Course duration: 18 months
Guided learning hours (GLH): 12 hours per week (864 hours in total)
Study method: online learning with tutor’s guidance and support
Course description:
The Oxford Diploma in English Language and Literature is an interdisciplinary course that introduces candidates to the main themes in English linguistics and literary studies. This is an intellectually challenging course as it examines complex language-related issues, ranging from the role of English language, literature and culture in the world through the most important aspects of the English language to the impact of language policy upon identity formation. Besides, the course helps candidates develop practical language and critical skills, including research skills, to perform better in the workplace, whether their work may involve teaching English to language learners or communicating with people on different levels in various contexts.
The course is ideal for English language teachers and assessors, ELT coursebook writers, librarians, TESOL researchers and education consultants who are responsible for curriculum planning, syllabus design as well as teaching and assessment materials development in language centres as it studies the English language in detail from different perspectives. The knowledge and skills gained during the course will be particularly beneficial for educators by broadening their outlook and enriching their teaching practice.
Course syllabus:
English Language and Literature
Block 1: Exploring Formal and Structural Aspects of English Language
- An Introduction to Linguistics
- English Phonetics
- Syntax
- Semantics
- Stylistics
- Lexicography
- Sociolinguistics
- Psycholinguistics
- Discourse Analysis
- Language and Intercultural Pragmatics
- An Introduction to Communication Studies
- An Introduction to Translation Theory and Practice
Block 2: Reading English Literature within Historical, Social and Cultural Contexts
- Approaches to Language and Literature
- An Overview of Major British Literary Periods
- Shakespeare’s Work
- Romantic Novels and Poetry
- Victorian Fiction and Poetry
- Early Modern Poetry
- Modernist Literature
- Post-Modernist Literature
- Twentieth-Century Genre Fiction
- Critical Theory: Formalism, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism and Political Theory
- Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Identity in Literature from the Commonwealth of Nations
- An Introduction to Cultural Studies and Methodologies
- Description and Interpretation of English Literature and Culture in Arts, Film and Media
Language and Critical Skills
Block 3: Developing English Language Skills
- Academic Reading and Writing
- Vocabulary Expansion in Conversational English
- Upper-Intermediate to Advanced English Grammar
Block 4: Investigating Themes in Linguistics and Literary Studies
- Literacy, Multilingualism, Language Policy and Identity in Contemporary Linguistics and Literature
- An Introduction to Research Methods in Linguistics and Literary Studies
- Conducting a small-scale research project on a linguistic or literary theme of one’s own choice
Online study materials:
Online study materials for the course are available via a dedicated virtual learning environment (VLE) which includes:
- a module guide
- an interactive week-by-week study planner
- online tasks for language skills development
- key critical and theoretical readings related to linguistics and literary studies
- a glossary of terms in linguistics and literary studies
- an online forum for discussions and group work
- an assessment guide
- a referencing style guide
- access to our online library databases with resources in linguistics and literary studies
Course work includes:
- 12 tutor-marked assignments
- end-of-course assessment (a qualification paper of 20-30 pages in linguistics or literary studies)
Award:
On successfully completing this qualification, you will be awarded our Oxford Diploma in English Language and Literature. You will be entitled to use the letters OxDipELLit after your name.
Full course fees for entrance in the 2024/2025 academic year: £5,220
Course fees cover registration, course materials, tuition and assessment.
Next term start date: 1 February 2025
Register by: 20 January 2025
Register for the Oxford Diploma in English Language and Literature programme