Courses

HG6101 Research Methods in Psycholinguistics (3 AUs)

This course aims to introduce central methodological issues within psycholinguistic research, and the diversity of methods employed in psycholinguistics will be discussed. Students will be presented with the processes and fundamentals to develop a research question. This will be achieved through assessing and discussing the applicability and relevance of various forms of research methods used in psycholinguistics research. The module will enable students to develop their future research projects.

HG6102 Language Disorders (3 AUs)

This course explores language differences, delays, and disorders in children and adults to highlight experimental and practical applications of linguistics and language acquisition theories. Delays and disorders related to developmental language deficits, language-learning disabilities, aphasia, dementias, and traumatic brain injury will be presented. Students will also consider the principles and procedures of language intervention within a framework of evidence-based practice. 

HG6103 Neurolinguistics (3 AUs)

This course deals with theoretical and descriptive frameworks in the study of language acquisition and prerequisites to language development. Topics of interest include the fundamental stages and processes of language development, the components of language systems (e.g., phonology, syntax, and semantics), standard versus abnormal courses of development of these language components, and the theories to account for speech and language development – such as the role of input, nature versus nurture, individual differences in acquisition, and language socialization.

HG6104 Language Development (3 AUs)

This course deals with both theoretical and descriptive frameworks in the study of language acquisition and prerequisites to language development. Topics of interest include the fundamental stages and processes of language development, the components of language systems (e.g., phonology, syntax, ad semantics), normal versus abnormal courses of development of these language components, and the theories to account for speech and language development – such as the role of input, nature versus nurture, individual differences in acquisition, and language socialization.

HG6105 Multilingualism & Cognition (3 AUs)

Is there any evidence that multilingualism negatively or positively affects cognition and the brain? How are several languages organized and managed in the brain? Students will explore these questions and more in this module, covering a range of cognitive issues linked to multilingualism. Methodological approaches to studying multilingualism and cognition will be discussed with a selection of topics. Examples include the possible differences between monolingual and multilingual brain functions, the need to suppress one language to use the other, and cognitive language learning strategies in monolinguals versus multilinguals. 

HG6106 Communication Sciences (3 AUs)

Communication plays an essential role: through interacting with the people around us, we figure out our position in a broader social and cultural setting and learn to make sense of our community, society, and the world at large. This course focuses on the content, use, and effects of various forms of media, from radio, television, and newspapers to streaming platforms and social media. Some of the questions addressed in this course are: how has media shaped how we use language? How have different forms of entertainment influenced people of different ages? How have other communication platforms affected our societies (or vice versa)?

HG6107 Reading & Literacy (3 AUs)

This course surveys landmark research on literacy development across the learner’s lifetime. We begin with literacy practices in the home and community and progress to the theoretical foundations of literacy education. We will examine the ideological underpinnings of various approaches to literacy education, including teaching reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, and consider various approaches taken to support various learning styles, including those with special needs or diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and language backgrounds. 

HG6108 Language & Cognition for Psycholinguistics (3 AUs)

This course introduces students to various topics on the psychological aspects of language. 

HG6201 Research Methods in Sociolinguistics (3 AUs)

This course aims to give you a thorough insight into critical areas of sociolinguistic research that will help you understand the linguistic, sociolinguistic, and social aspects and effects of language in social contexts. In this course, you will learn how to conduct sociolinguistic research studies, including collecting and processing empirical data, and you will present this data verbally and in a fully-fledged research paper. In particular, you will learn how to source the necessary additional reading to understand essential sociolinguistic concepts, develop appropriate data collection tools, administer such tools, and analyse the data you collect.

HG6202 Investigating Discourse (3 AUs)

This course will start by introducing and discussing the notions of ‘discourse’ and ‘discourse analysis’, after which the long-standing debate on the difference between speech and writing will be examined. Given the importance of writing and written communication in the contemporary world, writing will be elaborated upon as a topic worthy of scientific enquiry, particularly concerning different technologies and media, both ‘old’ and ‘new’. An overview of different scripts and writing systems worldwide will be covered, examining how (and why) they can (and should) be studied as critical semiotic resources for meaning-making and textual production. Students will have opportunities to review and assess different types of written discourse and the different ways to analyze them. The practicalities of analyzing written discourse will also be addressed by examining various examples of how written discourse analysis can be used by non-linguists whose primary research questions are not about language and language use.

HG6203 Sociolinguistics (3 AUs)

This course examines how social factors influence language and the role language plays in reflecting social categories such as status, ethnicity and gender. Students will be trained to observe and identify linguistic variables that reveal speech variation's nature and function within and across speech communities. Topics covered include variation in language styles and registers and language variation reflecting social class, gender and ethnic group. Students will also study changes in language status over time, language shift, language maintenance, language death and the emergence of new languages.

HG6204 Multilingual Societies (3 AUs)

The course will focus on critical topics that affect multilingual individuals in multilingual communities across the lifespan. The approach is interdisciplinary, as the readings will be drawn from psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and education. The students will read advanced theoretical discussions of multilingualism as a phenomenon and reflect on why the current research scope needs to be extended to include multilinguals and not just bilinguals. The course's primary focus is evaluating how multilingualism alters our perception of the world from a cognitive perspective. However, the importance of social contexts and their modulating impact on cognition will be a central theme in this course. The readings will also be geared towards an in-depth understanding of the methodological concerns in the field.

HG6205 Englishes around the World (3 AUs)

This course provides an overview of the spread of the English language in the British Isles, North America, Australia, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. Arguments related to English as a World Language will be discussed. The theories and principles on the development and structure of World Englishes will be examined, and students will assess the notion of linguistic imperialism, the role of language in politics and issues concerning language in education. The impact of this globalising process on local cultures and languages will also be evaluated. 

HG6206 Languages Then & Now (3 AUs)

This course examines how languages change over time and the techniques used to study these changes. It will explore changes at all levels: meaning, grammar and sound. Specific topics include the nature of language change, the comparative method and linguistic reconstruction in phonology and morphology. At a broader level, the course will also examine sociolinguistic aspects of language change. Students will become acquainted with attitudes towards language change, convergence, genesis, and death. Other topics include cognitive explanation of language change and grammaticalization.

HG6207 Language & Technology (3 AUs)

We review how technological progress has shaped the relationship between language and technology, from writing systems as technology and the creation of the printing press to modern text messaging apps and online forums. Our focus will be on two questions: (1) How has evolving technology shaped the way we use language? (2) How has our language use shaped the creation of new technology?

The course aims to give students exposure to using computers to manipulate and investigate text and perform various kinds of linguistic research. Students will learn a scripting/coding language (Python) and use it to engage with large language models and machine learning tools for processing language, among other things.