M.A. in Applied English Studies

Course Description 

 1. Foundation Course

AES  600 Academic Skills                                                      3(3-0-9)(S/U)

           Pre-requisite : None

Academic language. Academic reading and writing. Critical thinking. Presentation skills. Discussion skills. Citation and referencing.

Learning outcomes:

1. Assess the reliability and argumentation in various academic texts
2. Express an argument and give supporting details in writing
3. Apply citations and references into an academic argumentative writing
4. Use academic language in writing, giving presentations and discussion.

 2. Compulsory courses

AES 611 Analysing Written Communication                                  3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Features of written language. Communicative purposes. Cohesion and coherence. Information structure. Language-analytical frameworks and models. Lexical, grammatical and textual analysis. Text types. Text analysis. Genre analysis. Multimodality. Analyzing written discourse in professional contexts. Effective written communication project.           

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify features of effective and ineffective written communication
2. Analyze a range of text types using appropriate frameworks and models
3. Conduct a small-scale project on effective written communication

AES 612 Analysing Spoken Communication                       3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Features of spoken language. Pragmatics. Communicative functions. Cooperative principles. Genres of spoken discourse. Discourse analysis. Analyzing spoken discourse in professional contexts. Effective spoken communication projects.

Learning outcomes:

1. Evaluate features of spoken discourse in professional contexts
2. Analyze spoken discourses and suggest how to produce effective communication
3. Conduct a small-scale project on effective spoken communication

AES 621 Language Learning and Use                      3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Conceptions of language learning (quantitative and qualitative conceptions, evidence and assessment of learning, learning ecology). Goals of language learning. Active learning. Major language learning theories, learning motivation and self-system. Complex dynamic systems. Theories of language use. Willingness to communicate. Socio-cultural theories and Intercultural competence. Communities of practice. Language ecology. Communication strategies.

Learning outcomes:

1. Explain major learning theories and concepts related to language learning.
2. Analyze factors influencing language learning performance and situations.
3. Evaluate strategies used in communicative and learning contexts

AES 631 Professionalism in International Workplaces       3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Definition and qualities of professionalism. Professional communication (i.e. interpersonal,  group, organization and intercultural communication, and presentation skills). Design thinking. Qualities of effective management (leadership, team work, building trust, conflict management, project management, change management). Personality development. Business ethics and etiquettes. Global citizenship.

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify strengths and weaknesses in their personality and ways to improve the weaknesses
2. Analyse issues of professionalism and communication problems in the workplace and suggest solutions
3. Plan and implement a preliminary project to apply the solutions.

AES 641 Technology in Communication and Education            3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Computer and Information literacy. Technology for formal and informal language learning and professional development. Critical use of computer-based support tools for language learning and communication. Technology for qualitative and quantitative research.

Learning outcomes:

1. Appraise the quality and usefulness of digital information using search strategies and critical evaluation of results
2. Assess the use of computer-based language support tools
3. Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research and technological

AES 651 Research Methods                                      3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Introduction to research in applied linguistics. Research paradigms and research designs. Consideration in doing research: variables, subject selection, reliability and validity. Finding a research topic. Setting up a research framework. Data collecting procedure. Research instruments. Analysing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data. Writing up a research proposal. Ethical issues in conducting research.

Learning outcomes:

1. Critique research designs based on appropriate paradigms
2. Apply appropriate research paradigms and designs
3. Plan and implement a research proposal

 3. Elective courses

 3.1 English Language Teaching Track

AES 622

Principles and Practice of English Language Teaching 3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

English Language Teaching (ELT) and ELT policies in Thailand. Roles and ethics of teachers. Teaching paradigms. Teaching points (language functions, skills, language features, strategies, and other competence). Learning objectives, learning activities, learning assessment and their alignment. Stages in a lesson and transitions. Lesson planning. Peer teaching and micro teaching. Teaching reflection.

Learning outcomes: 

1. Identify underlying principles of language teaching and learning in an English lesson.
2. Develop an effective lesson plan for teaching selected learning objectives.
3. Use appropriate teaching techniques and activities in a peer- and a micro-teaching situation.
4. Critically evaluate self- and peer- teaching performance for teaching development

AES 623 Teaching Techniques in Practice                                   3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Preparation for teaching. Implementation of teaching and learning. Quality assurance of teaching and learning. Supervision and feedback of the teaching. Reflections on teaching performance and self-evaluation.

Learning outcomes:

1. Apply the principles of teaching into practices.
2. Create appropriate lesson plans and use them effectively.
3. Creatively design and create meaningful activities and materials.
4. Monitor and reflect ones’ own teaching as well as give feedback to co-teachers.

AES 624 Testing and Assessment                                               3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Introduction to testing and assessment. Designing tests.  Item test types. Testing of language and the four skills. Item Analysis. Test banking. Non-testing classroom assessment. Alternative assessment. Research conducted in language testing. Issues in testing and evaluation

Learning outcomes:

1. Develop and evaluate classroom language tests
2. Evaluate test quality and improve poor test items
3. Design alternative assessments and rubrics suitable for the teaching context
4. Analyse research conducted in language testing

AES 625 Course and Materials Design                                         3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Approaches to course design. Need and situation analysis. Learning outcomes. Course outlines. Course design and planning. Application of educational theories into practice. Current curriculum models and trends. Materials design and assessment.  Related research in course design and materials development.

Learning outcomes:

1. Conduct a need and situation analysis for a course design
2. Design a course syllabus
3. Design and assess teaching materials.
4. Criticize research on course design and materials development

AES 626 English for Specific Purposes                                          3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Definitions and characteristics of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Identifying objectives. Variety of ESP. Methodology in teaching ESP. Types of communities. Philosophical approaches. Conducting needs analysis for specific ESP groups.  Analyse research in ESP.

Learning outcomes:           

1. Analyse communicative purposes and language functions in ESP contexts
2. Conduct a needs analysis of target learners
3. Analyse research conducted in the field of ESP

AES 627  English literary studies                                                   3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Literary competence. Literature as sources of language learning and teaching. Analysing the language of prose, poetry and drama. Critical approaches to literary texts. Meaning, point of view and interpretation. Examining historical, social and cultural contexts in literature.

Learning outcomes:

1. Explain the characteristics of each literary genre
2. Apply critical theories in the interpretation of literary texts
3. Explicate the history, society and culture related to literary texts
4. Select literary texts for effective pedagogical practices

AES 628 Learner Autonomy in the Digital World                         3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Theories of language learner autonomy. Approaches to fostering learner autonomy. Teacher’s and students’ roles.  Concepts of self-directed learning. Self-access learning. Learning management. Affective factors. Learning strategies. Concepts of language advising. Practices on language advising and reflection. Learner training. Technology with Learning autonomy and self-directed learning.

Learning outcomes:

1. Create a language advising or learner training plan
2. Give effective advice and consultations to support autonomous learning
3. Apply appropriate technological tools to promote learner autonomy

AES 662 Contemporary Issues in English Education               3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Goals and purposes of education. Ethics in ELT. Education reform. Professional development. Production of teachers. Contemporary issues in education (e.g. issues in English language teaching and assessment, competency-based education, online learning in ELT, international education and English-Medium Instruction).

Learning outcomes:

1. Discuss current issues in English education.
2. Analyze current trends in English education and their influences.
3. Provide suggestions on how to deal with the issues

 3.2 English for Professional Communication Track

AES 613 Sociolinguistics                                                                3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Language and society. Language and context. Language and culture. Language and identity. Language and gender. Language variation. Language contact. Language attitude. Multilingualism. Language policy and planning. Linguistic landscape.

Learning outcomes:

1. Describe key concepts related to sociolinguistics
2. Analyse and discuss research related to sociolinguistics
3. Conduct a small-scale research project related to pedagogical or professional practices

AES 614 Discourse of Digital Media                                              3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

History of digital media. Computer-mediated communication. Digital media platforms and technologies. Genres and registers of digital discourse. Social media. Linguistic features of digital media. Genres of multimodal discourse. Digital discourse and society.  Digital ethnography. Theories and approaches to the analysis of digital discourse. Research in digital media.

Learning outcomes:

1. Assess and categorize different types of digital media platforms/technologies
2. Investigate linguistic aspects of electronic social media
3. Evaluate different approaches to analyzing digital discourse
4. Create a small corpus of social media discourse and analyze it with respect to selected course topics

AES 632 การสื่อสารระหว่างวัฒนธรรม                                      3(3-0-9)

            Intercultural Communication

            Pre-requisite : None

Communication and culture. Concept of culture. Cultural differences and awareness. Cultural communication styles. Varying cultural expectations and ways to communicate appropriately. Cultural misunderstandings and issues in the workplace. Rapport and conflict management. Intercultural competence. Cultural adaptation.

 Learning outcomes:

1. Describe different cultural values, expectations and communication styles of people from different cultural backgrounds
2. Analyse causes of cultural issues and conflicts in intercultural communication and discuss practical solutions
3. Develop a mini-project to investigate issues in intercultural communication.

AES 633 English in Global Contexts                                               3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Status of English as an international language. Historical and socio-cultural development. The process of language change: nativisation/localisation, codification and institutionalisation. Views on different varieties of English around the world. Use of English as a global lingua franca. Intelligibility and acceptance of new varieties of English.

Learning outcomes:

1. Develop a critical understanding of English use in international contexts
2. Explain characteristics of different English varieties using linguistic theories
3. Discuss concepts of native and nonnative speakers of English, development process of new English varieties, intelligibility in English communication, attitudes and acceptance
4. Conduct a small-scale research related to English use in international contexts

AES 634 Applied Semiotics                                                      3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Concepts and principles of social semiotics. Frameworks for an analysis of language, visual design, gesture, space and visual-verbal relations through a social semiotic perspective. Applying a social semiotic analysis to relevant texts and interactions.

Learning outcomes:

1. Describe concepts and principles of social semiotics,
2. Identify appropriate frameworks for an analysis of relevant texts and interactions
3. Conduct a social semiotic analysis of authentic texts

AES 635 Organizational Communication                                     3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Principles and characteristics of communication in the organization. Small talk and business talk. Politeness and power in the workplace. Corporate culture. Internal and external organization communication. Successful workplace communication vs miscommunication. Workplace spoken and written discourse. Workplace narrative. Digital literacy.

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify organization culture and communication styles
2. Examine strengths and weaknesses of communication styles and devise a plan for improvement
3. Analyze workplace spoken and written discourse

AES 636 Applied Translation                                                          3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Principles and theories of translation. Contrastive analysis of English and Thai languages. Language and culture in translation. Practical translation both from Thai to English and from English to Thai in professional contexts. Error analysis in translation. Analyzing problems in translating. Technologies for translation and their limitations.

Learning outcomes:

1. Translate various text types from Thai to English and English to Thai using translation theories
2. Conduct contrastive analysis of English and Thai to identify major areas of problems in translation
3. Use available technology to support translation

AES 637 Creative Content and Communication                       3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Communication theories. Persuasive communication. Mass communication. Channels and platforms of communication and communication strategies. Digital marketing. Content marketing and copywriting. Multimodal communication and design.

Learning outcomes:

1. Discuss communication strategies appropriate for different communication purposes
2. Evaluate the appropriacy of communication channels, platforms and strategies
3. Develop creative stories for content marketing

 3.3 General elective courses

 AES 642  Corpus Applications                                                   3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

History and purposes of Corpus Linguistics. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to corpus linguistics. Creation of corpora. Corpus annotation. Corpus software. Word lists. Frequency Lists. Keywords. Word clusters (n-grams). Use of corpora in professional settings and language learning. Research in corpus linguistics.

Learning outcomes:

1. Analyze the difference between quantitative and qualitative corpus linguistics
2. Use corpus linguistic software and web-based, large-scale corpora applying core methods
3. Create a small English corpus in order to carry out linguistics research and write a report on the findings

AES 661 Seminar in Applied English Studies              3(3-0-9)

            Pre-requisite : None

Research and current issues in Applied English Studies.

Learning outcomes:

1. Review research and current issues in Applied English Studies
2. Criticize and discuss research and issues in Applied English Studies

 4. Thesis / Independent study

Plan A (12 credit thesis)     

AES 652 Thesis in Applied English Studies        12 credits

              Pre-requisite :  AES 651 Research Methods

An ethical in-depth research study on topics related to applied English studies which may include professional and international communication, language use, language learning and teaching, or issues in applied linguistics. Participants are required to design and undertake a research project, following a conventional research format, under the supervision of the thesis committee.

Learning outcomes:

1. Conduct an ethical and in-depth research study in applied English studies
2. Produce a thesis length around 20,000-25,000 words
3. Disseminate a research paper in a national or international journals

Plan B1 (6 credit research)

AES 653 Research Study in Applied English Studies            6 credits

             Pre-requisite :  AES 651 Research Methods

An ethical small-scale research study on topics related to applied English studies which may include professional and international communication, language use, language learning and teaching, or issues in applied linguistics. Participants are required to design and undertake a research project, following a conventional research format, under the supervision of the supervisor.

Learning outcomes:

1. Conduct an ethical small-scale research study in applied English studies
2. Produce a good research report length around 10,000-15,000 words.

Plan B2 (3 credit independent study)  

AES 654 Special Study in Applied English Studies             3 credits

           Pre-requisite :  AES 651 Research Methods

An ethical independent or special study on topics related to applied English studies which may include professional and international communication, language use, language learning and teaching, or issues in applied linguistics. Participants are required to design and undertake a research project, following a conventional research format, under the supervision of a supervisor.

Learning outcomes:

1. Conduct an ethical independent or special study in applied English studies
2. Produce a research paper length around 5,000-8,000 words.