Master of Arts in English Language Studies

Purpose

The Degree will provide training in research techniques, data gathering and analysis and scholarly presentation appropriate to language and literature studies. The Degree will equip the learner with the skills necessary either for employment in the Educational or Cultural sectors or for further Independent Research for a Doctoral Degree in the same or related field.

Rationale

English has become a Lingua franca in the world, hence the need for such a qualification. English also plays a unifying role in South Africa as it is acceptable to all the linguistic groups in the country. A qualification in the field thus opens doors for employment opportunities locally and abroad. Some of the career opportunities open to students are: English Language teaching and Lecturing, Journalism, Advertising, Editorial work, Public Relations, Television, Film and Radio, Publishing, Internet Writing, Public Service, etc. The qualification also equips learners with adequate communication skills and this is very crucial in today's world. The programme will prepare students for further study, locally and/or abroad, at Doctoral level in English Language Studies and in related subject areas.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Non-Honours Degree holders who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to an Honours Degree in English Studies may be permitted to register for Master of Arts in English Language Studies.

Entry Requirements

Honours Degree in the same or a related field at NQF Level 8.

Full dissertation.

1. Conduct advance literature searches and critique current literature in the form of a review, prepare a professional paper for peer review, write research and funding proposal.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Show skills in critical thinking, problem solving, data collection and organisation and effective written communication.
• Demonstrate mastery over theoretically sophisticated subject matter, exhibiting deep and comprehensive knowledge of the field.
• Apply relevant theory; evaluate critically the literature in the field, challenge orthodoxies and redefine existing knowledge, while being aware of the nature of knowledge in the field.
• Communicate verbally and orally with professional audiences.
• Use the solid content knowledge equipped with in the field.

Integrated Assessment

The integration of skills learned in the Master of Arts (MA) in English Language Studies is assessed by means of a dissertation of a word length stipulated by the Department of English and approved by the School of Human and Social Sciences.

Assessment is based on criteria, which include

• Scope and quality of literature reviewed from a variety of text and other media.
• Accuracy with which the literature is represented and applied to the research questions.
• The formulation of a research question/s and the development of a research proposal based on the literature review. The proposal must specify a research design, and the method/s to be applied to answer the research question/s and be of appropriate scale and complexity of a Masters dissertation.
• The demonstration of a professional working relationship by responding to the comments of the dissertation supervisor/s.
• The execution of the research proposed.
• Presentation of the research in an acceptable manner in English Language Studies.