Korean, TESOL and Linguistics BA (Hons)

This module will introduce you to the fundamental components of linguistic study, and place your learning about these concepts within our multilingual world. We will explore the history of English as a global language, and consider how our languages have been shaped by contact with each other. You will consider the current dominance of the colonial languages, and think about the implications of this for smaller and indigenous languages, and for their speakers and natural environments. This will give you the chance to learn to use some critical discourse analysis tools, and to discover some newer areas of linguistics, such as ecolinguistics.

This module will introduce you to the latest thinking in TESOL as an academic discipline and a profession. It will help to prepare you for teaching English in the UK or abroad. You will consider the nature of Global Englishes, and how they are learned in diverse cultural contexts. We will also explore the role of teachers and teaching, and consider common misconceptions that have shaped inequalities for learners and teachers.

Which language module you study will depend on your previous experience of studying Korean.

If you have little or no experience, you will be placed in Korean Language Foundation 1. In this module you will learn the Korean alphabet, basic language structure, and grammar. Your learning will be both through lectures and through communicative activities such as pair work or group work.  

If you already have A1 level equivalent knowledge on Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR), you will be placed in Korean Language in Practice 1. On this module you will develop your abilities to communicate in Korean and understand others. You will write and tell creative narratives about events in the past or future. In both speech and in writing you will describe people and places in detail and express your thoughts and opinions.

This module is your introduction to the descriptions of grammatical structures. This means looking at word classes, sentence types, morphology and more. You will study grammatical variations in English found within the UK and in other parts of the world. By the end of the module you will have a solid understanding of the basic terminology and key concepts. 

This module introduces you to the principles of articulatory and practical phonetics. You will learn how to recognise, describe and produce a subset of the sounds of the world’s languages, using the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet. You will also learn basic transcription skills in English. The module provides a foundation for further linguistic study, enabling you to recognise, transcribe and analyse sounds in, for example, children’s language and varieties of English or other languages. If you are studying another language, or are interested in teaching languages including English, this module will help you to understand not only how sounds are produced by the vocal tract, but also how they fit into the context of different language systems. 

Which language module you study will depend on your previous experience of studying Korean.

Korean Language Foundation 2 continues to develop basic communication skills across four key areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. While deepening your understanding of more advanced grammar and vocabulary, you will be expected to compose your own sentences on topics that interest you and that you are familiar with.

On Korean Language in Practice 2, you will learn to communicate effectively in everyday social and practical situations. Topics will include shopping, dining out, education, transportation, travelling, and visiting someone's home. You will acquire relevant vocabulary, become more familiar with the sounds of the language, and develop a solid understanding of Korean grammar in the present, past, and future tenses. 

On this module you will develop your practical skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Building on earlier modules, you will encounter more complex language structures and be encouraged to work independently through grammar instruction, comprehension activities, and regular formative feedback. You will explore everyday and academic themes relevant to Korean society, enabling you to use Korean more confidently, while also deepening your understanding of cultural and communicative practices in contemporary Korea.

On this module you will develop skills that will lead you towards becoming a critical, reflective and adaptive language learner, teacher and TESOL professional. Your learning will focus on theories of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) based around the latest SLA research through which you will analyse second language data. In addition, you will observe and evaluate English language lessons, developing critical thinking skills as you discuss these lessons in relation to SLA and teaching practice. 

On this module we will introduce you to aspects of phonetics and phonology that support the analysis of varieties of language, including child phonology and languages other than English.  The module is taught using a problem-based learning workshop approach. You will learn about:

• The concept of the phoneme
• Phonotactics and syllable structure
• Transcription skills, including connected speech phenomena
• Phonological features

This module will give you a deeper understanding of how the English language is spread across the globe. You will study the history of English both in the British Isles and abroad, thinking about the social history of language change, variety and status. You will also explore the concept of standard varieties of English, and the structural variation in major international varieties of English. 

On this module you will learn about key areas of feminist and queer linguistics. We will cover different theories and approaches to the study of language, gender and sexuality, and you will learn about how some of these approaches have been applied in domains such as education, the workplace, literature and the media. Through this you will gain confidence in arguing for your own, informed position, and using the grounding you have received as a starting point for your own work and ideas.

On this module you will explore how media uses language and other communication resources to shape ideas and influence power. You will learn to analyse the choices media makes in language (and beyond) and uncover the hidden messages and beliefs woven into the ways those behind it communicate with us.

On this module you will build on your prior learning to further strengthen your skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Through a balanced and practical approach, you will engage with grammar-focused lessons, comprehension tasks, and structured speaking practice. As you progress, you will continue to develop your ability to use Korean in both every day and academic contexts, while also broadening your understanding of Korean society and communication practices.

This module will deepen both your theoretical knowledge and your practical abilities in intercultural communication, with a specific focus on teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). You will explore the meaning of culture through case studies and real life examples from diverse educational and cultural contexts around the world. We will explore how culture is represented in the media, in English language teaching materials, and in classroom interactions, and start to understand culture beyond essentialised stereotypes. You will also learn how to develop your own communication and intercultural skills, and how to apply these in inclusive, culturally aware language teaching practices. 

This module will introduce you to the field of forensic linguistics. You will learn how to analyse language as forensic evidence for crimes such as sexual assault, terrorism, murder and hate crimes. Applying your knowledge of linguistics, you will also look at how language is used in the justice system, from police interviews to language in the courtroom.

On this module you will learn about children’s language and literacy development. By the end of the module you will be able to perform a fine-grained analysis of children’s writing at various stages of literacy development. You will finish the module with a good understanding of what the reading and writing that children do at various ages and stages tells us about their literacy development.  You will also learn about contextual issues that impact on children’s literacy development, such as the impact of education policy and home literacy and language environments.  

On this module you will develop your awareness of the psychological underpinnings of language knowledge and use. You will learn about spoken and written language comprehension from the smallest units (phonemes and graphemes) to the biggest (sentence-level and pragmatic processing). You will also learn about the cognitive processes which underpin language production, as well as specialist weeks on topics such as emotional language and artificial intelligence. You will gain hands-on experience of psycholinguistic methods by taking part in a whole-class language experiment as one of your assessments, followed by a more traditional essay tailored to one of the topics learned about on the module. 

This module is part of your learning on your study abroad year.  It will include completing and reflecting on 10 days of work experience, either abroad or in the UK. You will focus on how your work and year abroad experiences relate to what you have studied so far, and your plans for the future.

On this project-based module, you will deepen your understanding of Korean language and culture. You will reflect on the transferable skills you have built throughout your university journey, including your own experiences during your time studying abroad in Korea. Through this project you will demonstrate your critical thinking, analytical skills, communication, and pragmatic strategies.

Teaching English as a second language comes with a unique set of challenges. On this module you will explore how teachers plan lessons and create learning materials to respond to those challenges. You will draw on up-to-date research in second language acquisition, TESOL, and English language education to help you understand how to make informed teaching decisions. As part of the module, you will learn how to design your own lesson plans and materials, and how to evaluate and adapt existing resources. You will also reflect on current issues in English language teaching, with a focus on inclusion and social justice, helping you create more equitable and accessible learning environments. 

On this module you will learn about the wide variety of ways attitudes to language use and language learning impact on society and individuals. We consider language hierarchies, what is known as the Complaint Tradition, and explore the notion of the Monolingual Habitus. Through these explorations, we consider how language discrimination arises in multiple contexts, and explore the potential role of the applied linguist in creating social change. 

This module introduces you to key theories of child language acquisition, with a focus on the acquisition of speech sounds. We will take workshop approach to learning about how children acquire and produce speech sounds, the typical phonological processes seen in children, and how these articulations move towards the adult system over time.  You will also learn to use specialist language acquisition applications and acoustic analysis software.

On this module you will learn about the lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonetic and phonological features of British accents and dialects. You will apply prior knowledge of phonetics, phonology and grammar to speaker data by exploring patterns of usage across a range of linguistic variables. You will also develop your skills in data collection, before completing an analytical description and comparison of your own data. 

This module will introduce you to the field of communication disorders, developing your understanding of clinical applications of linguistics, and how background understanding of linguistics works alongside clinical knowledge.  You will find out about how clinical decisions can be reached using a range of informal and formal assessments, and how communication disorder and difference impacts on people throughout their lives. 

On this project-based module, you will further deepen your understanding of Korean language and culture. You will reflect on the transferable skills you have acquired throughout your university journey, including your own experiences during Study Abroad in Korea. You will demonstrate your critical thinking, analytical skills, communication, and pragmatic strategies.

Your dissertation is your chance to take responsibility for your own learning. You will conduct an independent piece of linguistic research on your chosen topic, with the support of an assigned tutor.  You will attend a series of skills sessions that will help you in this task by guiding you through relevant areas of linguistic research, from ethical applications to writing literature reviews. You will also have access to individual supervision meetings where you can ask for support and guidance with the design and conduct of your research and writing.