SS6090 - Multilingualism and multiculturalism (2024/25)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2024/25 | ||||||||||
| Module title | Multilingualism and multiculturalism | ||||||||||
| Module level | Honours (06) | ||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||
| School | School of Social Sciences and Professions | ||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||
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| Assessment components |
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| Running in 2024/25(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
The module seeks to support and develop critical reflective practice within a social justice perspective that questions taken-for-granted epistemological positions and by developing a link across theory, policy and practice to understand multilingual and multicultural experiences in societies and educational contexts.
You will be able to:
● Engage with a wealth of theoretical and methodological perspectives on multilingualism and multiculturalism across a range of contexts (home, school, community)
● Interrogate taken-for-granted epistemological positions and one’s own assumptions of some key concepts, such as ‘language’, ‘culture’, ‘learning’, ‘bilingual pedagogies’ etc.
● Explore the implications of teaching children or adults with different languages and cultures in your own settings
● Make links across theory, policy, and practice
● Experience multilingual teaching and learning in different educational contexts around the world, including the UK.
Syllabus
• Module Introduction: Multilingualism & multiculturalism - concepts, dimensions.
First half discusses multilingualism and multiculturalism in society.
• Cultures and languages in a global world
• Minority language and ethnic groups
• Multicultural identities
• Learning in families: indigenous and intergenerational perspectives
Second half discusses multilingualism in educational contexts.
• Policy and Planning in multilingual & multicultural education
• Multilingual and multicultural education for young children
• Opportunities and challenges in multilingual & multicultural education
• Multilingual education contexts around the world
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
The learning on this module is planned and encouraged through engagements with lectures and seminar workshops where students discuss issues introduced in the lecture and arising from the reading of relevant articles and pieces of educational research. There are online discussion boards introduced in the module which allow students to reflect on the findings from one article, either empirical or theoretical and this activity grounds the skills for the assessment of the module where they are providing critical summary of articles covered in the module in relation to one theme, issue or debate of their choosing. The seminar workshops therefore blend some of the work and discussions produced in lectures and seminars and students have opportunities to articulate their understanding and interpretations of course materials, debates and readings, as embedded in the course syllabus.
Learning outcomes
1. Evaluate current debates in multilingual and multicultural literature in relation to social justice.
2. Articulate the significance of relevant research in the field on the experiences of multilingual children and adults in creating diversity and inclusion.
3. Critically consider the opportunities and challenges of multilingual and multicultural education policy and practice around the world.