English as a World Language

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• develop and maintain a personal bibliography;
• communicate your response to applied linguistic and educational work orally, in discussion and in formal presentations;
• use information technology appropriately to support and present your research;
• identify, select and draw upon a wide range of reference resources, printed and electronic;
• demonstrate interpersonal skills whilst working with others in the investigation of problems, and in the presentation of arguments and evidence;
• take appropriate ethical issues into account in linguistic and educational work.
• communicate applied linguistic and educational work in a variety of written formats;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• possible ways of addressing concerns about the role of English in pedagogy and teaching materials, including: 1. components of teaching or teacher education programmes 2. teacher education materials 3. emancipatory and critical pedagogies.
• the impact of a range of philosophical, political, economic, and cultural arguments on the practice of English and other language teaching;
• the history of the rise of English;
• major arguments for and against the use of English as an international language;

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• better assess the implications of theoretical and practical developments in applied linguistics teaching to the education professions.
• make use of the relationship between academic, professional, public and user conceptions of language to clarify educational policy and practice;
• describe the roles of language in social behaviour and users’ attitudes to global language;

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• apply current theories of language learning, language in use, and language education to language in a global context.
• recognise principles underlying the analysis and description of language;

The module will explore the following topics: Personal, local, regional and world languages, English in the past: the establishment of standards, the spread of English through native and non-native speakers, English from a third world perspective, power and exploitation, language rights, features of English varieties among both native and non-native speakers, the role of literary and cultural studies, a model of the role of English in the contemporary world.

Teaching and learning methods

o Teaching methods include

• Online tutor led discussion forums
• Interactive tasks in topic learning objects
• Presentations and lectures via podcasts/audio/video files
• Synchronous chat/small group discussions

o Learning activities include

• Accessing online resources
• Participating in online forums
• Private study, research and reflection
• Practical data-based activities;
• Analysis of philosophical positions.
• Innovative or special features of this module
• Close to major current research agenda;
• Inter-disciplinary;
• In a traditional module, contact time would typically be with materials, tutor, and fellow participants, all in a classroom setting. Online learning is self-instructional learning and there are no classes as such. A large degree of responsibility for and control over your learning rests with you. However, it is important to help you to structure your study time and we do this through two important online forms of contact or interaction. Tasks and feedback which help you to preview, focus, check on or explore issues related to your independent study reading are one form of possible contact time, taking up 3 hours a week. There will also be a

 2 hour weekly asynchronous forum of discussion, presentation and interaction tasks, moderated by tutors and providing important opportunities for interaction with tutors and peers.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

McArthur T (2002). The Oxford Guide to English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

McArthur T (1998). The English Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Graddol D (1997). The Future of English?. London: The British Council.

Kirkpatrick A (2007). World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Crystal D (2003). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jenkins J (2015). Global Englishes. London: Routledge.

Graddol D (2006). English Next. Why global English may mean the end of ‘English as a Foreign Language’.

Widdowson H G (2003). Defining Issues in English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External