Master’s Degree in English Language Teaching and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts (MELACOM)

Coordinators: Dr. Eva Alcón Soler and Dr. Mª Pilar Safont Jordà. Department of English Studies at the Universitat Jaume I

Coordinating university: Universitat Jaume I

Number of credits: 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits

Duration: 1 academic year (including flexibility allowing additional years for completing the course)

Dates: September 2008 – December 2009

Aimed at: Graduates in English Philology, Translation and Interpreting, Humanities and other related degrees (other Language Studies, Linguistics, Pedagogy, Psychology, etc.). Holders of a Diploma in Education (English specialisation).

Cost: According to official fees yet to be published.

Collaborating bodies: EMICC (European Masters in InterCultural Communications)

Approval: Approved by Decree 25/2008, of 14 March, of the Valencian Regional Government (DOGV no. 5726, 18/ 03/2008).

Description and objectives:

The Master’s Degree Course in English Language Teaching and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts (MELACOM) is an official postgraduate programme coordinated by the Universitat Jaume I and including well-known lecturers from other European universities (e.g. Anglia Ruskin University, Queen Mary University of London) and from Spain (e.g. Barcelona, the Basque Country, Murcia, Seville).

The Master was created on the basis of the inter-university doctorate programme 12511 in Applied Linguistics (Jaume I, Barcelona and the Basque Country universities), which obtained a quality mention from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science in years 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, and the experience gained through the UJI-specific MELACOM master’s degree course taught for 3 years.

This programme will allow students to obtain a Master’s Degree in English Language Teaching and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts and to access the doctor’s degree.

Admission criteria:

• Undergraduate degree in the field of use and acquisition of English language. Students from a second cycle of a degreeor who have completed 180 credits of an undergraduate degree will also be admitted.
• Students holding other degrees will have to provide evidence of knowledge of English (e.g. Spanish Official Language School, University of Cambridge certificates, TOEFL, etc.) and/or follow the Foundation Module within the MELACOM programme.

Specialisation:

The Master’s Degree Course in English Language Teaching and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts (MELACOM) has two clearly differentiated approaches: the professional and the research focuses.

MELACOM’s professional orientation attempts to provide graduate professionals with an excellent background in applied linguistics and language teaching/acquisition in Spanish bilingual communities which also attract immigrant population. As for the academic orientation, the Master’s course offers the most appropriate teaching making possible research in the field of linguistics applied to the teaching of second/third languages. In fact, this line of study also allows students to prepare a Master’s dissertation.

Additional information

EUROCAMPUS is an intensive 3-month programme (running from September to December) annually organised by one of the nine universities which are part of the EMICC (European Masters in Intercultural Communication) network, namely:

• Bayreuth, Germany: Universität Bayreuth
• Cambridge, Great Britain: Anglia Ruskin University
• Castelló, Spain: Universitat Jaume I
• Jyväskylä, Finland: University of Jyväskylä
• Lisbon, Portugal: Universidade Aberta
• Lugano, Switzerland: Università della Svizzera italiana
• Paris, France: Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
• Tartu, Estonia: University of Tartu
• Utrecht, The Netherlands: University of Utrecht

Programme:

The Master’s Degree in English Language Teaching and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts (MELACOM) offers four modules:

Foundation module (15 ECTS credits)

For students from other degrees who do not have sufficient linguistic and theoretical knowledge. It includes an advanced English subject and two subjects on fundamental principles of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics.

Compulsory module (20 ECTS credits)

This consists of 4 subjects:

• Theories on acquisition of English as a second language
• Multilingualism and teaching English as a lingua franca
• Discourse perspectives on the acquisition of English
• Intercultural communication

Compulsory methodology module (10 ECTS credits)

This consists of a subject concerning the methodological foundations necessary to prepare a research work and a subject concerning research methods in second language acquisition.

Optional module (minimum of 20 ECTS credits)

This includes subjects ranging from curriculum design concerning the development of oral and written skills to strategies involving attitudes to language and emotional elements. At least 20 ECTS credits from this module must be completed and it allows students to take part in the Eurocampus project.

Compulsory final-year master’s project (10 ECTS credits)

Students will be able to choose between conducting research or undertaking Practicum.

Research work

Master’s dissertation dealing with language acquisition in multilingual contexts.

Practicum

Teaching experience in English for all levels so that the contents of the various Master’s modules can be put into practice.

Lecturers

• Members of the LAELA research team at the Department of English Studies at the Universitat Jaume I.
• Visiting lecturers from the following universities: Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge, United Kingdom), Queen Mary University of London, University of Jyväskylä (Finlandia), Basque Country University (EHU), University of Barcelona (UB), University of Murcia, University of Seville.

Web adress: http://www.mastermelacom.uji.es/

Academic information:
Maria Pilar Safont Jordà
Telephone: +34 964 729 611
safontj@ang.uji.es

Administrative information:
Student and Teaching Service
Telephones: +34 964 729 490 / +34 964 728 849
gestiopostgrauoficial@uji.es

Modification date: 15/07/2009 11:29
Creation date: 05/05/2008 11:14