MA English Language
The Master of Arts in English Language is a Sandwich-mode graduate programme of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts. It produces graduates with the knowledge and skills to teach the English language or to address effectively the communicative needs of corporate institutions.
Aim of the programme
To produce graduates with knowledge and skills to teach the English Language or effectively address the communicative needs of corporate institutions.
Objectives
- Guide students to analyse the structure of the English language and discourses produced in various contexts of language use.
- Guide students to solve problems and make crucial decisions involving language and communication.
- Guide students to teach the English language effectively in both secondary and tertiary level institutions.
- Guide students to conduct mini-research to address language related challenges in educational and corporate institutions.
The programme runs over two semesters and carries a minimum credit load of thirty (30) credits. Each semester combines three core courses with at least two electives. The first-semester core is Phonology, Grammar and Research Methods; the second-semester core is Semantics and Pragmatics, Data Analysis, and Teaching English as a Second Language. The electives span register studies, literary stylistics, English for specific purposes, corpus linguistics, English in forensic contexts, language and literacies, sociolinguistics, studies in the New Englishes, discourse studies, language, identity and ideology, English grammar and discourse, diachronic studies of English, and artificial intelligence in English studies.
Courses are delivered through a combination of online and face-to-face lectures and seminar presentations. This revision of the programme introduces Diachronic Studies of English and Artificial Intelligence in English Studies as new courses.
Background
The Department of English evolved from the Department of Arts, which was one of the three departments of the then University College of Cape Coast. The department has continued to innovate and expand its programmes at the postgraduate level to meet both national and global needs in a fast-changing world.
The current MA (English Language) programme was introduced in the 2011/2012 academic year, as part of redesigning the MA/MPhil (English) programme which was previously run in the Department during the regular semesters. The redesigned MA (English Language) programme became restricted to the Sandwich Semester as part of a general regulation by the School of Graduate Studies, UCC, to run MA programmes on Sandwich mode only. The MPhil (English) component was also redesigned as MPhil (English Language) and has continued to run in the regular semesters. In 2017 the Department was given approval to also run a Top-Up MPhil programme for MA graduates who desired to enrol in the MPhil programmes. Another development since 2011 is that the School of Graduate Studies has introduced a Step-Up, Step-Down Policy, where students admitted into MPhil programmes could upgrade to the PhD level or be downgraded to the MA level, depending on their performance in the course work.
Under these developments the Department has produced many graduates for different sectors of the economy, both locally and internationally, including education, law and governance, security and the business professions. These graduates have been in high demand in the education sector, providing evidence that the programme has high employability prospects. Intake for the programme has also risen considerably over the years. This revised programme incorporates perspectives in diachronic linguistics and the new demands of Artificial Intelligence in language studies.
Career opportunities
Graduates of the programme have been employed in the following sectors:
1. Secondary and higher education institutions. 2. The media industry. 3. Corporate institutions such as telecommunications and insurance companies.
Course structure
The courses mounted for this programme, by year and semester.
Level 800
First Semester
| Code | Course | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG801S | English Phonology | Core | 3 |
| ENG802S | Grammar | Core | 3 |
| ENG808S | Register Studies | Elective | 3 |
| ENG812S | Literary Stylistics | Elective | 3 |
| ENG814S | English for Specific Purposes | Elective | 3 |
| ENG817S | Corpus Linguistics | Elective | 3 |
| ENG818S | Research Methods | Core | 3 |
| ENG819S | English in Forensic Contexts | Elective | 3 |
| ENG828S | Language and Literacies | Elective | 3 |
Second Semester
| Code | Course | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG804S | Sociolinguistics | Elective | 3 |
| ENG805S | Studies in the New Englishes | Elective | 3 |
| ENG806S | Discourse Studies | Elective | 3 |
| ENG809S | Literary Perspective on Autobiography | Elective | 3 |
| ENG815S | Teaching English as a Second Language | Core | 3 |
| ENG816S | English Grammar and Discourse | Elective | 3 |
| ENG822S | Diachronic Studies in English | Elective | 3 |
| ENG823S | Contemporary Ghanaian Literature | Elective | 3 |
| ENG826S | Semantics and Pragmatics | Core | 3 |
| ENG828S | Language and Literacies | Elective | 3 |
| ENG869S | Data Analysis | Core | 3 |
