ENGLISH 5000 Technical Writing 3 Credits
Technical description and explanation, job applications, business correspondence, and reports suited to one's major (e.g., a criminal or safety investigation, feasibility study, or grant proposal); oral presentations; technical editing. Emphasis on clarity, conciseness, precision, and effective communication with lay audiences and management. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Every Fall and Spring.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 5050 Academic Oral Communication 3 Credits
This course is designed to help graduate students become more confident and competent in academic oral communication by preparing them for a range of oral academic genres, such as lectures, presentations, class discussions, and group discussions, as well as equipping them with skills and strategies needed for oral communication in academic situations.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 5250 Sociolinguistics for TESL/TESOL 3 Credits
Introduction to problems of language, pedagogy, and cultural politics relevant for English teacher education. Discusses linguistic theories in forming English language and ESL pedagogy; the biological basis of language; different models of language learning and systems of literacy, among other issues. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Alternate Spring.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 5260 Language and Culture 3 Credits
Examines the theoretical and practical relationship between language and selected social and cultural aspects of human life. Discusses contiguities of linguistic and cultural practices; examines how particular language practices create and maintain social structures, and how discourse reflects social structures and cultural values. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Alternate Fall.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 5940 Grammar in Context 3 Credits
Attention given to both traditional and modern (functional) grammar, including the parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentence patterns, and their combinations into a variety of sentence types and paragraph patterns. Practical application of grammatical concepts in a writing- and reading-intensive environment, with attention to the logic of punctuation and conventional mechanics. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Every Fall.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 5990 Topics in Language, Literature, or Writing 3 Credits
A critical examination of one area of language, literature or writing. The themes vary; therefore, this course may be taken more than once for credit, provided the content is different each time. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Offered occasionally.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 6670 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language 3 Credits
Examines the characteristics of second language acquisition and how they influence the effectiveness of different methods of teaching English as a Second Language. Includes teacher/learner characteristics and strategies, teaching varieties of language, review of methodologies, communicative competence, and syllabus design. P: ENGLISH 1130 and ENGLISH 1230. Every Fall.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 7250 Literature for TESOL Teachers 3 Credits
An examination of the ways literature can most effectively be used to improve students' linguistic, sociolinguistic and discourse competence in a TESOL setting. Using the textbooks and online materials, students will be asked to develop (1) a corpus of literary selections suitable for the ESL/EFL context, and (2) specific lesson plans focusing on the literatures of specific cultural groups within the United States and other post-colonial English-speaking countries.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Fall
ENGLISH 7260 Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching 3 Credits
The goal is to become well informed regarding aspects of sociolinguistics at both the micro and macro levels. Thus, there will be a focus on language attitudes, motivation, societal multilingualism, world Englishes, language planning, language policies, "prestige" languages, language and variation, and regional and social variation. Likewise, the role of language will be examined via features such as Pidgin and Creole language, language and gender, language and culture, and ethnography of communication and literacy. Emphasis will be given to the range of linguistic, interactional, and cultural knowledge that users must have in order to communicate in particular contexts. We will also emphasize how language is influenced by education. Moreover, certain aspects of social linguistics will be analyzed with regard to how they can be used in teaching English as a second language.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 7670 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language 3 Credits
This course provides an overview of major issues surrounding teaching English as a second or foreign language. It prepares students with approaches, methods, resources, and practical experience needed to teach English in the Chinese context.
Components: Class
ENGLISH 7910 Independent Study in English 1-4 Credits
The amount of graduate credit allowed for independent study may not exceed a total of four credits except with the special permission of the student's advisor and the graduate dean. Approval must be secured before independent study courses are begun. Students registering for independent study must submit at or before registration a description signed by the instructor conducting the independent study of the subject to be covered. Independent study may not be used for collecting information for the seminar paper.
Components: Independent Study
Typically Offered: Fall
ENGLISH 7920 Seminar Paper Research 1-2 Credits
The seminar paper or educational project need not be a report of original and independent research. It must demonstrate, however, the student's ability to survey a field of knowledge and assemble, organize, evaluate, interpret, and present evidence in a logical and intelligent manner. Although the seminar paper or educational project may originate from work done in connection with one of the student's graduate courses and be based upon a term paper or course project, it must be more comprehensive and complete in coverage and treatment. In consultation with the program advisor, the student proposes a seminar paper or educational project and a seminar paper or educational project advisor. An approved seminar paper or educational project proposal must be submitted and approved prior to registration. There is a website with useful links to guide the graduate student in grammar, style, evaluating web resources, and formats. The seminar paper or educational project advisor will provide guidance regarding the site. The site may be accessed through the University's Karrmann Library.
Components: Seminar
ENGLISH 7990 Thesis Research 3-6 Credits
The thesis may be an outgrowth of a research course (e.g. TEACHING 7000 Research Procedures) or may be developed independently within the program area. The thesis will report the results of original and independent student research on a given problem or topic, by systematic and impartial methods, and will demonstrate the student's ability to use techniques customarily employed in the particular field of investigation. Although a thesis for the master's degree may not always be expected to make a significant contribution to existing knowledge, it should be a scholarly document that is accurate, verifiable, objective, and impartial. In consultation with the program advisor, the student proposes a committee of three faculty members. The committee normally includes the thesis advisor, one additional major department member, and one faculty member from another department. In some instances, a student may prefer a thesis advisor who is different from the program advisor assigned at the time of admission. An approved thesis proposal must be submitted and approved prior to registration. There is a website with useful links to guide the graduate student in grammar, style, evaluating web resources, and formats. (Thesis students will find the Texas A and M link useful for formatting procedures and other technical assistance.) The thesis advisor will provide guidance regarding the site. The site may be accessed through the University's Karrmann Library.
Components: Thesis Research