Description:
Studying English Language and Linguistics will enable you to discover the changing shape of English over time and space, and the science behind language acquisition, processing and communication.
You’ll engage with theories of how language works as well as hands-on analysis of linguistic data. The challenging integration of theory and practice will enable you to become a uniquely-skilled analytical thinker and problem-solver. Your knowledge and understanding of how a language works and how we communicate, and the skills you will develop along the way, will give you a solid foundation for a wide range of careers. The course enables you to;
- examine spoken and written data to understand how language works,
- apply tools from core areas of linguistics, including syntax, phonetics and phonology, and semantics.
- apply your knowledge and skills in linguistics to different domains of language study including psycholinguistics, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, language variation and change, the language in interaction, the history of English, and forensic speech science.
By engaging with DENL program at BNU you immerse yourself in English and learn to analyse the language in different ways through attention to subjects like syntax, meaning rules governing sentence structure, semantics to deal with meanings of words and phrases, pragmatics to understand meanings of sentences in context, and prosody the foundation melody of speech. Study the different ways that English is acquired, and how different aspects of the language are used in communication. Explore to the earlier stages of English and how and why the language has changed over the course of time.
The focus is on building your foundational knowledge. You gain a grounding in the basic vocabulary and concepts of traditional grammar, which form the bedrock of your future study of the English language. Then the modern language comes in context by exploring where it came from and why it is the way it is today. Throughout the year, you learn core skills in linguistics that complement your English Language studies.
At DENL we strive to;
- teach students to apply core analytic knowledge to new types of English language and linguistic data.
- teach students to deepen their theoretical knowledge in the core areas of linguistics topics such as core areas of phonetics and phonology, language variation and change, syntax, semantics, interaction, and psycholinguistics.
- teach students to become proficient in all aspects of managing small-scale language analysis projects, from identifying research questions to communicating your findings.
DENL Vision Statement:
The aspiration of the DENL is to be among the region’s premier teaching English Language program for undergraduates. Also, DENL envisions to build the student's personality from several aspects in an integrated manner to be a distinguished graduate of this department at all levels and has an academic and professional ability which qualifies them for success in their career to serve their communities. DENL vision is;
- to provide appropriate pedagogies - including class size - and environments (classrooms, equipment, resources, and technology) that will lead to student retention and success as well as an increase in the number of majors and minors.
- to help students see themselves as professionals, as part of a discipline with skills and abilities valuable in the business, teaching, publishing, or post-graduate work.
- to give students a sense of themselves as citizens of a larger community by encouraging participation in service learning and in diverse and international course work and programming.
- to assure that students encounter creativity crucial to English studies through readings by professional writers, and their own creative and critical production and presentation.
- to balance the needs of general education - communication, diversity, global perspectives, interdisciplinary studies - with those of the major.
DENL Mission Statement:
The Department of English Language (DENL) at Bayan University helps students build knowledge of the content and methods of literary studies, TESOL, English education, and academic, professional, and creative writing. It also provides General Education courses in Communication, Humanities and Diversity, and Ethical Citizenship, nonetheless, developing proficiency in critical and analytical thinking. Empower students to become full participants in the university community through excellent instruction in language, cultural awareness, and study skills.
In addition, our academic staff is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge, evident in their involvement in programs such as Ethnic Studies, Women's Studies, Film Studies, International Studies, and Environmental Studies. Our graduates are well prepared for professional and graduate study and for lifelong learning. They pursue careers in education, research, business, law, government, and publishing. The DENL's policies and its reading- and writing-intensive curriculum demonstrate our commitment to the quality of Education.
Program Learning Outcomes:
DENL graduate students are expected to:
- attain a high competency level in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- attain a profound knowledge and understanding of the structure and usage of the English language, including its history, structure, contemporary use, and development as a global language.
- attain the ability to apply critical reading and thinking skills to read, interpret, and analyse texts.
- attain the ability to write various types of high-quality essays and research papers and use critical thinking skills.
- attain the ability to think and reason critically, to evaluate evidence and argumentation, and to form a critical judgment of one's own work as well as the work of others.
- attain in-depth knowledge of the translation theory, principles and techniques; and apply translation skills to a variety of texts.
- attain an ability to translate texts of various registers (legal, financial, literary, etc.) from Kurdish, Arabic to English and vice versa and utilise translation various software programs in the translation process.
- attain the ability to work as consecutive interpreters and demonstrate the use of note-taking techniques, shorthand conventions, consecutive interpreting strategies and professional ethics.
- show familiarity with teaching methods and demonstrate the ability to teach English to speakers of other languages.
Beneficial Skills for DENL Program
Many skills are helpful when beginning an education in DENL. In particular, if you are a good reader, writer and curious about language in general. You enjoy movies, plays and poetry and you share quality talk and debate with your friends then you will be able to make use of these qualities when you study at our department.
Analytical Skills
Being a student of DENL teach you the research tools, critical processes and analytical skills necessary for advanced study in diverse fields. Studying English Language and Literature, therefore, develops a wide range of transferable skills, which are important in many career fields. Understanding and analysis of issues can be applied in many other fields of work. Analytical and critical thinking skills help you to evaluate the problem and to make decisions. A logical and methodical approach is best in some circumstances: for example, you will need to be able to draw on your academic or subject knowledge to identify solutions of a practical or technical nature. In other situations, using creativity or lateral thinking will be necessary to come up with ideas for resolving the problem and find fresh approaches.
Communication Skill
The modern economy is a global one and increasingly companies across the world need staff with a high level of communication skills. In DENL you will work in pairs or groups under the teacher’s guidance to develop your full communicative potential in the language. You will also have the opportunity to experiment with different types of language for different contexts, both formal and informal. In addition, you will learn to express your interests and opinions, use everyday social expressions correctly and the natural pauses of English spontaneously. You will develop strategies to make your conversation more fluent and natural while gaining confidence when speaking and writing in English. Speak, practice, improve your pronunciation and intonation and communicate in English with confidence as we go alone.
Language of Instruction:
The language of instruction at the DENL is English for all courses, except the “Kurdistan Studies” course where the language of study is Kurdish.
Study methods:
The DENL is following a semester bases system implementing the Bologna Process. The method of study depends on lectures, reports, study groups, presentation and laboratory, practical sessions. Students will be taught in different ways, from the classroom to individual or small-group reflection. Our different teaching formats equip you to be an effective independent learner. The assessment is achieved via class workloads, mid-term exams, final exams, essays and reports. Students on the course will be spending time on independent study which includes preparation for lectures and seminars, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the first year of your English Language and Culture Bachelor's programme, tuition will be in the form of lectures and tutorials:
- Lectures are a way of getting an overview of a large amount of information in a short amount of time; you and your fellow students will be listening to an expert in the field.
- Tutorials give you a chance to actively engage with historical issues yourself. You may have to give a presentation or discuss a topic amongst yourselves or work on an assignment. There are plenty of opportunities for interaction and for asking questions.
Duration:
The duration of the study at the DENL is 4 Academic years of full-time studies. Normally an academic year starts in the first week in Sept to the end of June of the next year.
Program Course Modules taught at the Department:
A bachelor degree from DENL programs educates students fully in written and verbal elements of the English language, from creative writing to speech analysis. The following link provides a full list of Course Modules provided at this department. Each course has a standard course module code which is hyperlinked to its dedicated website for full details information on that particular course. Please note that on each course modules website you will also be directed to Academic Profile of the lecturer providing the course.
Course Modules
Core Courses (C)
The English Department’s required core courses introduce you to a body of knowledge and fundamental skills that are essential for you to master if you are to flourish as a reader, writer, and critic. After taking a basic set of courses with your classmates, you should find yourself able to reflect in common with them on the enterprise of interpretation and expression, even as you pursue your particular interests and passions through elective course work.
An introduction to the study of literature through reading and discussion of major methodologies, analytical approaches, and perspectives in literary study. Available only to declared English majors, who are required to take it in the first or second year.
Core Courses: Theory (B)
Literary texts emerge from particular historical circumstances, they are influenced by earlier texts, and, if they are sufficiently strong, they change the literary tradition in which they are produced. That’s why our sequence of Historical Courses (English 10, 11, and 12) introduces you to some of the most important developments of English and American literature from its origins to the present.
Our methodology requirements, Poetry and Poetics and Narrative and Narrative Theory, introduce you to some of the most important interpretive methods we use to bring literary texts to life. In the first, you learn about poems as formal artefacts that tell their own history of human expression. In the second, you learn to think about storytelling from a technical perspective. What is it? How does it work? How has it changed over time? In addition, a "Writing Intensive Seminar in English" course will introduce you to a range of critical methods, while offering a writing-intensive experience in a small seminar environment.
Relevance Courses (R)
Historical watersheds such as the invention of printing, the Protestant Reformation, the expansion of the British Empire, the Great War, and the creation of the internet; the rise and fall of genres such as romance, the epic, and the novel; the genesis of literary movements such as Humanism, Romanticism and Modernism -- all this and more is part of the story of English literature. By the time you have finished the historical sequence, you should have a good sense of what questions to ask yourself–and what contexts to research–when you read any text, from a Renaissance sonnet to a contemporary science fiction novel.
Electives Courses (E)
Some people use the electives to explore a broader array of topics in DENL program. Part of your programme comprises elective subjects. Some of this you will fill with subjects in the fields of art, culture, history, languages, communications, religion or philosophy. Check out a DENL program sheet for the full list of available classes.
Research Project / Writing in DENL
There are several options available for completing the research project requirement. The research project class, BNUxxxxx, is the most common way for our students to use their skills and provide a piece of writing that reveals the intake of their education at DBAD. In this class, students work in teams to build a significant programming application, learning strategies for software design and engineering. At the end of the class, students demo their projects in front of the other students, course staff, and representatives from many local businesses and companies. The know-how of preparing your writing is provided in Bayan University (BNU) 4th Year Students' Final Research Project (Please click to view the document).
Throughout the engagement with your research project, you will have regular meetings with your appointed supervisor. These meetings are designed to guide you with your project and make sure you fulfil the requirement of the work. Your supervisor and you are responsible to keep a record of your meeting and monitor your progress. There is a standard BNU supervision form which you can print and fill in here for every individual meeting. (Click to view)
⤷ Course Modules taught at DENL for the academic year 2019-2020 (Click to view)
Career Opportunities
BNU graduates’ knowledge and skills embody principles which are effective communication, critical thinking and project management skills are central to most careers. The study of language and linguistics at BNU equips you with these skills and others, which translate readily into any work context. Apart from your knowledge of linguistics, you will leave with the confidence and skills that come from successfully completing a demanding course and participating fully in university life. Nevertheless, the following areas are the popular career opportunity for a graduate from DENL, such as;
- marketing and communications
- publishing
- broadcasting and journalism
- local government and public service
- business, finance and accountancy
- teaching
- translation and interpreting
- IT and software development
Lifelong Learning
Graduating from DENL is just start to a lifelong experience where the English language proficiency can become a real resource for your life at all level. Continuing education is widely available to fit various needs of your future personal and professional engagements. Your writing skills and targeting specific skills you need for a particular social or professional network will widen your resources and empower you to expand your limits.
Qualification Requirements:
In order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Translation, a student must successfully complete the following programme requirements:
- Acquire general program and course-specific learning outcomes
- Acquire optional course learning outcomes
- Prepare and defend the Bachelor’s research paper
Academic Staff
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- Dr xxx xxx
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Contact Information
You can visit or communicate with our department via one of these methods,
Address:
- Department of Computer Science
- College of Business and Economics
- Bayan University (BNU)
- Gullan Street, Erbil EBL 550
- Kurdistan Region of Iraq
