MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) – January or September entry

Compulsory modules

Foundations of Language Study

Explore the phonetic and phonological systems of the English language and the ways in which it can be described grammatically at phrase and sentence level. You’ll study the major formal and functional units involved in the articulation/production of sounds, syllables, stress, intonation, words and the construction of sentences, as well as verb phrase and noun phrase. 

Second Language Learning Principles

Evaluate general theories of learning, considering: the implications of learning theories for second language learning and teaching; the development and relationship of different theoretical accounts of the first and second language learning process; important factors in second language learning connected with the learner and the circumstances of learning; and practical implications of second language learning.

Research Design Methods

Examine the research designs and research techniques in English language teaching and applied linguistics, outlining different types of, and approaches to, research, and the main elements of a research study in terms of questions, hypotheses and variables.

Academic Practices in Applied Linguistics

Receive the academic help and support you need to thrive as a student in the Department of English Language and Linguistics with this online module. 

Portfolio track take these additional compulsory modules

Language Teaching Portfolio

Relate theory of second language learning and teaching to practice through the observation of classroom events, detailed analysis of a language learner, and development of lesson plans and delivery of teaching. You’ll acquire basic knowledge of how to evaluate, adapt, plan and deliver a lesson or part of a lesson, and of how to analyse the language of a learner.

Issues in Language Skills Teaching

Examine key aspects of second language teaching theories, methodologies and practice in relation to the development of second language skills, with particular reference to integrated communicative and task-based teaching approaches.

Dissertation track take these additional compulsory modules

Dissertation

Design, conduct and complete an original research study based on your knowledge and learning.

Language Curriculum Design

Review the principal approaches to the design of language curricula, examine relevant factors in specifying a syllabus, analyse teaching materials in the light of syllabus requirements, consider the processes involved in implementing curriculum innovation, and contextualise language curriculum design within the educational system and educational philosophy.

Optional modules

Approaches to Discourse Analysis

Apply the key methodological frameworks for the description and analysis of discourse, including spoken and written language in use. You’ll consider a range of analytical approaches in the description of authentic language, relating features of text to the context in which the language is produced and understood, as well as the applicability of these approaches in a variety of social and educational contexts.

Child Language Development

Gain an understanding of language development in normal children, together with the experience of encoding child language data and using a computer program to analyse it. This will provide you with a benchmark and system of analysis for interpreting abnormal language development.

Intercultural Communication

Explore how people of different discourse systems or groups communicate with one another in various face-to-face and digitally mediated contexts. You’ll gain an understanding of how assumptions and values that have been constructed or adopted within a specific culture group influence the ways in which people successfully communicate with each other, as well as experience miscommunication, and study a variety of topics in intercultural communication through hands-on analysis of intercultural encounters.

Introduction to Corpus Linguistics

Discover the tools and methods of corpus linguistics (CL) and the application of CL as a tool for the analysis of language use in a variety of registers and discourse contexts. You’ll receive comprehensive training in the use of specialist software for the analysis of language in corpora (large electronic text compilations), and gain hands-on experience in creating, annotating, analysing and summarising corpus-data for your own research purposes.

Language and Migration

Explore the role of language in migration by focusing on the multiple and complex ways that migration has been sustained and constrained through language use for centuries. You’ll examine a range of theories from sociolinguistics, sociology and education studies, learning to apply these theories to different contexts of migration across the world, and study topics such as multilingualism and mobility, and globalisation and language policy.

Sociolinguistics

Focus on the relationship between language and society, and the study of language as a social phenomenon, as you explore diverse areas of sociolinguistic enquiry.

Language Testing Principles

Gain familiarity with the basic concepts, issues and methods of language testing.

Introduction to Speech and Language Pathology

Study a range of speech and language deficits found in adults and children and relate these findings to knowledge of linguistics and normal speech and language processing.

Language Processing

Address the nature of language processing in children and adults and consider evidence from both typical and atypical populations.

Multilingualism and Impairment Across the Lifespan

Examine child language development and outcomes in a bilingual setting, as well as language impairment in bilingual or multilingual individuals, children and adults.

Neuroscience of Language

Explore current research in the cognitive neuroscience of language. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.