The undergraduate programme in English Language aims to help students to: develop the capacity for critical enquiry into various aspects of the study of language; and, acquire specialized knowledge about the structure, development, and functions of English. In the first year, students learn basic concepts concerning the structure of English and the context of its usage. In the subsequent years, students develop these concepts and cover other areas of enquiry associated with the linguistic study of the English language. There are core areas which deal with the sound system, the grammatical structure, the meanings of words, and the overall construction of texts. There are also areas which are more interdisciplinary in their focus. These include psycholinguistics (language and the mind), sociolinguistics (language and society), child language acquisition, language in the media, language and ideology, and language and the Internet. As for graduate programmes, the concentration in the Language Studies degrees can be defined as English in multilingual settings. The Department provides three foundational modules in this area of concentration. One module deals with the structure of language, that is, with phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Another concerns the sociolinguistic and discourse foundations of language study, and a third explores applied linguistics. Together, the three foundational modules provide expertise at an advanced level in key areas of language study. Other interface modules cover, in varying degrees of detail, language use and its connections with the mind, physiology, computer applications, knowledge and ideology. There is also the possibility for graduate students to take modules from other departments in the Faculty. Our level 6000 modules are tailored to the needs of research students, especially those doing PhDs. The Graduate Research Seminar is designed to introduce students to the approaches and expectations of the research communities within language studies. The advanced seminars focus on different areas of language studies. These are organized each year to reflect the interests and developing expertise of the students.

Career Prospects The new modular system allows students considerable flexibility in tailoring their programmes of study by choosing courses which meet their needs. The linguistic training and experience students acquire is of great professional value to careers as varied as English language teaching, industry and commerce, advertising, journalism, management and speech related professions including speech therapy. A significant number of graduates also find places in graduate programmes in the U.S. , the U.K. and Australia. Employers and recruiters value our graduates for their training in handling the subtle nuances and complexities of all varieties of texts and discourses, and for their critical intelligence and creativity.