Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Both programmes of study provide an opportunity to acquire an advanced knowledge of public administration, public management and comparative public policy.

This is a one-year, full-time, or two-year part-time postgraduate degree. The course focus is on sociological research methods, and the intention is to produce graduates ready to embark on research careers in the private, public, voluntary or academic spheres. Modules on qualitative and quantitative methods form the core of the course, along with modules on substantive issues of contemporary relevance. Computer-aided analysis of qualitative data, and statistical analysis of large-scale survey data sets is central to the course. Faculty have extensive research experience in a variety of areas, including the media, social exclusion, stratification and inequality, the restructuring of work, feminist methodologies, community development, education, marriage and divorce. A research dissertation is a key element of the course.

This full-time MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages has been designed specifically with the aim of providing initial teacher education for those wishing to become teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL). The programme allows teachers to develop and reflect upon their understanding of the various theoretical and practical issues that impact upon the field of language teaching. It places particular emphasis on the notion of informed and critical teaching and the need for teachers to mediate between theory and practice in constructing pedagogies according to specific teaching-learning contexts. In line with the most recent approaches in the field, language technology, and particularly corpus-based approaches to the study of language, feature strongly in our modules. A balance is maintained throughout the course between linguistic content, pedagogic content, and teaching-related research. Graduate Diploma English Language Teaching Students successfully completing the two taught semesters of the programme (60 credits) may opt to exit the programme at the end of Semester 2 with a Graduate Diploma in English Language Teaching.