Within our flexible Part I system, this 40-credit module runs over the course of the year and introduces students to the field of English Language. It is organised into eight units that cover:
Visual English and English Vocabulary
This unit covers the development of English spelling, including changes in letters and punctuation. We also look at the origins and development of English vocabulary and the complexities involved in defining fundamental units, such as words.
English Sounds and Structures
This unit explores the building blocks of speech, the workings of the human vocal tract, and how we can analyse and transcribe speech. It then builds upon this to examine how smaller units are combined into grammatical structures, while teaching a framework for the analysis of sentence structure.
Media English
This unit considers how media genres have developed, such as how language is used on TV, in newspapers and online. It also explores how language is used across a range of media, including political speeches, advertising, and campaigning, and how social media may be influencing language in real-time.
English Dialects
In this unit, you’ll explore the richness of English dialects, understanding where they came from and how they might change in the future. In doing so, we’ll also examine how English spread around the world and whether there’s such a thing as ‘standard English’.
Analysing English in Use
This unit will teach you fundamental skills in discourse analysis, allowing you to develop a set of tools for analysing texts and their contexts. This includes analysing how language is used to frame political topics, techniques for persuasion, and language and power.
Creative English
What is the difference between ‘ordinary’ and ‘literary’ language? In this unit, you will explore creative uses of English, spanning literature, poetry and metaphors. We will also think about creativity in everyday language, showing how seemingly ordinary speech and writing contains boundless novelty and verbal artistry.
Changing English
One of the most fundamental characteristics of language is that it changes over time. But why does language change? In this unit, you’ll explore the origins of English, how it has changed over time, and how we can use databases of historical language to track changes in writing.
Teaching English
English is the most widely spoken language in the world, but the majority of speakers learn it as a second language. In this unit, you’ll explore issues and opportunities in the teaching of English as a second language, including classroom interaction and the current best practices on how to teach a language.
This module is designed for students who have already completed an A-level in Chinese or whose Chinese is of a broadly similar standard. The language element aims to enable students both to consolidate and improve their skills in spoken and written Chinese. A further aim is to provide students with an introduction to the historical and cultural development of China in the past, and also to contemporary institutions and society.
Seminars are based on a textbook, and emphasis is placed on the acquisition of vocabulary and a firm grasp of Chinese grammatical structures. You will have the opportunity to develop listening and speaking skills through discussions and activities and with the support of audio and visual materials.
You are given the chance to examine how key moments in Chinese history have shaped contemporary Chinese culture. We will look at examples including films, plays, and novels.
Would you like to be able to communicate using Mandarin Chinese? Do you want to acquire key elements to become an expert of Chinese culture, society, and institutions? We focus on teaching absolute beginners how to speak, listen, and read so you can confidently use day-to-day Chinese. You’ll also be given the opportunity to learn about Chinese culture, history, and contemporary society.
You will have the opportunity to learn Chinese pronunciation and intonation, the basics of Chinese grammar, key sentence structures, and insights about the graphical element of writing, such as the significance of types of strokes, radicals, and their ancestral meaning.
To explore Chinese culture, you are given the chance to examine how key moments in Chinese history have shaped contemporary Chinese culture. We will look at examples including films, plays, and novels.
All first year language programmes are supported by a module designed to offer students further opportunities to expand and consolidate their knowledge and skills base. The module is non-credit bearing but students are expected to participate so as to acquire complementary skills useful in areas such as, essay-writing, expanding vocabulary, diversity of learning styles and engaging with culture, alongside other useful strategies to enhance autonomous language learning outside the classroom.