卡迪夫大學(xué)

Overview

Develop specialist skills in the analysis and practice of language in professional contexts, taught by leading experts in a world-class research centre. Set in the internationally respected Centre for Language and Communication Research, the MA in Applied Linguistics offers both solid training in research foundations and practice, and the freedom to tailor your programme around your interests and ambitions. Designed for careers requiring specialised language awareness and teaching English as a foreign language, our wide-ranging optional modules enable you to enhance your skills in the areas of linguistic enquiry most important for you and your career. Incorporating research methodology and language description, this Master’s programme will give you an in-depth understanding of a range of language-related issues, from language acquisition and teaching to social interaction and corpus analysis. You will acquire well-rounded understanding of the theoretical and methodological approaches employed in the exploration of linguistic structures and language description. While becoming an independent and active learner, you will develop in-depth understanding of key issues in language, communication and linguistics. Our experts are leading on innovative projects in many different fields, including language acquisition, language teaching, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, discourse analysis, professional communication, corpus linguistics, systemic functional linguistics and forensic linguistics. Fostering an international academic arena for cutting-edge research, we host talks from visiting academics from around the world, as well as advanced research residencies and occasional summer schools. During your studies you will benefit directly from this thriving research environment and the support of a wide range of professionals who will guide your personal and professional development.

Learning and assessment

During the taught stage, teaching will take place mainly through weekly seminars / workshops, where you will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of particular topics related to language and linguistics. You will be able to discuss concepts and ideas in small groups and open class discussions, to consolidate and get feedback on your individual learning, and to develop communication skills in informal group discussions and oral presentations. Depending on your prior experience, you might be encouraged to attend the lectures for various undergraduate modules as well. You will be taught through regular supervision sessions in Research Experience in Applied Linguistics. These will offer the opportunity for structured but independent learning of practical research skills. Teaching will be varied and responsive. The taught modules within this programme are assessed through a variety of methods, including academic essays, linguistic analyses, analytical reports, research projects and oral presentations. The form(s) of assessment for individual modules are set out in the relevant module description. Modules are assessed on the basis of analytical descriptions of texts or other media and / or discursive essays. You will often be encouraged to choose your own texts for analysis, or to collect original data, and to relate your analyses to areas of personal interest.