LANGUAGE
STUDIES
The concentration in the Language Studies degrees can
be defined as English in multilingual settings. Peoples
and languages have always interacted, but globalization
has made the study of such interactions of particular
and pressing importance. Singapore is ideally positioned
for that study. It is a natural language laboratory, in
which students and researchers can observe the causes
and effects of language contacts, variation and policies.
The Department numbers experts of various kinds among
its faculty, and these bring different perspectives to
bear on the phenomenon of one language existing alongside
many. We offer four level 5000 modules which reflect our
faculty’s varied approaches and interests. All our graduate
students should expect to acquire a developed expertise
in this area of language studies.
To support and sustain this area of
concentration, the Department provides three foundational
modules. These enable students to work in rigorous,
informed and appropriate ways. One module deals with
the structure of language, that is, with phonetics,
phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Another
concerns the sociolinguistic and discourse foundations
of language study, and a third explores applied linguistics.
Together, the three foundational modules provide expertise
at an advanced level in key areas of language study.
To be educated in an academic discipline
is to have more than a developed interest and the key
skills to pursue it. The educated specialist needs to
possess an understanding of the discipline’s wider concerns
and of the points of intersection with other disciplines.
Our interface modules cover in varying degrees of detail,
language use and its connections with the mind, physiology,
computer applications, knowledge and ideology. There
is also the possibility for graduate students to take
modules from other departments in the Faculty.
Our level 6000 modules are tailored
to the needs of research students, especially those
doing PhDs. The Graduate Research Seminar is designed
to introduce students to the approaches and expectations
of the research communities within language studies.
The advanced seminars focus on different areas of language
studies. These are organized each year to reflect the
interests and developing expertise of the students.
|
