BA Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Barbeque by C. Elmer This is a 3-year course intended for students who like the idea of working with people from other backgrounds and cultures, and who are interested in teaching English to non-native speakers (either at home or abroad) whether as a career or as a short-term job (e.g. a way of travelling and seeing the world). It is suitable both for students who have an A-level in English, and for those who don’t. In each year of the degree, you take four modules. Details of the structure of each year are given below. (Click on relevant module titles for further details of individual modules).

Your First Year

Your first year is a foundation year in which you learn about the principles and practices of teaching English as a foreign language on the one hand, and develop an understanding of the linguistic techniques used to study sounds, structures, meaning and use in English on the other. You take the following four modules in your first year (Click on the module titles for further details):

Module	Brief details
Foundations of Teaching English as a Foreign Language	Introduction to principles and practices underlying the teaching of English as a Foreign Language
Foundations of Linguistics	Introduction to linguistic techniques used to analyse sounds, structures, meaning and use in English
Foundations of Sociolinguistics	Introduction to techniques used to study how factors such as social class, age, sex, ethnicity etc. affect the way we speak English
Skills for the Linguistics of English or Foundations of Psycholinguistics or Outside option	This could be Foundations of Psycholinguistics, or an option in a Modern Language or another subject

Your Second Year

Your second year is a consolidation year in which we build on and extend the foundation acquired in your first year while also preparing you for the specialist options you are to take in your final year. You take four modules (or more if your selection includes half-options) chosen from the set of options specified below:

Module	Brief details
Methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language	A look at teaching methods, techniques, syllabuses and materials used in Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Description of English for English Language Teaching	A module which tells you what you need to know about English in order to be able to teach it more effectively
Second Language Learning	A look at how we acquire a second language, and how this differs from the way children acquire their first language
Modern Languages option or Linguistics option or Outside option	This could be an option in English Language or Linguistics or a Modern Language or another subject

Your Final Year

Your final year is a specialisation year in which you choose a range of specialist options, and take four modules (or more if your selection includes half-options) chosen from the set of options specified below:

Module	Brief details
Directed Classroom Observation and ELT half-option	Directed Classroom Observation is a module in which you learn how to analyse classroom interactions and to reflect on the implications of these for your own teaching
Two final-year English Language Teaching options	Click on the link for details of the range of English Language Teaching options available
Research Project or Linguistics option or Modern Languages option or Outside option	This could be another ELT option, or an English Language option, or a Linguistics option, or a Project, or an option in a Modern Language or another subject

>> Entry Qualifications and Further Information (University Course Finder Information)

For details of other undergraduate degrees offered by the Department of Language & Linguistics, see BA Programmes.