Master of Arts (Applied Linguistics)

Full-time

Minimum 1 year

Maximum 2 years

Part-time

Minimum 2 years

Maximum 4 years

Course Descriptors

MAE900 Research Methodology in Applied Linguistics (4 AUs)
This course focuses on research methodology in applied linguistics and covers a range of theoretical, practical, and ethical issues in applied linguistics research, with an emphasis on language teaching and learning. It examines principles for undertaking empirical research, introduces main quantitative and qualitative methods for conducting small-scale research in the language classroom, and provides hands-on experience with research designs, instruments for data collection, quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis, evaluation of published research, and research report writing.

MAE901 Discourse Studies (4 AUs)
This course will provide both a theoretical and practical introduction to concepts and techniques associated with the analysis of discourse. Students first familiarize themselves with the intellectual history of this interdisciplinary field, before turning to some fundamental issues that underlie the study of discourse. Topics covered include the relationship between language, thought and culture, the notion of context and its relation to linguistic form and function, ways of transcribing spoken discourse, and discourse in the multimodal communicational landscape. Students will read and discuss original research articles that employ various forms of discourse analysis to study how people use language to assert, negotiate, question, or challenge micro and macro social arrangements.

MAE902 Language Acquisition Studies (4 AUs)
This course examines theories of language acquisition (first, second, and bilingual) from psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. A range of factors that affect the nature and route of language acquisition will be considered (e.g., age, cross-linguistic influence, linguistic environments, cognition, identity, power, etc.). A solid understanding of the nature of language acquisition is expected to provide good grounds for designing language teaching pedagogy.

MAE903 Sociolinguistic Perspectives on the Classroom (4 AUs)
This course examines language in its social context, including language use in multilingual communities, social reasons for language change, language planning, pidgin languages, linguistic variation based on geography, social class, and gender, and issues in cross-cultural communication. It also considers the impact these concepts have on Singapore classrooms.

MAE904 Language Teaching Methodology (4 AUs)
In this course, we explore the rationale and principles behind the paradigm shift in language teaching methodologies and evaluate their appropriacy for the local teaching context in Singapore. Participants will learn about the relationship between methodology and syllabus design in planning appropriate programmes for teaching the different language skills.

MAE905 Language Curriculum: Theory & Practice (4 AUs)
This course aims to provide students with a general understanding of the classic and contemporary theories of curriculum development, issues of language curriculum development and its construction. It also aims to equip the students with the ability to critically analyze, design and evaluate a language curriculum. Students will be required to apply theoretical concepts and principles in their design and development of the language curriculum. The course provides a platform for students to engage with the process of curriculum development while considering the school, national and international contexts.

MAE906 Classroom Discourse Analysis (4 AUs)
This course provides a practical as well as theoretical introduction to the analysis of classroom interaction for those wishing to investigate discourse in educational settings. The course focuses on such central questions as, How do interaction patterns and overall lesson structure affect classroom learning and quality of knowledge? How do teachers structure interaction effectively to involve students in the construction of knowledge? How do teachers achieve the kind of connected learning and coherence across larger units than the lesson which allows their students understanding to be accumulated and deepened? In what ways do patterns of classroom discourse vary within and across classrooms and cultures with different learners and construct their identities? How can teachers use discourse to engage students?

The course intends to help students understand the importance and analysis of classroom discourse. It will also prepare students for doing their own research including analysis of classroom discourse. In the tutorial, students will engage in discussion and critique of published research, practice with data analysis, and consideration of how research purposes and methods are interconnected for investigations of classroom discourse. Though the focus of the course is not on teaching methods, links will frequently be made between classroom interaction patterns, effective teaching and student learning.

MAE907 Oracy Development and Research (4 AUs)
This course examines the concept of oracy by considering theories about spoken English and its learning and use in first and second language contexts. Through a critical reading of research and scholarly discussions, participants will learn about speaking and listening development from cognitive, social and discourse perspectives. This knowledge will be applied in evaluating and improving current practices in the teaching and assessment of speaking and listening competence in first and second language classrooms as well as in understanding the role of oracy in learning at home and in school.

MAE908 Research in Teaching Written Discourse (4 AUs)
The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with current theoretical models of writing that have informed recent research in the teaching of first language and second/foreign language writing. Discussion of major issues will include critical evaluation of writing research and instructional practices with reference to the development of writing competencies beyond the level of sentence decoding and production.

MAE909 The Culture and Conventions of Academic Writing (4 AUs)
In this course, we explore the linguistic and cultural conventions of academic writing, drawing on examples from postgraduate theses / dissertations, research papers, and published journal articles. Participants will learn about different traditions in the field of academic writing research, read and discuss research on the complex issues surrounding academic literacy, examine the socially-situated nature of academic discourse conventions, and be guided to critically analyse genuine academic texts to observe the discourse practices valued by the academic discourse community, for example, in terms of reviewing literature, organising arguments, supporting claims, citing sources, and projecting a credible authorial persona. In essence, the course provides a sound theoretical introduction to the field of academic writing research, offers insights into the kinds of writing that are valued at postgraduate level, and constructs a space in which participants can unpack, problematise, and question academic conventions. 

MAE910 Corpora in Applied Linguistics (4 AUs)
This course provides students with a foundation in corpus linguistics for use in research, professional development and pedagogy. Corpus linguistics (CL) is a fast growing field of linguistics that provides unique insights in language through the computer-aided analysis of (large) collections of spoken and written text.

This course consists of a series of lectures, seminars and workshops with a significant practical component. Each week has an e-learning module of approximately 1-hour in addition to the three hour face-to-face classes, in which students complete mini-research projects using online corpora and software, such as COCA, BNC, and Lextutor. Most classes have a lab component in order to provide extensive hands-on experience with some of the most widely used CL software tools. No previous knowledge of computer programming or statistics is required.

MAE911 English as an International Language (4 AUs)
This course explores the global spread of English and introduces students to the key sociolinguistic issues in the study of English as an international language (EIL). In particular, it helps students understand the socio‐cultural contexts that have given rise to such a spread and provides them with insights into the linguistic characteristics of the diverse varieties of English spoken and adopted by multilingual communities of people across the globe. Concepts commonly problematized in the EIL research literature such as the notion of a native speaker, the relationship between language, culture and identity, standards and norms of English, and code‐switching will be key themes in the course, especially where these are relevant to English language education and policy.

MAE912 Literacies in Society (4 AUs)
Reading and discussion focus on the diverse nature of literacy across time and space and different communities, the social, cognitive and linguistic aspects of becoming literate, the nature of, and differences between, school and out-of-school literacy, the variable access groups within societies often have to school literacy, and the dramatic shifts in the character of literacy, particularly with the impact of various late twentieth century technologies. In each area, the concepts and findings of the readings will be connected to literacy practices in the multiracial and multilingual Singapore context.

MAE913 Systemic Functional Linguistics (4 AUs)
This course introduces participants to Systemic Functional Linguistics, an essential linguistic theory that is concerned with functions of language. It examines three broad functions of language, i.e. how language encodes our experience, encodes our interaction and organizes these meanings into a coherent whole. Through hands-on activities in the analysis of texts including educational texts, this course will equip participants with an understanding of the structure, meaning and function of language in a given social context. The course will also explore how a functional approach to language can be used to guide classroom language teaching.

MAE914 Topics in Pragmatics (4 AUs)
Pragmatics as a branch of linguistics that studies language in use has impacted greatly on language teaching in the past few decades. Pragmatic ability is considered as a major component of ones communicative competence and thus the focus of instruction in many TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)/ ELT (English Language Teaching) curricula and materials. Therefore, it becomes essential for language teachers to know about the pragmatic aspects of learner language and the processes involved in learning pragmatics in a second language. To this end, this course has been designed to help English teachers develop a comprehensive understanding of pragmatic aspects in second language learning so that they can apply their understanding to future research and classroom practices.

MAE916 Critical Literacy: Theory, Practice, and Research (4 AUs)
This course offers an invigorating approach to thestudy of critical literacy. It presents examples of seminal historical and contemporary theory, research, and practice in local and global contexts. Participants are encouraged to adopt a reflexive standpoint on their reading in order to hone their critical, analytic, and reflective faculties and to dialogue with the course tutor and each other to deepen thinking. While there is a strong focus on the theoretical, there is also a balance derived from connecting theory to research and practice across diverse cultures, communities, families, and classrooms. Issues affecting the position of diverse individuals in these varied contexts will be examined. Participants will have opportunities to explore the subject from their own personal, professional, and academic passions and standpoints.

MAE917 The History and Practice of Reading (4 AUs)
The Reading has historically been perceived as the mark of a literate person, although definitions of literacy have changed along with the transformation of social contexts, from the advent of the printing press to the rise of Amazon as an online bookseller to the changing definitions of what counts as literacy in national and international curriculum. This course examines the history and social practices of reading to understand the development as well as uses of reading historically and in our current globalized, multimediated and multicultural world.

Essential questions asked during the course include:

(1) What is reading?

(2) What is the value of reading?

(3) How is reading practiced in our everyday contexts?

(4) What are the implications of our understanding of reading for curriculum, instructional and assessment practices?

Course participants can expect in-depth discussions of reader response theories, sociocultural and practice theories of reading as well as educational perspectives and research springing from these theories of reading. The final section of the course explores historical and ethnographic approaches to researching reading.

MAE918 Bilingualism and Biliteracy: Theory and Practice (4 AUs)
This course provides an in depth look at the theory, practice, methods of data collection, approaches to data coding, and new directions in the field of bilingualism and biliteracy. The course will focus on both biliteracy in the classroom and biliteracy in society. In terms of the classroom we will discuss how best to teach children who are learning English as a second/third language and how to help emergent bilinguals struggling to acquire reading skills in English. In terms of biliteracy in society, we will look at the way biliteracy is celebrated in advertising, media and creative writing.

MAE919 Second Language Phonology (4 AUs)
The course will give students the ability to formulate informed opinions about the rules and features of L2 phonology, how they differ from L1 phonology, and whether or not there are universal patterns and processes regardless of the languages involved. Further they will be able to determine to what extent it is possible to alter ones phonology and whether this is a desirable or advisable path to follow for language learners. These outcomes will be achieved by a process of student analysis of their own speech via close phonetic transcription in IPA assisted by the use of phonetic analysis software, and further by students engaging in a process of attempting to alter their own speech habits in order to adopt a target L1 phonological feature.

MAE920 Second Language Reading Pedagogy (4 AUs)
This course will survey theoretical and research perspectives on L2 reading and highlight relevant research studies that have practical applications for the teaching of reading in various educational settings. Work done in the field of second language reading that draws upon a variety of theoretical perspectives, in particular cognitive and social learning theories, in the past two decades will be selectively discussed. Special attention will be given to how understanding about the nature of reading has significantly changed during this period and how this has influenced the way L2 reading is taught and assessed in various L2 learning contexts with diverse groups of learners.

MAE921 Psycholinguistics (4 AUs)
This course provides students with a foundation in psycholinguistics and methodological training in conducting research in the field. The subject offers an overview of the theoretical and experimental knowledge of the field, and how this relates to language education. Psycholinguistics is an inherently multidisciplinary field which draws on work from psychology, syntax, semantics, first and second language acquisition, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics and speech production/perception.