English Language MA

Institution University of Manchester
Method At the institution
Location Manchester
Type Masters

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English Language MA

Objectives The MA course aims to provide the opportunity for advanced study of the nature and structure of human language, equipping students for research in linguistics and for professional involvement with language and communication.
Academic title English Language MA
Course description Course description

The MA English Language course addresses the structure, history, varieties and sociohistorical setting of the English Language and allows you to specialise in English Language/the linguistics of English.

All taught MA students are required to attend the Linguistics Seminar which takes place usually fortnightly, on Tuesdays, from 4- 5.30pm. The Seminar is the principal academic event of the Linguistics and English Language research community within the School. Presentations are given both by staff and by invited speakers from outside the university. Another informal seminar series, the Langwidge Sandwidge, is held on Tuesday lunchtimes.

Module details

The MA in English Language allows you to specialise in the linguistics and historical linguistics of English. You will take the core course units Approaches to English Historical Linguistics (15 credits) and English in Britain (15 credits), as well as the Research Methods course unit (30 credits), a dissertation (60 credits), and optional course units (altogether 60 credits) specialising in the linguistics of English. One or two course units may take the form of `Directed Reading' course units, available after consultation with an appropriate member of staff and the Course Director. One or two course units may also be as adapted Level 3 undergraduate course units in Linguistics & English Language, which supplement the course units on offer at MA level.

Optional course units typically available include:

-English Corpus Linguistics
-Language Change
-Sociolinguistics
-Language Evolution
-Readings in Applied Linguistics
-The Grammar of English Clauses

Teaching and learning

Teaching takes on a variety of forms. Core course units are normally taught as seminars, in a small group, combining lectures with discussion. Most other course units are taught as tutorials or seminars, often with optional attendance of a selection of lectures that are relevant to the topic. This gives the opportunity for intensive scholarly work, with areas on concentration determined by the participants and their individual interests, which can be investigated in considerable depth.

Progression and assessment

Course units will be assessed at the end of the semester during which they are offered. Most course units are assessed by examined coursework.

Deadlines for assessments are stated in the Course Handbook.

Facilities

All postgraduate students in the School can make use of the purpose-designed Centre for Graduate Studies, opened in 2003. The Centre is located in one of the University's most interesting architectural spaces, highlighted in Pevsner's guide to Manchester for its `Corbusian external stairs and a curving rooftop pavilion ... the interior of which is an exciting space with big circular rooflights and very narrow window slits on one side only.' Care was taken to enhance those features while providing state-of-the-art facilities for postgraduate study. These include 30 computers (several with dedicated translation studies software), LaserJet printers, `hot-desk' facilities for around 50 students (including workstation facilities for students with disabilities), and 132 secure lockers. The Centre also houses a collection of past theses and dissertations from all subjects studied in the School at PhD, MPhil and MA level, which students can access to inform their own research and writing.

In addition to the Centre for Graduate Studies, the University has five major computer clusters, together with many smaller clusters. In total there are more than 10,000 PCs and workstations across the campus. All provide access to standard office software as well as specialist programs, and all are connected to the campus network and internet. Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division Manchester Computing can provide high-end and specialist computing services.

The John Rylands University Library (JRUL) is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and is widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries. We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research.