Programme Specification
A statement of the knowledge, understanding and skills that underpin a
taught programme of study leading to an award from
The University of Sheffield
1
Programme Title
English Language and Linguistics
2
Programme Code
CESU02
3
JACS Code
Not applicable
4
Level of Study
Undergraduate
5a
Final Qualification
BA (Honours)
5b
QAA FHEQ Level
6
6a
Intermediate Qualification(s)
Not applicable
6b
QAA FHEQ Level
Not applicable
7
Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield)
City College, Thessaloniki
8
Faculty
International Faculty
9
Department
English Studies
10
Other Departments involved in
teaching the programme
Not applicable
11
Mode(s) of Attendance
Full time
12
Duration of the Programme
4 years
13
Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
Not applicable
14
Date of production/revision
April 2014
15 Background to the programme and subject area
The significance of educational programmes associated with languages is considered undisputable, both at a
national and international level. Languages, in general, play a key role in expressing the cultures and identities of
the people and places in which they are used. More precisely, though, English language studies form an exciting,
challenging and dynamic discipline, given that English has been the lingua franca over the past decades,
facilitating communication among speakers of different native languages, while being the dominant means of
expression in science, trade exchange, intercultural communication, and educational programmes.
Thus, modern language studies provide a rich and rewarding educational experience for students. More precisely,
analyzing and familiarising oneself with Modern Languages at University level constitutes a multi-disciplinary
process, incorporating a rich range of explorations, including linguistic, literary, cultural, educational, social, and
historical studies. This program offers students the knowledge and skills that are necessary to pursue a career in
the field of English language studies, Linguistics and teaching English as a Foreign Language. The corresponding
curriculum at the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield has been designed with the view of providing its
graduates with an understanding of the key features of second language acquisition and applied linguistics; a solid
foundation of the theoretical concepts and practical issues involved in the teaching and testing of English as a
foreign language; an understanding of core concepts and principles of linguistics; and an appreciation of current
practice and developments in linguistic research. Moreover, during their studies, students learn to use rigorous
scientific techniques and statistical procedures to explore, analyse, justify and report on language data of various
types.
The particular programme is a variation of the existing University programme CESU01 delivered by the
International faculty of the University of Sheffield, CITY College in Thessaloniki, in the sense that Level 1 is
delivered over two sessions, thus rendering its duration 4 years. Having successfully completed Level 1, students
will progress onto Level 2 of CESU01 programme.
The rationale behind the delivery of Level 1 over two sessions is twofold: firstly, level-one students attend a number
of additional courses appropriately designed to enhance their English language and study skills, such as Language
Mastery I and II, as well as IT and Academic Skills; secondly, they attend modules such as Introduction to Poetry
and Introduction to Drama, which complement the main subject of their Programme (i.e. the study of the English
language) through exposure to authentic literary texts and the sociocultural context where these were generated.
Studying the main elements of poetic and drama form and technique, provides students with an introduction to
university-level thinking, and this in turn will help them develop the analytical skills necessary to produce their own
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sophisticated and original writing.
Additional information on CESU01 can be found at http://
The International Faculty of the University of Sheffield consists a community of learning, which brings staff and
students together and provides students with rich opportunities to enhance their educational background, their
overall experiences and to develop discipline-specific skills together with life-long transferable skills such as
employability and teamwork skills, as well as and general communicative confidence. Furthermore, there is
provision of consistent personal support to students to ensure their learning development (including close and highquality project supervision, pastoral advising, ongoing feedback on their progress, personal tutorial support, etc.).
The English Language and Linguistics programme offers academic qualifications to students who wish to follow
this multi-faceted field, without specializing in any particular domain during their first degree. It is recommended
that graduates should pursue postgraduate studies and practical training to enhance their knowledge and skills in a
chosen field among theoretical and/or applied linguistics, language teaching and testing in ELT, translation studies,
etc.
Regardless of the awareness of the value of language studies to the individuals and to society, graduates of
English language and linguistics university programmes enjoy considerably high employability rates, compared to
graduates in more narrowly defined vocational subjects. The capability to employ a foreign language in such a
masterful way is a unique acquisition by itself, highly appreciated by employers, providing privileged form of access
not only to educational institutions, but to the business sector as well (i.e. management, advertizing, publishing
houses, etc).
16 Programme aims
The programme aims to provide students with:

a wide range of theoretical, practical and professional skills in English Language, ELT, and in Linguistics;

a broad and critical understanding of the subject matter of English Language and Linguistics, from a
historical, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, educational, translational, or computational perspective on
language;

an appreciation of the basic concepts, modes of analysis and theoretical approaches in more than one of
the areas of study, the so-called 'levels of analysis': phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
pragmatics, as well as discourse;

an understanding of the way in which language learning takes place in classrooms, and of the range of
contemporary materials and methods used in teaching English as a Foreign Language;

an understanding of the nature and structure of human language, a critical perspective on current
theoretical approaches to the study of language, together with an awareness of the nature of scientific
inquiry and argumentation through investigation of specific aspects of language;

the distinctive skills associated with linguistic research, including the design of quantitative and qualitative
investigations, collection of data, statistical analysis of data, and the interpretation of findings;

skills in personal organisation, written and oral communication and use of information technology;

mastery of concepts and their application to real-world issues and circumstances;

skills which, together with the acquired theoretical knowledge, will form a solid foundation on which to base
life-long learning and to cope with their future careers.
17 Programme learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
By the end of the programme, students will have gained knowledge and understanding of:
K1
Basic concepts and theoretical approaches in different levels of linguistic analysis.
K2
Concepts, principles, processes, methods and methodologies involved in English Language Teaching as a
Foreign Language.
K3
The historical evolution of the English language with the use of observable data.
K4
Current approaches to the design and evaluation of a variety of second language teaching materials.
K5
The basic translation concepts in theory and practice, and the decision-making process in translation.
K6
Key issues in second language acquisition theory and research.
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K7
The history and development of corpora and the possible applications of corpus linguistics in English
language research and teaching.
K8
Processes and challenges of applying the theoretical concepts of ELT to authentic teaching environment and
the emergent practical issues.
K9
The research techniques available in, and applicable to, their field of study.
Skills and other attributes:
Discipline-Specific Skills:
S1
To recognise distinctive linguistic approaches to different issues.
S2
To analyse language data of diverse kinds quantitatively and/or qualitatively, by abstracting and synthesising
information.
S3
To critically evaluate contrasting theories and explanations in the field of English language and linguistics,
including those of other disciplines.
S4
To develop an awareness of the relation between knowledge of language and implementation of language in
real life.
S5
To determine, given a specific audience/class, the appropriate methods, theories and tools to be utilized in
the English language Teaching process, and be able to justify such choices.
S6
To carry out empirical linguistic studies using various methods of data collection.
S7
To produce independent linguistic research and to describe that work the appropriate register and style, in a
well-structured written reports and/or oral presentations.
S8
To employ computational tools and software packages wherever appropriate for the analysis of language
data.
S9
To consider the ethical issues involved in data collection, data use, and data storage.
S10
To recognize the practicalities of organising and carrying out fieldwork for linguistic projects.
Transferable Skills:
T1
To communicate effectively and fluently both in writing and orally.
T2
To plan, schedule, and monitor one’s own work working independently, exhibiting initiative and timemanagement skills.
T3
To work and cooperate with other people effectively in order to achieve common goals.
T4
To be able to interpret and critically assess scientific data, using problem-solving and reasoning skills.
T5
To efficiently search for literature and relevant information.
T6
To effectively use information technology tools for communicating purposes, word processing, statistical
analyses and accessing databases.
T7
To consider the ethical dimension of any procedures followed and studies conducted.
T8
To carry out a substantial project with independence and responsibility, meeting the constraints and time
limits of such a project, and to achieve work of sound scientific quality.
T9
To develop the skills and confidence of an independent learner.
18 Teaching Learning and Assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning methods:
Teaching and Learning Methods:
TL1. Formal lectures: In the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield the ratio of students per class is
kept small, in order to better reinforce interactive communication between students and instructors.
TL2. Seminars: In order to enrich students’ overall educational experience and prepare them to enter the
professional arena smoothly, the department invites professionals and academics in the relevant fields, to
give presentations and seminars on topics of interest.
TL3. Laboratory sessions: Labs under instructor supervision have been also incorporated in the English
Language and Linguistics programme, aiming at offering students the opportunity to acquire and further
enhance their Information Technology skills, practice with software packages for corpus linguistics analyses,
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further develop their knowledge on the techniques and tools taught during lectures.
TL4. Tutorials: These take place either in small groups of students or on an individual basis, to reinforce students’
skills required for their studies supplementing formal lectures, to discuss student queries, etc.
TL5. Personal Tutoring: From the very beginning of their studies, all students are allocated a personal tutor (i.e. a
Faculty member) with the view of helping them with any educational, personal and career problems they may
encounter.
TL6. Supervision: Individual and small-group project supervision.
TL7. Collaborative learning and group work.
TL8. Practical Exercises/Portfolios: Students are provided with sets of language or ELT exercises, and problemsolving questions, which they are encouraged to work on individually or in pairs, and then present and
discuss their answers/solutions during lectures or lab sessions.
TL9. Use of Library or other information resources to support inquiry learning and assignment completion.
TL10. Observed Practical Teaching. Students are called at some point in their studies to apply the essential
techniques and methodologies in ELT (e.g. lesson planning, materials design, actual teaching and student
assessment) that they have been previously taught, being also offered the opportunity reflect on and
evaluate their personal and peer performance in an actual EFL environment through teaching reports.
Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the programme’s learning outcomes are provided through the
following assessment methods, assigned according to the learning needs and stage of progression of the students,
and based on the topic(s) they relate to:
Assessment:
Assessment involves a combination of coursework and written examinations and the final year dissertation.
A1. Coursework: Assignments / Exercises / Portfolios
A2. Coursework: Reports / Surveys
A3. Coursework: Quizzes / Mid-term Examinations
A4. Coursework: (Individual or Group) Presentation / Oral Examination
A5. Coursework: Critical Self and Peer-evaluation
A6. Coursework: Observed Teaching Practice
A7. Written Unseen Examinations
A8. Dissertation
19 Reference Points

Analytical Account and Self Evaluation for Quality Assurance

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, QAA

Ordinances and Regulations for Modularised Undergraduate Degrees

Student Handbooks

Subject Benchmark Statements: Linguistics, English, Languages and Related Studies, QAA, 2007

The research interests of the Staff Members of the English Studies Department

University Calendar, University of Sheffield
20 Programme Structure and Regulations
Level 1
A student will take over two sessions:
F Introduction to the Study of Language
4
F English Phonetics & Phonology
4
F Introduction to Translation
4
2
0
2
0
2
0
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F History of the English Language
2
4
0
F Language and Stylistics
2
4
0
F Introduction to the Methodology of
2
4 Language Teaching
0
A student will also take over two sessions additional units to
the value of one hundred and twenty credits over two
sessions:
F Language Mastery I
2
4
0
F Language Mastery II
2
4
0
F IT and Academic Skills
2
4
0
F Introduction to Poetry
2
4
0
F Introduction to Drama
2
4
0
F Methodology of Translation
2
4
0
Level 2
A student will take:
F Second Language Acquisition
5
F Semantics
5
F Sociolinguistics
5
F Syntax
5
F Pragmatics
5
F ELT Classroom: Principles and Practices
5
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
Level 3
A student will take:
F Corpus Linguistics
6
F Evaluation and Design of Teaching
6 Materials
F Introduction to Research Practice
6
F Psychology of Language
6
F Practice in English Language Teaching
6
F Dissertation
6
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
The additional credits are not taken into account for the purposes of the award and they do not exempt the
students from credit elsewhere in the programme but are pre-requisites for progressing to Level 2.
Detailed information about the structure of validated programmes and regulations concerning assessment and
progression
are
published
in
the
University
Calendar
available
on
line
at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html
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21 Progression through the Programme Structure
Level
Award
QAA Level Descriptor
Number of Credits
Programme Learning Outcomes
Developed and Assessed
Level 1
-
Certificate
At least 100
K1-K3, K5
S1, S2, S4
T1-T3, T5, T6
Level 2
-
Intermediate
At least 100
K1, K2, K4, K6
S1-S5, S7
T1-T8
Level 3
BSc (Hons)
Honours
At least 200
K1-4, K6
S1-S10
T1-T9
22 Criteria for Admission to the Programme
The Admission Policy of the International Faculty aims to ensure that all entrants to the degree programmes have
demonstrated their potential to benefit from those programmes. Applications are reviewed bearing in mind the
candidate’s High School grade, personality, willingness and capability.
CITY College has clear and explicit policies, procedures and criteria for student admissions. Every student of the
International Faculty is over 17 years old and has graduated from High School. Applicants are normally accepted
under the following conditions:
 They hold a good Secondary Education Certificate (Apolyterion, European or International Baccalaureate or
equivalent).
 Adequate knowledge of the English language at a level of Cambridge Advanced Certificate or IELTS (no less
than 6) or TOEFL (no less than 550, computerised 213, Internet-based 79). In case candidates hold none of
such English language certificates, they are judged on their own merits.
Candidates may be exceptionally accepted in the English taught stream after the recommendation of Head of the
Department, following a formal personal interview.
The International Faculty may recognise credits obtained or examinations passed in other institutions as equivalent
to credits awarded under the Regulations of the International Faculty, provided that a Degree may not, be awarded
to any candidate who has not been awarded at least 200 credits under those Regulations, at least 100 of which
were at Level 3. Typically a student is only considered for advanced entry in semester 3, i.e. at the beginning of 2 nd
level.
Detailed information regarding admission to the programme is available in the International Faculty’s On-Line
Prospectus at http://citycollege.sheffield.eu/frontend/articles.php?cid=31&t=How-to-apply
23 Additional Information
Please refer to the Department’s webpage at http://citycollege.sheffield.eu
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be
considered alongside other sources of information provided by the partner Institution and the University.
In addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at the International Faculty,
International of The University of Sheffield can be accessed via our Student Support Services website at
http://citycollege.sheffield.eu/frontend/articles.php?cid=20&t=Student-support-services
In addition, the College fulfills all the necessary BAC (British Accreditation Council) and QAA (Quality Assurance
Agency) requirements for learning and teaching quality and resources. Lastly, this programme encompasses the
majority of components of the most recent version of the Benchmark Statements for the subjects of Linguistics,
English, Languages and related studies, established as main reference points for setting and assuring academic
standards.
24
Programme Specification
Produced by and date
Paschalia Patsala
Head, English Studies Dept. at International Faculty
April 22, 2014
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