MSc TESOL and Intercultural Communication

University of Strathclyde

This module focuses on contemporary issues and trends in language teaching. It enables students who are prospective or practising teachers to familiarise themselves with a range of topics relating to language teaching so that they can draw connections between research and their own experience. The module has a particularly focus on the impact of digital technologies and a sociocultural approach to second language pedagogy.

The class critically applies the linguistic analysis of discourse, conversation and other types of verbal behaviour, in the context of a theoretical understanding of the communication of meaning. We will look at languages in contact, the relation between language, culture and thought, and other theoretical and practical issues in the understanding of intercultural communication.

This class focuses on how languages are learnt. Participants share their own experiences of learning English and other languages, and relate these to theories of effective language learning. These include the literature on learner motivation, language learner identities and social, emotional, cultural and aesthetic aspects of learning another language. The work involves planning, implementing and evaluating a language learning task to progress your own goals as a language learner and encourages you to reflect critically on this, as a way of informing current or future practice as a language education professional.

This module provides an introduction to education and social research methodologies within the context of professional development and practitioner enquiry. The module will offer students the opportunity to develop an understanding of the traditions and approaches of research and their implications for professional development. The module promotes an understanding of the wider social research environment and its role within the professional contexts of policy and practice.

This class develops skills which are essential for postgraduate work, including the dissertation which is part of the MSc. It will be useful for any student who wishes to extend their studies to PhD, or wishes to publish their research. The class examines what it means to do research, how to prepare a research proposal, and what examiners look for in dissertations and theses.

The class will allow you to engage with materials from Scottish, cultural, historical and literary studies. You'll read a range of primary literary and cultural materials in a historical and theoretical context and will develop skills in textual analysis and critical engagement. In doing so, the class will provide you with a knowledge of some of the main developments in Scottish literary and cultural studies throughout the 20th Century. You?ll gain an understanding of the relationships between literature, culture and theories of nationalism. You?ll also develop an awareness of a range of major issues in contemporary Scottish culture and become capable of applying sophisticated theoretical approaches to these.

This class is part of our flexible framework for supporting, enhancing and accrediting a wide range of career long professional learning activities. The Independent Study module allows students to negotiate a focus for learning that meets their personal professional needs.

The cognitive science of narrative processing has revealed that our understanding of stories depends both on our culturally-specific knowledge and also on culturally independent aspects of our psychology. The class explores this interesting problem, and considers its bearing on a person's understanding of stories from outside their own culture, a fundamental issue in intercultural studies.