Module LANG40915: GLOBAL ENGLISHES: Policy and Power

Department: Durham Centre for Academic Development

LANG40915: GLOBAL ENGLISHES: Policy and Power

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• to give students a broader understanding of the historical, political and social contexts that have given rise to the spread of Global Englishes and consider these in terms of 'linguistic imperialism' and broader theories of power.
• to ask students to critically engage with a range of theoretical approaches related to Global Englishes.
• to a have critical understanding of the concepts of Global Englishes and World Englishes; how they evolved and the key issues and controversies that have emerged.
• to understand how language policy and language use are related to wider issues of politics and power.
• to recognise how English language teaching is impacted by issues of power and politics and what this might mean for the classroom.
• to engage critically with the notion of English as a Lingua Franca (Jenkins 1996) and consider the impacts for teaching.

Content

• The module begins with an overview of the main theories that seek to explain the political, social and pedagogical impact of the spread of English as a world language and the emergence of the Global Englishes paradigm.
• We then consider how the presence of English and 'World Englishes' has impacted education systems in a number of contexts.
• Students will be asked to consider how these wider issues impact their own context and their identity as teachers and in particular, we will problematize the 'native' and 'non-native' speaker dichotomy.

Learning Outcomes

• to understand the core theories and models related to Global Englishes and World Englishes. This includes understanding the nature of and relationship between (for example); pidgins and creoles, nativised varieties and ELF.
• be able to use key concepts such as linguistic imperialism and language as a local practice to evaluate language planning and policy approaches.
• to understand and critique the concept of the Global Englishes paradigm.

• Critical reading, thinking, writing and speaking

• ability to engage with and evaluate theories and concepts drawn from linguistics and the social sciences.
• ability to critically apply theories to case studies and students' own experiences of teaching and learning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module:
• The module will be taught through interactive lectures that present theoretical concepts and ideas and then ask students to critically engage and reflect based on their own learning and teaching experiences.
• The sessions will be built around required reading and students may be asked to lead parts of the sessions based on reading and preparation completed in advance of the session.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students have the opportunity to submit a draft and/or outline of the summative assessment for feedback

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University