Master Degree Program in Foreign Languages and Literatures
(for International Students)
Discipline code: 0502
Ⅰ Program description and research orientations
The Discipline of Foreign Languages and Literatures comprises studies on foreign languages and studies on foreign literature. Studies on foreign languages under the umbrella of linguistics belong to a comprehensive discipline devoted to researches into foreign languages and their application that spans across humanities and social sciences. Researchers of this discipline mainly investigate the nature, form, meaning, structure, function, changes, evolution, acquisition and production of language. Applied linguistics covers foreign language teaching, application, planning and policy, foreign language proficiency testing and assessment, bilingualism and multilingualism, the relationships between language and literature, nation, society and culture, the relationships between human mind, mentality and behaviors, processing and synthesis of speech products, lexicography, etc. Studies on foreign literature belong to the comprehensive category of literary studies that incorporate foreign writers and their works, foreign literary history, foreign literary thoughts and schools, foreign literary theory and criticism, etc. as well as comparative literary studies.
The Master Degree Program in Foreign Languages and Literatures focuses on applied linguistics, translation studies, and English literature.
1. Applied linguistics mainly comprises second language acquisition, language testing, pragmatics, discourse analysis, argumentation, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, lexicology, stylistics, lexicography, foreign language teaching, intercultural communication, etc.
2. Translation Studies is mainly devoted theoretical issues and application concerning translation and interpretation of all kinds, including translation theory, applied translation, translation teaching, interpretation studies, translation history, translation products, translation talent cultivation, etc.
3. English Literature mainly deals with history of British and American literature, British and American writers and their works, literary criticism, western literary theories, and comparative literature, as well as British and American politics, history, society, culture, etc.
Ⅱ Goals and objectives
The graduate students of the Master Degree Program in Foreign Languages and Literatures are expected, upon completing the 2-3 years’ courses, to systematically master basic theories and professional knowledge of foreign languages and literature, to grasp the fundamental features and research approaches of this discipline; to acquire the basic skills for carrying out studies on foreign languages and literature; to possess a strong capability for academic literature reading and English academic writing, as well as professional capabilities for future work in related fields.
Ⅲ Schedule and time limit
This program adopts a flexible schedule with time limit, which generally lasts for 3 years. As a general rule, a required extension of time shall not surpass 2 years. A degree candidate who gets an average 85 scores for all courses, and who officially publishes a paper on a periodical of the discipline indexed by the CSSCI, SSCI, SCI or A&HCI as the first author or as the second author (with his or her supervisor as the first), may apply to graduate 6 months or 1 year ahead of time.
Ⅵ Course credit requirements
The Master Degree Program in Foreign Languages and Literatures Candidates adopts the credit system. Graduate students of the program must earn no less than 34 credits, including no less than 28 course credits and no less than 6 practice credits, among which 14 must be credits for degree courses.
Course Category |
Course name |
Credit |
Term |
School that offers the Course |
Type of the Course |
Re- mark |
|
Degree Courses |
Public Degree Courses |
Overview of China |
3 |
1 |
Overseas Education College |
|
Required |
ChineseⅠ |
2 |
1 |
|||||
ChineseⅡ |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Fundamental & Theoretical Courses |
Linguistic Theories |
2 |
1 |
School of Foreign Languages
School of Foreign Languages
|
Conducted in English
Conducted in English
|
At least 4 credits |
|
General Theory of Literary Studies |
2 |
1 |
|||||
Language, Culture & Society |
2 |
1 |
|||||
Core Specialized Degree Courses |
Applied Linguistics |
3 |
1 |
At least 3 credits |
|||
Contemporary Literary Theories |
3 |
1 |
|||||
Translation Theories |
3 |
1 |
|||||
Non- degree Courses |
Special Elective Courses
|
Data Collecting and Processing |
2 |
2 |
Elective
Elective
|
||
1 |
2 |
||||||
Academic Writing |
2 |
2 |
|||||
History of Linguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Research Methods for Applied Linguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Foreign Language Curriculum Developing and Teaching |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Language Testing: Theory and Practice |
1 |
2 |
|||||
An Introduction to Systemic- Functional Linguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Pragmatics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Psycholinguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Corpus Linguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Intercultural Communication |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Studies in Culture and Intercultural Communication Theory |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Studies in Second Language Acquisition |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Contrastive Linguistics |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Research Methods for Translation Studies |
1 |
2 |
|||||
History of Translation |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Style and Translation |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Translation Criticism |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Computer-aided Translation |
1 |
2 |
|||||
Methods of Literary Research |
1 |
2 |
|||||
Studies in Modern and Contemporary Literary Masterpieces |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Modernist Literature and Culture |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Study of English Novels |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Study of English Poetry |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Study of English Dramas |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Study of Major English-speaking Countries |
2 |
2 |
|||||
Public Elective Courses |
All courses in all disciplines |
Elective |
Ⅴ Practice credit requirements
1. Academic Activities (≥2 credits)
Master degree candidates of this discipline must attend more than 10 academic seminars such as symposiums, lectures, and postgraduate forums, and write complete academic reports on them. Academic activities are subject to the assessment of the Discipline Office or the supervisor. Any student who attends an international conference or a national high-level academic conference, presents his or her research paper and delivered a speech at the discussions during his or her school years shall be awarded 2 academic credits each time.
2. Literature reading (≥ 2 credits)
Master degree candidates of this discipline must complete reading more than 2 major classics devoted to his or her research field and a certain number (no less than 60) of refereed journal papers. Literature reading will be assessed and scored altogether by a panel appointed by the Discipline Office before the dissertation proposal is accepted. An unqualified candidate will be allowed to submit his or her dissertation proposal. The methods of assessment include organizing the candidates to answer the impromptu questions raised by the panelists on the prescribed or completed literature or asking students to deliver an oral or submit a written literature review.
3. Seminar (1 credit / time)
During their school years, master degree candidates of this discipline must publicly conduct no less than 1 (including 1) literature reading exchange, academic progress report and seminar report within the scope of the discipline.
4. Practice (1 credit)
During their school years, master degree candidates of this discipline (excluding on-the-job candidates) must participate in no less than 1 month of practice, which generally includes teaching practice such as classroom instruction, administering undergraduate thesis writing, checking undergraduate homework, etc. Teaching practice will be assessed by teachers in charge of teaching. See “Postgraduate Education Programs of Jiangsu University (General Rules)” and “Introduction to Postgraduate Education Processes of Jiangsu University” for detailed information.
Ⅵ Advisory Committee and its responsibilities
Master degree candidates shall be supervised by a qualified supervisor or an advisory committee comprising several qualified co-advisors/committee members. The supervisor (or Advisory Committee) shall be in charge of the cultivation planning and the instruction of candidates’ research work, professional practice and thesis writing, as well as take the responsibilities of piloting, exemplifying and supervising their academic morality.
Ⅶ Dissertation
The master’s degree thesis shall be completed by a candidate independently under the guidance of his or her supervisor (or advisory team).
Before writing his dissertation a master’s degree candidate must do a careful investigation and survey, consulting a large amount of literature, especially literature concerning the frontier researches in this discipline so as to familiarize themselves with the history and current situation of his or her main research orientation, fix the thesis topic based on the aforementioned effort, and submit his or her thesis proposal. The thesis proposal should address such key issues of a paper as research background, research program, anticipated goals and achievements, working plan and others.
The proposal for a master’s degree thesis of this discipline will be organized collectively, and no thesis proposal shall be accepted without the agreement of the supervisor. A proposal assessment team shall be appointed by the School comprising no less than 5 specialists of this discipline (no supervisor or member of the advisory team shall be included), with one panelist chairing the proposal assessment. The paper to be completed based on the thesis proposal shall not be submitted for reviewing and defense within a year.
In principle the master’s degree thesis of this discipline shall be written in English in no less than 15,000 words.
The dissertation should have its core academic concepts clearly stated, contain a rigorous design and adopt appropriate and effective research methods. The arguments of the paper should be based on relevant academic theories, supported by truthful and reliable data and sufficient and consistent arguments. The paper should contain an objective literature review, accurate quotes or citations, and clearly labeled references or works cited.
The thesis topic should have a theoretical value or practical use in a certain field of the subject. The theoretical basis of the paper must be credible. The proposed questions, arguments and conclusions, as well as the perspective or research method in the paper must be innovative to some extent and shed light on the development of a certain field of this discipline. The papers should contain a coherent program, rigorous arguments, clear expression, and a standardized format.
Such academic misconducts as fabricating data and plagiarism are strictly prohibited in a master’s degree thesis.
Ⅷ Other requirements
See related documents of Jiangsu University for the publication requirements for a degree candidate.
Ⅸ Scholarships
Applicants of a foreign state can apply for scholarships offered by the Chinese government that may fully or partially cover their tuition fees and living expenses at JU. Further information regarding these scholarships provided by the Chinese government is detailed on the website of Overseas Education College (OEC), JU (http://oec.ujs.edu.cn/pub/eng/Scholarship/GS/). In addition to the above scholarships, an applicant can also apply for a financial support during his or her degree study time provided by JU for a postgraduate student’s excellent performance in academic research.
Attachment 1: List of Major Classics and Refereed Academic Journals
I Major Classics
1. Carroll, D. W. 2004. Psychology of Language (4th ed). Belmont, CA: Thomson/ Wadsworth.
2. Chambers, J. K. 2002. Sociolinguistic Theory: Linguistic Variation and Its Social Significance. Oxford:
Blackwell.
3. Doughty, C. J. & Long, M. H. (Eds.). 2003. The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Blackwell.
4. Ellis, R. 2008. The Study of Second Language Acquisition (2nd ed). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
5. Fairclough, N. 2001. Language and Power (2nd ed). London: Longman.
6. Fairclough, N. 2003. Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Routledge.
7. Halliday, M. A. K. 1994. An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd ed). London: Arnold.
8. Jaszczolt, K. M. 2002. Semantics and Pragmatics: Meaning in Language and Discourse. London:
Pearson.
9. Leech, G. & Short, M. 1981. Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional
Prose. London: Longman.
10. Levinson, S. C. 1983. Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
11. Lyons, J. 1981. Language and Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
12. Matthews, P. H. 1991. Morphology (2nd ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
13. Munday, J. 2001. Introducing Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge.
14. Palmer, F. R. 1976. Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
15. Robins, R. H. 1989. General Linguistics (4 th ed). London: Longman.
16. Widdowson, H. G. 1996. Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
18. Guerin, W. L 2005. Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature (5th Edition). Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
19. Habib, M. A. R 2005. Modern Literary Criticism and Theory: A History of Literary Criticism. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
20. Harland, R. 1999. Literary Theory from Plato to Barthes: an Introductory History. New York: St. Martin's Press.
21. Latimer, D. 1996. Contemporary Critical Theory. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Publishers,1989
22. Bradford, R. 1996. Introducing Literary Studies. London: Prentice Hall, 1996.
23. Davis, R. C. & Schleifer, R. 1989. Contemporary Literary Criticism: Literary and Cultural Studies, New York & London: Longman.
II Major Refereed Academic Journals
1. Language
2. Applied Linguistics
3. Journal of Second Language Writing
4. English for Specific Purposes
5. Studies in Second Language Acquisition
6. Lingua
7. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics
8. Language Teaching Research
9. TESOL Quarterly
10. Modern Language Journal
11. Language and Education
12. Language and Intercultural Communication
13. Pragmatics
14. Journal of Linguistics
15. Language, Culture and Curriculum
16. Language Learning
17. Discourse & Society
18. Discourse & Communication
19. Discourse Studies
20. Critical Discourse Studies
21. Journal of Argumentation in Context
22. Argumentation
23. Journal of Language and Politics
24. Language Policy
25. Language Problems and Language Planning
26. Meta
27. Across Languages and Cultures
28. Target
29. Translator
30. International Journal of Translation
31. American Literature
32. African American Literature
33. Comparative Literature
34. Modern Fiction Studies
35. Critique
36. Journal of Language, Literature and Culture
37. Language and Literature
38. Nineteenth-Century Lierature
39. Philosophy and Literature
40. Studies in American Indian Literature
41. Twentieth-Century Literature
42. Postmodern Culture
43. New Literary History
44. Critical Inquiry