English: Introductory Course. Linguistics and Academic English

The course provides a broad introduction to linguistic perspectives on English, including the structure of the language, sociolinguistics, the history of English, language change, and first- and second-language acquisition, and aims to establish a foundation for a scholarly approach to the study of different aspects of the English language. The course also addresses the fundamental features of academic English in both speech and writing. The written components function as an introduction to English-language academic prose and include elements such as linguistic awareness, language accuracy, stylistics, academic vocabulary, cohesion and argument structure.

Teaching is web-based and takes place through recorded lectures and discussion forums. The course content is organised into two modules: one providing a theoretical overview of linguistic themes and one focusing on basic academic English in speech and writing. Assessment is based on oral and written examinations as well as written take-home examinations and assignments that evaluate the extent to which the intended learning outcomes have been achieved.

After completing the course, you will be able to describe the fundamental grammatical and phonetic structures of English, apply concepts of cohesion and structure in written production, use English effectively in oral and written argumentation and presentations, and critically reflect on theoretical arguments and methods in your own work.