ENGE5010 |
Theoretical Linguistics |
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This course provides a broad introduction to general linguistics and the
fundamental properties of human language shared by all language systems. It may
include a survey of phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic
analysis, as well as historical and comparative linguistics. In the process, it
will introduce the concepts and analytical tools used in the scientific study of
language. A combination of lectures and problem-solving activities will be
employed. |
| ENGE5410 |
Psycholinguistics |
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| The course will examine some linguistic, behavioural, and neural
aspects of language and speech in an English-as-a-second/foreign-language
(ESL/EFL) or English-related bilingual context. Selected issues in speech
perception, language comprehension and language production as well as the
intermediate stages that comprise the language of thought will be considered.
Special attention will be given to some current, representative models of
discourse comprehension and production and their relevance to second language
teaching and learning. |
| ENGE5420 |
Sociolinguistics |
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| The course will focus on (1) current attempts to study language
variation and the social factors that influence this variation; and (2) current
attempts to develop a comprehensive theory to describe and explain this
variation. The course will trace the historical development of the
sociolinguistic study of language variation from traditional dialectology to
modern variation theory, with exemplifying data primarily coming from the
English language. It will provide students with an informed training in
sociolinguistic research methodology. Important issues will be discussed related
to variation and (second) language competence, competing models for analysing
sociolinguistic data, unresolved problems in variation theory, and applied
implications for the teaching of English as a second
language. |
| ENGE5430 |
Second Language Acquisition |
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| This course will focus on how English as a second/foreign language
develops in the individual. It will highlight major findings in the acquisition
of English phonology, English syntax, semantics and pragmatics in the second
language context. Among the issues covered will be: the logical problem of
language acquisition; the nature and role of the input in second language
acquisition; the importance of cognitive, affective and functional factors in
second language learning; age and second language acquisition. Selected current
theories of second language acquisition will be reviewed, with particular
emphasis on their relevance to Chinese learners of
English. |
| ENGE5440 |
Intercultural Communication |
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| This course presents an overview of intercultural communication
theory and research to better understand communication between culturally
diverse people. Specifically, the course examines its interdisciplinary roots
and major research findings, and the application of its theory to the practice
of intercultural communication and relations. The course will address key
concepts in this field of study including culture, ethnicity, identity
formation, stereotypes and generalizations, values and assumptions, nonverbal
and verbal communication, intercultural relationship development,
multiculturalism, and intercultural adaptation. In particular, the course will
explore strategies needed for effective intercultural communication in a variety
of contexts in Asia. |
| ENGE5450 |
Corpus Linguistics |
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A corpus is body of written text and/or transcribed speech which can serve as a basis for linguistic analysis and description. Over the last three decades the compilation and analysis of large corpora stored in computerized databases has led to a new research methodology known as corpus linguistics. This course is designed as an introduction to corpus linguistics, and has two major emphases:
1. Practical skills and hands-on experience. Most of the lectures in the course will be followed by a practical session, during which students will have individual handson experience in using the corpora and software demonstrated and/or discussed in the lectures. In the these sessions, students will have direct, individual access to the most important English-language corpora available today, including the International Corpus of English (ICE), the British National Corpus (BNC), the London-Lund corpus (LLC), and many others. In addition, students will gain practical experience in using standard retrieval software (WordSmith Tools, ICECUP, Concordance) and standard annotation software. The course is heavily compuer-oriented, but no programming skills are required.
2. As well as practical skills, the course emphasises how corpora have and may be used in a wide range of research applications, including English language teaching in the classroom, error analysis, language variation studies, historical linguistics, and speech research. In this way, the course will directly link to students' other courses and linguistic interests, and will equip students to apply corpus techniques to a range of research problems.
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| ENGE5510 |
Curriculum Design and Materials Preparation |
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| This course aims to give students a deeper understanding of the
process of second language curriculum development in general, and of second
language course design and materials preparation in particular. The course aims
to help students understand the possibilities and constraints in the process of
developing second language syllabuses and course materials. It also has the
practical aim of improving course members' ability in designing English language
courses and teaching materials relevant to specific student
populations. |
| ENGE5520 |
Evaluation and Testing |
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| This course examines the process of evaluation in second language
learning. Evaluation refers to the systematic gathering of information for
purposes of making value judgements about language learning programmes and the
participants in these programmes. The methods of enquiry include observations,
interviews, meetings, questionnaires, and testing. Public English proficiency
examinations, both local and overseas, will be critically assessed. Key ideas in
testing will be covered: validity and reliability; tests of global proficiency
and of separate skills; particular problems with tests of listening and oral
English; tests of communicative competence. |
| ENGE5530 |
Second Language Classroom Research |
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| This course presents an overview of the development of
classroom-based research in the second language context. A central issue
underlying the discussions is what possible effect(s) the various classroom
processes may bring to the task of acquiring English as a second language (ESL).
This will require an examination of the major instructional and
non-instructional processes identified in an ESL classroom discourse, a critical
evaluation of the observational instruments adopted to date, and a survey of the
different types of second language classroom-related research. This course is
designed to help MPhil students prepare for research in second or foreign
language classroom settings. Subjects to the approval of the Graduate Panel,
this course may be taken as one of the postgraduate electives for the M.A. in
English (Applied English Linguistics). |
| ENGE5540 |
Research Methods |
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| This course gives an overview of research methods with particular
reference to qualitative and quantitative research in applied linguistics.
Historical, descriptive, developmental, correlational, experimental, case-study,
and other types of research models will be discussed and critiqued in the
context of applied linguistic research. Discussion will centre on research
design in the various types of research mentioned above. The course will focus
specifically on the identification of research problems; the establishment of
research hypotheses; the identification and critical review of relevant research
literature; and the selection of appropriate research designs, including:
sampling procedures, methods of data collection, methods of data analysis,
instrumentation and measurement, statistical techniques, and interpretation and
presentation of results. Subjects to the approval of the Graduate Panel,
this course may be taken as one of the postgraduate electives for the M.A. in
English (Applied English Linguistics). |
| ENGE5550 |
English for Specific Purposes |
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| This course will introduce students to the field of teaching
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) by exploring the primary context for ESP
teaching and research (academic institutions of higher education, the workplace,
and professional institutions and organizations). The course will examine the
main issues and concepts related to the field in terms of their historical and
discipline-specific relevance. Topics include the concepts of learner needs,
target situation analysis, authenticity, discourse community, genres, and
specialist knowledge. The course will equip students with a better understanding
of how to design language programmes to suit the needs of a specific group of
learners. |
| ENGE5560 |
Second Language Teaching |
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| This course will provide a survey of theory and practice in the
teaching of English as an additional language. Topics may include current and
historical views of second language instruction, a survey of factors which
affect the second language learning process, and the presentation of language
learning and teaching models. Issues related to English language teaching in
Chinese/Asian contexts will be highlighted. This course will include a practicum
(tutoring) experience with a non-native speaker of
English. |
| ENGE5570 |
Discourse and Pragmatics |
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| This course will examine language from pragmatic and discourse
analytic perspectives. Topics that may be covered include speech act theory,
conversational implicature, cross-cultural pragmatics, and politeness theory.
Other topics will include conversation analysis, discourse structure and
segmentation, cohesion, coherence, and discourse and intertextuality. Students
will have the opportunity to examine samples of real life language employing the
approaches to analysis presented in the course. |
| ENGE5580 |
Second Language Writing |
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| This course will provide an introduction to the theories of second
language writing and their practical applications, especially in the Hong Kong
context. The course includes overviews of (1) writing theory; (2) the history of
ESL writing instruction; (3) contrastive rhetoric; and (4) writing behaviors of
ESL students. Students will also receive hands-on experience in designing a
writing curriculum, day-to-day lesson planning, responding to and evaluating
student writing, and using computers in writing
instruction. |
| ENGE5590 |
Computer Applications in Second Language Teaching |
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| This course will enable students to understand the relationship
between second language acquisition theories and computer applications to
language learning (CALL) and gain familiarity with computer software and
Internet resources available for English/second language teaching. Students will
also learn to use computers and the Internet as teaching aids, design learning
activities using a range of CALL software, and evaluate software and Internet
resources for teaching purposes. |
| ENGE5600 |
Special Topics in Applied English Linguistics |
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This course provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to
some current developments in certain area of applied linguistic research in
English. The topics vary according to the research expertise of the staff or the
visiting academics.
Subject to the approval of the
Division Head, students are allowed to take the above course more than once and
gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take
courses with the same course code more than once in a single term. |
| ENGE5610 |
Issues in Contemporary Applied English Linguistics |
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This course will focus on topics in applied English linguistics
which are not discussed in depth in other AEL postgraduate courses. The topics
will vary according to the expertise of the staff or visiting academics.
Students will be expected to develop an understanding of the topic through
reading and discussion of related research and data analysis.
Subject to the approval of the Division Head, students are allowed
to take the above course more than once and gain the units each time they pass
the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more
than once in a single term. |
| ENGE8000 |
M.Phil. Guided Research |
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| In this course, the supervisor will see the student on a regular basis and advise the student on all matters related to M.Phil. thesis research. Continuing students will be required to register for this course throughout their thesis preparation. |
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Department of English, 3/F Fung King Hey Bldg, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, HONG KONG
Enquiry: Tel: (852) 2609-7005/7007, Fax: (852) 2603-5270, email: english@cuhk.edu.hk
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