Worlds of English

Course Coordinator: Dr Vanliza Chow, B(phil), MA, PhD (University of Birmingham)

This course is part of several English-related degree programmes.

Aims
This course aims to provide students with:

• An understanding of the history of English and its development as a global language;
• A critical appreciation of the contemporary uses of English in a range of social and cultural contexts;
• Opportunities to analyse spoken, written and multimodal English;
• An understanding of how English is promoted around the world, the controversies surrounding the politics and economics of such decisions and their impacts on other languages and people who speak them;
• A perspective on their own English language experiences, including developing their own communication skills.

Contents
The course covers the following topics:

• The history of English: How and why English has changed, and its development as an international language
• Varieties of English: How varieties of English around the world differ from one another
• Global English: Whether English, as an international language, contributes to greater international integration, or is bound up with cultural and linguistic imperialism
• English in use: How English is used in different contexts in everyday conversation, as a language of business and trade, as a literary language and as a creative means of communication
• Learning English: How adults and children learn English, informally at home and as part of the school curriculum, in both monolingual and bilingual contexts
• Teaching English: How English is taught in different contexts and issues related to English teaching
• English and technology: How English is used in the media, and the extent to which global technology affects the language and its use
• Politics of English: How English plays a significant role in the negotiation of power relations between individuals and between communities on issues such as migratory patterns, language policies and the global media.

Learning support
This course involves 600 study hours. There will be 16 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment
There are six assignments and a final examination. Except for some designated assignments, students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Set book(s)
There are no set books for this course. The course material includes three course books and 3 video clips on the OLE.