7.0548 MA in Applied Language Studies (1/184)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sat, 5 Mar 1994 18:26:53 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0548. Saturday, 5 Mar 1994.
Date: Thu, 03 Mar 94 11:24:36 +0000
From: jgp@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: Degree Course
To: lists Linguist, HUMANIST, SCHOLAR, with apologies for overkill.
Would you mind publicising this, please, if it is not regarded as inadmissible
advertising?
M.A. by coursework and dissertation in Applied Language Studies:
Computing
The M.A. in Applied Language Studies: Computing is designed to provide the
skills and
knowledge the increasing use of computer technology in the languages field
requires: it has
all too often been the case that computer work in languages has failed to
match the needs and
abilities of the language specialist with the technical capacities of the
computer specialist, and
this programme aims to redress this imbalance.
No previous knowledge of computing is presumed, nor does the programme,
which
is aimed primarily at language (including English) graduates, itself
specifically on any one
language. It is not intended as a programme in computer programming.
It is anticipated that on the basis of their new skills and knowledge
successful MA
students will find career enhancement at their own or other establishments,
perhaps set up
or run language schools and language consultancies, or work as advisers and
software
producers in the expanding language technology publishing sector.
The areas of study include word-processing; operating systems;
materials production
and evaluation; electronic publishing; network establishment and management;
the use of on-
line services and databases; a hardware review; and with a specific view
towards languages
applications, description of languages, based on English; computational
linguistics; language
typology; CALL methodology and translation packages.
Essential requirements are:
1) a good language degree or equivalent from an accredited institution OR
2) a good degree and relevant experience in language-teaching or translation
3) a good knowledge of English.
The programme is taught by a number of staff with specialisms in a
variety of
languages, in linguistics and in computing. The majority of the teachers are
active language
teachers, members of the School of European and Modern Language Studies, which
has
responsibility for teaching modern foreign languages, their literatures, and
linguistics. The
School has its own new, modern building equipped with two networked CALL
Laboratories,
one strictly for postgraduate use, two language laboratories and a video and
audio workroom
receiving and recording satellite and terrestrial television and radio
transmissions in a wide
range of languages. In addition computer facilities are available across the
campus, providing
access to the campus network and thus to electronic mail and other on-line
services.
Structure:
The degree package, which is available on a full- (one-year) or
part-time (two-year)
basis, is based on coursework and a dissertation/project. Teaching takes place
during the first
two terms of the academic year, the third term being essentially devoted to
supervised work
on the dissertation/project to be submitted by the end of September in the
year in which all
coursework is completed.
Currently the programme attracts European Social Fund bursaries
(covering fees and
maintenance grant) for candidates fulfilling certain prerequisites laid down
by the European
Union, but the award of such bursaries cannot be guaranteed for the future.
Courses
1) Utilities 1: Word-processing, operating systems, editors, e-mail,
on-line and CD-
ROM information retrieval services.
2) Description of English.
3) Software evaluation 1: Computer-Assisted Language-Learning (CALL).
4) Software evaluation 2: Dictionaries and translation software packages.
5) Electronic publishing and hypertext.
6) Computational linguistics and language typology.
7) Software design and implementation.
8) Utilities 2:
a) Further software utilities: advanced word-processing, spreadsheets
and databases.
b) Local networks.
c) Hardware: overview and selection criteria.
Distribution of courses:
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
1 5 dissertation
2 6 (12-15000 words)
3 7
4 8
Assessment:
Stage 1: Continuous (1 essay or equivalent per course per term for terms 1 &
2, thus 8
pieces of assessed work overall). In general, assignments are negotiated on
an individual
basis. No examination. NB: This does not apply to Electronic publishing and
hypertext,
which is assessed by coursework and an examination in the third term.
Stage 2: M.A. dissertation or diploma project, counting as 2 courses. It may
be possible for
the dissertation to be completed under local supervision at an overseas
university.
Research:
Applications are welcomed to undertake research leading to the award
of the M.Phil
or Ph.D in this area. Prior to the establishment of the UKC Centre for
Languages and
Computing, postgraduate language students gained research MAs in the area of
the
application of technology to language studies, and this avenue is still open.
Potential supervisors have expertise in a range of languages, in
linguistics and in
computing.
Currently a Teaching and Learning with Technology Programme project
funded by
the Higher Education Funding Council is being run here in a consortium with
the
Universities of Cambridge and Southampton.
A hypertext Spanish audio-comprehension course with funding from
Enterprise Kent,
and Dr. Partridge and a hypertext English-German grammatical and linguistic
term glossary
are at present under development here. While both these projects are at
present restricted to
specific languages, they are being constructed in such a way as to allow them
to be extended
to other languages.
These projects are not Ph.D programmes, but are indicative of the type
of work
currently going on at the UKC Centre for Languages and Computing.
Application forms and the UKC Graduate Prospectus are available from:
The Graduate Office,
The University of Kent at Canterbury,
Canterbury,
Kent CT2 7NF, UK.
[Phone ++44 0227 764000, Fax ++44 0227 452196]
For further details, please contact
Dr. John Partridge
Course Director, M.A. in Applied Language Studies: Computing
School of European and Modern Language Studies,
The University of Kent at Canterbury,
Canterbury,
Kent CT2 7NF, UK.
[Phone ++44 0227 764000 x3617, Fax ++44 0227 475479, E-mail jgp@ukc.ac.uk]
|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|
| Dr. John Partridge (<jgp@ukc.ac.uk>) |
| Course Director |
| MA in Applied Languages: Computing |
| School of European and Modern Language Studies |
| University of Kent at Canterbury |
| Canterbury |
| Kent CT2 7NF |
| UK Phone ++44)(0227 764000 x3617
|
| Fax (++44)(0)227 475476 |
Thanks.
John Partridge