News
English Studies Department student wins best presentation award in Sociolinguistics unit
Congratulations to Ms Pella Massarou, student of the English Studies Department, whose presentation 'Attitudes of Chinese students towards English in Education' was voted as the best in her group and is the winner of the Best Presentation Award in the Sociolinguistics unit for the academic year 2018-19! Every year all English Studies Department Level 2 students are asked to deliver an oral presentation on a topic of their choice for the purposes of the Sociolinguistics unit. Before receiving feedback from their lecturer, Dr Zoi Tatsioka, students are asked to evaluate their peers using a comprehensive feedback form. This exercise aims at familiarising students with the assessment criteria used by the Department so as to help them improve their performance. Based on these peer evaluations, one of the students wins the best presentation award which is a book on the specific area of study.
25/06/2019
New Bachelor's programmes by our English Studies Department
The English Studies Department of CITY College, International Faculty of the University of Sheffield is happy to announce the launch of new Bachelor's programmes for the academic year 2019-2020. The new undergraduate (Bachelor's) programmes are listed below: BA (Hons) in English Language, Linguistics and Literature BA (Hons) in English Language and Communication The BA (Hons) in English Language, Linguistics and Literature offers a solid foundation in the study of language, linguistics, literature, language teaching, translation, media and film providing students with theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills, thus enhancing their employability profile. This innovative programme is ideal for anyone who is interested in becoming an English language teacher, a linguist, a literary scholar or wishes to pursue a successful career in translation, media, publishing, journalism, or education. Combining English Studies with Communication and Business Studies, the BA (Hons) in English Language and Communication offers an interdisciplinary curriculum including the study of linguistics, language teaching and translation, but also communication, media, marketing and management. The programme is addressed to candidates who are interested in becoming English language teachers or linguists, or wish to follow an exciting career in media, public relations, marketing, advertising, translation, journalism or education. Both programmes will be taught in the English language starting in October 2019. Interested candidates may contact the English Studies Department or our Admissions team at acadreg@citycollege.sheffield.eu. Message from the Head of the Department: We are looking forward to welcoming candidates to our new programmes in the academic year 2019-2020. As a Department we take pride in offering top-quality education and an unforgettable learning experience to all of our students in a supportive and inclusive environment. That is why our new programmes have been meticulously designed by experts in the field of English Studies and informed by the latest trends in education and research. Using a large variety of learning and teaching methods, we provide students with the opportunity to develop core skills, acquire in-depth knowledge and increase their employability prospects. Dr Zoi Tatsioka, FHEA Head, English Studies Department
24/06/2019
The English Studies Department is introduced to copywriting as a fruitful career prospect
Tuesday, 21st May, 2019 signals the last Personal and Professional Development Seminar of the English Studies Department for the Academic Year 2018-2019. This final but far from last seminar introduced a prosperous and intriguing career avenue to the students of the English Studies Department. Our guest speaker, Ms Tania Minogianni, Senior Copywriter delivered a seminar titled: Writing for Brands: A binding force between marketing and people. What initially appeared as an introduction to the arena of copywriting turned out to be much more fruitful. Ms Minogianni immediately gained the audience’s attention by presenting a story about Ioannis Kapodistrias and how he changed the story of the potato – a product he introduced to Greek culture. His technique of showing how significant and valuable the potato was prompted the interest and curiosity of the public to the point where this product became and continues to be a staple in Greek cuisine. According to Ms Minogianni this change in the story of the potato is akin to branding. More specifically, according to Ms Minogianni: “A brand is a synthesis of all its communications, its operations, its locations, its people and products, its services, its reputation, its symbols, and in today’s digital arena it is also, the audiences’ comments about it. A brand is like a story!” And just like a story it requires people with imagination, creativity and a proficient grasp of language and techniques capable of telling and even showing that story. What is, therefore, the role of a copywriter? Their role is to craft strategically-driven brand stories that trigger action. Copywriting is writing for conversion. This includes writing from the brand name to the larger scale of the brand platform. As Ms Minogianni informs, this can include advertising print, TV and radio spots, website content, outdoor billboards, brochures and flyers, advertorials, blog posts, newsletters, white papers, packaging copy and press releases. A copywriter’s tasks include: editing, social media updating, proofreading, training, ghost writing, speechwriting, interviewing, conducting SEO audits and keyword searches as well as voice direction, photo searches and video editing. A copywriter’s credentials should include – but are not restricted to – a college degree in marketing, or liberal arts, or communication in addition to curiosity, a thirst for knowledge, critical thinking, empathy and listening skills, a love for language (reading and writing) as well as stamina and resilience both in order to see projects through but also so as to manage cases of rejection. In today’s society of the internet, social media and branding, copywriting can be pursued in various areas as a profession in itself or the skills required for it can prove necessary and beneficial in other occupations. What does it take to make it as a copywriter? Generally speaking what most professions may require: determination, staying up-to-date with news, knowledge, and developments, writing, rewriting and reading a lot, as well as updating one’s training by attending events and seminars. With all this in mind, Ms Minogianni ended her presentation with the case study of Hospey, who sought an employment opportunity not by sending a traditional CV but by tweeting his potential future employer about a website he had created instead. What can we take away from this study in connection to Ms Minogianni’s presentation? To pursue a career in copywriting is to be authentic, be unique, to love reading and writing and to be knowledgeable, current with the times and creative.
24/05/2019
The English Studies Department co-organises the 6th International Language in Focus Conference in Dubrovnik
The 6th International Language in Focus Conference: ‘Language, Research, and Teaching in the 21st Century’, co-organised by Çukurova University, Turkey and the English Studies Department of CITY College, International Faculty of the University of Sheffield has been successfully completed. The 3-day conference, which took place at Importanne Resort in Dubrovnik, Croatia on May 2-4, attracted academics and researchers from various institutions around the globe. In particular, the conference featured over 180 presentations in six parallel sessions and welcomed attendees from more than 40 countries from all over the world. Moreover, the keynote speakers included inspiring and prominent figures in the fields of applied linguistics and language teaching; namely, Guy Cook, Emeritus Professor of Language in Education at King’s College London, Susan Hunston, Professor of English Language at the University of Birmingham, Suzanne Romaine, Merton Professor of English Language at the University of Oxford until 2014, Nina Spada, Professor in the Language and Literacies Education program at the University of Toronto and Penny Ur, Professor at Oranim Academic College and Haifa University in Israel. David Singleton, Emeritus Professor at Trinity College Dublin, was the guest of honour. The Department had a strong presence at the conference as apart from Dr Zoi Tatsioka, Head of the Department, who was one of the conference organisers, Dr Vicky Papachristou and Ms Maria-Araxi Sachpazian, lecturers of the Department, delivered an enlightening talk on ‘Teacher Identities: A Comparative Study in the Construction of the Teacher-self in Greece and Europe’. Furthermore, Ms Arta Musollaj, PhD Candidate at the School of English was a member of the organising committee but also had the opportunity to present her work on ‘Attitudes towards Minority Languages in Kosovo’. The English Studies Department has forged a strong collaboration with Çukurova University and Associate Professor Cem Can, President of Language in Focus Conferences. Thus, we are pleased to announce the co-organisation of the 7th International Language in Focus Conference in Valletta, Malta in 2020.
15/05/2019
The English Studies Department Sees that it is all in the Lexis
The month of May would not see The English Studies Department without an educational and informative seminar. This time the focus was on a language component some may view as minor while others may argue that it is paramount and quite challenging. If there’s one thing that is certain it is that we cannot communicate without words, without vocabulary. Dr. Thomai Alexiou addressed the matter of vocabulary in her seminar titled: Measuring Vocabulary in Young ESL Learners which was delivered on Tuesday, 7th May, 2019. The significance of vocabulary is evident from very early ages and vocabulary development is paramount in foreign language learning. As Dr. Alexiou informs, syllabi and curricula now provide explicit information on vocabulary content and teaching through carefully compiled word lists. Testing centers and teaching materials also place greater emphasis on vocabulary and some even adopt a Lexical Approach to foreign language teaching. Vocabulary can be acquired almost everywhere both in and out of the classroom but the latter requires higher motivation. Dr. Alexiou goes on to explain the different types of teaching frameworks that permit a greater emphasis on vocabulary and are both appropriate and engaging for young learners. These are: story-based; TPR (total physical response) and games; arts/crafts/drama; songs/rhymes and technology. A key feature in the above mentioned frameworks is the matter of repetition as this is vital for all learners. In addition, as Dr. Alexiou highlights, cartoons are a great source for teaching vocabulary. The example of Peppa Pig is one that exposes learners to both frequent and infrequent words while also raising the interest and curiosity of learners and instilling pedagogical values regarding friendship, good behavior, manners, etc. In fact, this poses as an area that is still in need of further research. Dr. Alexiou also stressed the matter of vocabulary retention and the need to repeat and recycle lexical items and be exposed to them so as to transfer them from our short term to long term memory. Thus here, as Dr. Alexiou explains, the relation between L1 and L2 is important and in cases such as Greek and English much easier. A Greek native having acquired lexical items and concepts in Greek has but to relabel and redefine when learning English for instance. The task is much more difficult in the case of young Chinese students for instance. Thus, while a variety of vocabulary tests exist they may not necessarily be effective, informative or representative of what learners actually learn, acquire, understand or can produce. Evidently, assessing vocabulary can be as challenging as teaching it. Various parameters have to be met such as the testing method, if learners have been taught the respective vocabulary, if the instructions/format are clear and if the content is relevant. It is at this point that Dr. Alexiou brings the development of Pic-Lex: a test tool which is intended for very young learners and assesses receptive vocabulary size from picture cues. Evidently, it is not a matter of whether we should be teaching or learning vocabulary. The question that is currently of interest is how much vocabulary and what vocabulary should be taught, how it should and can be taught and in what ways should it be assessed.
09/05/2019
English Studies Department MA Student Presents her Work at the ELTA National Conference
Ms. Lindita Budini, student of the MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL, presented her work at the 11th English Language Teachers’ Association of Albania (ELTA) National Conference “Embodied Brains, Social Minds, Cultural Meaning – Emotions and Social Behaviours as Fundamentals of Learning”, which took place on May 3-4 at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Tirana. More specifically, Ms. Budini delivered a workshop titled “The Five ‘A Words’ that Sustain Learners’ Motivation” based on Jeremy Harmer’s ‘motivation angel’, which discussed the five stages that contribute to learner’s initial motivation: affect, achievement, attitude, activities and agency, combined with strategies for building good rapport, keeping learners engaged and reinforcing their belief in success.
09/05/2019
The English Studies Department Contemplates the Relationship of Technoscience and Art
The English Studies Department in addition to its interests in Linguistics, Teaching, Translation and Literature also acknowledges the value of culture. While we are aware of the technological and scientific developments and applications that make our daily lives easier, better and have aided humans in understanding and insight as well as the aesthetics of art that motivate meaningful musings, we may not be fully aware of the interrelationship of these three areas. Dr. Lia Yoka’s seminar titled: Technoscience, Art and Theories of Contemporary Culture provides an overview of the relationship between technoscience and art whilst delineating their main characteristics spanning from the 20th to the 21st century. It might be difficult to see or acknowledge how technoscience inspired works of art and granted them with aesthetic value in addition to communicating messages and critiques through such works. Dr. Yoka points out that art and science are related conceptual categories in which technology intervened in the 20th century and actually posed as the basis for their interrelationship. Science was used as an instrument via which artists then criticized science itself – note Salvador Dali’s painting containing the DNA double helix. Following this influence, however, was that of the impact industrialization, machines and computers thus venturing in the Art of the Machine. Even though technoscience was initially viewed as something negative and capable of dehumanizing – given military applications and the repercussions of two World Wars, during the mid-20th century, machine and computer art theorized the machine and employed machines to produce aesthetic results where the focus was not so much on the machine itself but the cognitive techniques employed. Examples include Jean Tinguely, Charles Csuri, Harold Cohen Aaron (computer art/algorithmic art/generative art), Robert Smithson (land art), Buckminster Fuller (human population growth animated map, 1965) and John McHale – (Pop art). Examples such as Gustav Metzger even introduced the notion of protest art thus demonstrating that critique was still evident alongside matters of aesthetics. Following this time period, Dr. Yoka notes that the 1980s poses as the revival for computers and bioart where Bioart as a notion is understood as both a process and imagery able to exact inquiry of meaning and critique art as well as technology. In fact all art could be seen as bioart because art cannot be seen as disconnected from the various processes that make up life. Artists are now interested in doing science as art is not considered enough. Examples drawn on include Joe Davis (Microvenus 2000), Eduardo Kac (“glowing” rabbit), Daniel Lee (hybrid visualization), Suzanne Anker and introduce concepts such as the flesh machine and tissue culture. Biological and IT data were now viewed with regard to aesthetics thus motivating one to contemplate on the nature of aesthetics from an alternate perspective. Of course this leads us to the present and how technoscience and art are viewed now. Focus, as Dr. Yoka explains, falls in areas of biopolitics, conceptual limitations and the need for artists to provide ideas and purpose. There is evident self-critique of both art, science as well as their interrelationship regarding their practices and ideologies. More importantly, matters such as bio-ethics and environmentally and socially conscious projects raise questions towards notions such as boundaries, ethics, intellectual property/copyright as well as aesthetics and value. Overall, a seminar of this nature motivates one to contemplate how areas considered distinct can actually influence each other, enable each other to develop but also how their interrelationships, concepts and themes raise questions regarding definitions, limitations, ideologies from different perspectives and how that contributes to and shapes the culture we live in.
12/04/2019
The English Studies Department Delves into the Fundamentals of Fiction
The English Studies Department focuses on an array of areas such as linguistics, teaching, translation as well as literature. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that our students would want more exposure and insight. Dr. Cathy Marazi delivered the seminar Fiction 101: Knowing and Understanding the Basics on 2nd April with the following two aims: raise awareness towards the fundamentals of fiction and consider them from an analytic/interpretive perspective as well as a creative writing one. We all experience fiction in one form or another on a daily basis and each of us has his/her personal preferences. Some enjoying reading a good novel, others like the weekly routine of viewing the latest episode of their favorite TV series and others anxiously await the release of a particular film they’ve been waiting months for. In all cases, we experience a Fiction: a thing made, shaped, molded, formed, designed or feigned. As readers or viewers we may be aware to certain degree or unaware of various components that assist in creating the story we are experiencing. The plot – how the story is told – is one basic feature. To tell a story chronologically would be to recount what one did yesterday. To use flashforwards or flashbacks, to begin narration in media res or to delay and digress the sequence of events can make a story engaging, complex or simply alluring. That being said, watch out for plot-holes or lack of consistent and logically causality in the sequence of events. Of course, any story would be incomplete without characters whether life-like, mythical or magical. One may find flat characters a bit static and good to experience every so often but the round, dynamic characters are the ones we may manage to identify with, the ones that may attract us or make us think more about a topic or issue. Even if we don’t have a favorite character – one that we identify with – we can say with much more ease if we have a character we despise. Characters and plot sequences also require a setting: a physical location (interior or exterior), in a geographical location or fantastic place complete with sociocultural features. The setting though perceived by many as the backdrop can actually mirror, mold and shape its characters. It can reveal information about them, challenge them, affect them or even act as an actual character itself. All this appears relatively simple so far but not if we begin to contemplate the interrelationship of the aforementioned items and many more. Narrator in written types of fiction has always been considered challenging and complicated, knowing who speaks, from what perspective and whether or not they can be trusted or if they are reliable in the information they are divulging. Matters can become even more complicated with figurative language like irony in addition to other types (e.g. metaphor, symbolism). Not to mention the matter of genre – the type of story we are experiencing. Though useful for matters of categorization and what to expect from a story, creators often combine genres (hybrids) or even subvert them thus reversing our expectations and offering a critique through a different perspective. Though one seminar cannot touch upon all aspects of fiction it can unveil the necessity of exposure to different types and kinds of fiction whether one wants to analyse and interpret fiction or produce one’s own fiction. Who would ever consider Shakespeare and Hip Hop together? And yet, exposure and experience can spark ideas, help create connections and association between types of fiction as well as provide insight to strategies, techniques and styles of writing of renowned authors we continue to read even today.
04/04/2019
The English Studies Department gains Tips and Tricks for Improved Public Speaking
We all dread speaking in public. And in some cases, if we’re “lucky” we might actually avoid having to speak in public. What happens though, when speaking and presenting is part of a piece of coursework, or takes place in the context of a conference or is required of us in our profession? The English Studies Department sought to provide its students and the general public with even more tips and techniques through its Personal and Professional Seminar series. ELT Consultant of Express Publishing, Mr Iraklis Velissaridis, provides some vital points, tips and techniques that can prove useful in most contexts with his seminar that took place Tuesday, 26th March, titled: “Public Speaking”. Mr. Iraklis Velisaridis delivered an engaging, humorous and informative presentation on the usefulness of and the necessity of public speaking. We undertake opportunities of public speaking to communicate, persuade and/or present. As Mr. Velissaridis points out, it is necessary to always remember why we are speaking or presenting as the purpose will certainly assist in managing both the content and the mode of delivery. Public speaking contains a set of skills that can be applicable across a range of contexts such as: professional meetings, teaching/learning environments, public relations, seminars/conferences and even family gatherings. Imagine how being more public speaker savvy could enable one to give a memorable toast at a family gathering, conference dinner or even at an awards ceremony should one be called upon to do so. Speaking in public though is considered to be one of the top-most fears people have. “I’d rather die, than speak in public” is a phrase often heard. The truth is that we never get over the fear or anxiety 100% but we do find ways to manage and deal with it more effectively and successfully. Preparation is key as is rehearsing. Mr. Velissaridis advises towards knowing our audience, being capable of adapting and adjusting our style, being engaging/lively and having fun – enjoying ourselves – in the process. Mr Velissaridis provided an array of examples of public speaking, ranging from very young children – others shy, others sassy – to individuals ranging in fields and contexts such as Steve Jobs, Al Gore and Margaret Thatcher. Mr Velissaridis even included two clips of an individual to exemplify the Do’s and Don’ts: in the first instance the speaker delivered a presentation that complies with all the Don’ts while in the video that followed the speaker adopts all the Do’s resulting in a highly more engaging and successful presentation. All in all, though we strive to become competent speakers and simply get over the fear of public speaking, what we should perhaps consider instead is becoming memorable speakers. To achieve this, in addition to knowing the topic/subject, being tech-lit and tech-savvy, we also need to work on our delivery skills, voice and body language. We need to observe others who are good at presenting and we need to practice at becoming better at if through preparation, rehearsal and feedback if we want to not simply overcome the fear but more importantly become effective and memorable public speakers.
27/03/2019
The English Studies Department Makes the Most of the Teacher’s Voice and Body Language
The English Studies Department was fortunate to host its second Personal and Professional Development Seminar on Tuesday, 19th March. Our guest speaker, Dr. Luke Prodromou, with an extensive background in drama, theatre as well as teaching (TEFL, TESOL) delivered a seminar/performance titled: Making the Most of the Teacher’s Voice and Body Language. Dr. Prodromou began his seminar by warming up the audience. With the accompaniment of reggae music he asked those attending to stand, stretch and even sing along; in other words to warm-up their voice and bodies. After that, the audience got a taste of Dr. Prodromou’s performance capabilities as he introduced himself in a variety of ways just using his voice and body language as instruments. According to Dr. Prodromou, a teacher’s voice is a vital instrument for getting and keeping students’ attention. Having a voice physically means we have to learn how to use it pedagogically. Our guest speaker drew our attention to the significance of the loudness of our voice, the variety that intonation and stress provide, the effect of pacing as well as the importance of pauses. Everything that Dr. Prodromou raised through his seminar he actually employed with his own voice and body language thus providing an educational and entertaining experience. The examples, however, do not end there. Dr. Prodromou also saw the need to initially have the audience reflect on their voice and how they use it. He called on the audience to observe and comment on other examples of voices, both audio – from an array of his own recordings – and audiovisual examples from films ranging from the golden era of Hollywood to more relatively recent ones like Dead Poets Society (1989) and Dangerous Minds (1995). Pair work and group work were not missing from this particular seminar. Challenges also included trying to successfully recite tongue-twisters, to identifying the importance and effect of pauses used by teachers in film to considering the humorous and engaging effect mimicking well-known actors/characters could even have. The final portion of the seminar focused on the importance of body language. Dr. Prodromou focused on actors portraying teachers in films and informed the audience of various studies that have been conducted examining to what extent the body language employed by these actors is actually representative of teachers or not. If anything is to be maintained from such a seminar it is that if – to quote Shakespeare – “All the world’s a stage” (As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII), then a classroom is the teacher’s stage and ought to be used to the fullest for a successful teaching/learning experience.
22/03/2019
The English Studies Department Learns the Significance of Intersemiotic Translation
March 5th marks the beginning of the Spring semester series of the English Studies Department Personal and Professional Development Seminars. Our first guest speaker, Dr. Evangelos Kourdis, presented an interesting topic that extends on the field of Translation Studies. The topic in question: Intericonicity as Intersemiotic Translation in a Globalised Culture. Dr. Kourdis began his presentation with a basic theoretical overview of Semiotics as well as the matter of signs and communication. He then introduced and extended on the areas of Intersemiosis/Intertextuality, concepts that reveal networks of relations and can help in understanding Cultural Translation. According to Dr. Kourdis, the notion of text is very broad when considered from the perspective of Semiotics. Though language is the primary guide, as it can also be applied to understanding and translating non-verbal signs, other aspects that we need to consider for an Intersemiotic approach to translation are context as well as cultural memory. These can assist in multisemiotic and multimodal communication, areas where assessing the similarities and differences are important in order to effectively translate a text. Dr. Kourdis informs us that Intersemiotic translation or transmutation may occur among non-verbal sign systems and extends this by presenting cases of intersemiotic (intericonic) translatins that have artistic texts as source texts. More specifically, Dr. Kourdis drew our attention to the matter of “posing” and how certain photography recreated or translated paintings into photos. Dr. Kourdis informs that in these intersemiotic translations the source text, though absent, is always present due to world cultural memory (imagine recreating a photo or movie scene). Furthermore, the repetitiveness in the use of these old and well-known original texts, and their inscription in the collective memory (for instance, The Creation of Adam) as high cultural value texts, seems to affect the fact that they have been chosen as texts capable of being transmuted. Thus, the question of which texts are chosen and in some cases why or by whom also pose as interesting areas for research. In closing, Dr. Kourdis further argues that translation can be understood as a re-narration of cultural knowledge using different signs but on the same or similar sign space. In addition to cultural knowledge, Intersemiotic Translation can assist in areas such as: Advertising, Graphic Design, Foreign Language Teaching, publishing, working as a cultural mediator and in instances of transcreation. Evidently, the field of Semiotics can greatly contribute and enrich fields such as Linguistics, Language and Communication, Translation, Literary and Cultural Studies.
06/03/2019
Personal & Professional Development Seminars 2019 by our English Studies Dept.
March - April - May 2019 FREE ADMISSION Join and share! Online Participation Form
01/03/2019
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