English in a Global Context
Code: 106311 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| English Studies | OB | 3 |
| English and Catalan Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Catalan Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 0 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and French Studies | OT | 4 |
| English and Classics Studies | OT | 3 |
| English and Classics Studies | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Eva Codó Olsina
- Email:
- eva.codo@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
This is a compulsory third-year course. Students are expected to have passed SLAP and WRAP II (C2) to be able to successfully complete the course.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This course is an introduction to the main paradigms and authors that, since the late 1970s, have theorised the nature, role and value of English as the main language of international communication. The course aims to open spaces for reflection, so that students, most of them L2 speakers and future English language teachers, are able to problematise received notions within the field of EFL, and challenge prescriptivist and reductionist views of English. The subject will take a fundamentally applied and sociolinguistic approach. The second part of the course will consider the pedagogical applications of the ideas discussed in the first part.
Competences
- English Studies
- Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired to the study of the English language in a global and multilingual social context of language learning and teaching.
- Demonstrate skills to develop professionally in the fields of linguistic applications, teaching and literary and cultural management in English.
- Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
- Distinguish and contrast the distinct paradigms and methodologies applied to the study of English.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Understand and produce written and spoken academic texts in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2).
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources for the collection and organisation of information.
- Use written and spoken English for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, the philosophy of language, history, English culture and literature.
- English and Catalan Studies
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired during the study of variations of English and Catalan language, be it in a historical context or in the current global social and multilingual context.
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and mastery of its foundations and applications in the academic and professional fields.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Make correct use of written and spoken English for academic or professional purposes, related to the study of language, history, culture and literature.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- English and Spanish Studies
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired during the study of the English and Spanish language in a global, multilingual social context.
- Correctly use written and oral English and Spanish for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- English and French Studies
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired to the different fields of applied English and French linguistics, in a global, multilingual, social context of language learning.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- Use spoken English and French correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
- English and Classics Studies
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired to the study of the English language in order to understand its diachronic change, as well as its current geographic and social diversity, and to study its acquisition and learning in a global and multilingual society.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- Use written and spoken English correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of English linguistics, history, culture, and literature.
Learning Outcomes
- Actively reflect on the ethical dilemmas of sociolinguistic research.
- Analyse simulated professional situations in the classroom and evaluate the resources for dealing with these.
- Analyse the effects of the application of distinct language-diversity management policies in those institutional spheres in which English is a widely used language: business, education, tourism, communication technologies, etc.
- Apply the knowledge acquired to the solution of contemporary socio-linguistic problems.
- Assess linguistic diversity from a diachronic point of view.
- Develop effective written work and oral presentations and adapted to the appropriate register.
- Express oneself in English, orally and in writing, in an academic register and using appropriate terminology in relation to the study of English as a language of global scope, linguistic variation and, in general, the social uses of language.
- Identify and analyse—from a critical point of view—the existing models and concepts to conceptualise the rise and use of English as a lingua franca in global communication.
- Identify and understand different sociocultural approaches and their methodologies for the study of the English language.
- Identify the inequalities generated by the intersection between sex/gender and linguistic variation.
- Identify the main linguistic properties of non-standard varieties of English by applying the concepts acquired during the linguistic study of standard English.
- Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
- Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
- Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
- Organise academic work effectively.
- Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
- Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
- Produce written and oral academic texts at higher-proficient-user level (C2) on the concepts and skills relevant to the study of sociolinguistics, multilingualism and varieties of English.
- Relate the main linguistic properties of non-standard varieties of English to linguistic change by applying the concepts acquired during the diachronic study of English.
- Understand specialised academic texts (C2) on research into the use/learning of English in multilingual contexts, linguistic variation and change, sociolinguistics and language policy.
- Understand specialised academic texts on research into the use/learning of English at higher-proficient-user level (C2) in multilingual contexts, linguistic variation and change, sociolinguistics and language policy.
- Understand specialised academic texts on research into the use/learning of English in multilingual contexts, linguistic variation and change, sociolinguistics and language policy.
- Understand specialised academic texts on research into the use/learning of English in multilingual contexts, linguistic variation and change, sociolinguistics and language policy at Mastery level (C2).
- Understand specialist academic texts at master's-degree level (C2) on research into English language use/learning in multilingual contexts, language variation and change, sociolinguistics and language policy.
Content
Block 1: Concepts, discourses, and the historical/political dimension of the global reach of English
1.1 Introduction to key theoretical concepts: sociolinguistic perspectives on language; language ideologies; standards and standardisation; dialects, accents and varieties; the native vs non-native speaker.
1.2 Rationalising the global hold of English: figures, metaphors and discourses
1.3 Politicising the spread of English: English in the British colonial project and the paradigm of Linguistic Imperialism
1.4 The scientific politics of English: The birth of Applied Linguistics
Block 2: Theoretical models for conceptualising English as a global language
2.1 Questioning the monocentric standard: World Englishes
2.2 Englishes and inequality: Unequal Englishes
2.3 Beyond standards: English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)
2.4 Global English and linguistic justice
Block 3: Implications for teaching
3.1. From learners to users
3.2. Native vs non-native language teachers
3.3. Material design and new pedagogies
3.4. ELF and testing
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussion of teaching material on the topic | 25 | 1 | 2, 25, 21, 22, 23, 24, 7, 19, 18, 6, 1 |
| Presentation of theoretical concepts | 25 | 1 | 3, 25, 22, 24, 8, 10, 11, 20, 5 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual or group tutorials | 25 | 1 | 14, 15, 17 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Completion of weekly exercises | 20 | 0.8 | 22, 23, 24, 16, 18 |
| Elaboration of projects | 20 | 0.8 | 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 6 |
| Personal study | 17 | 0.68 | 25, 21, 22, 24, 12, 16 |
The methodology of the course will be dialogical. Each session will be structured around a brief presentation of theoretical material followed by discussion of images, videos, texts or exercises. Students are expected to contribute actively to in-class discussions.
Within the teaching period established by the Faculty calendar, 15 minutes of class time will be reserved for students to complete the subject and teacher-assessment surveys.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam 1 | 35% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 3, 4, 25, 21, 22, 23, 24, 7, 8, 9, 11, 19, 18, 20, 5 |
| Exam 2 | 35% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 25, 21, 22, 23, 24, 7, 8, 9, 12, 19, 18, 6 |
| Meaningful contributions to class discussions and completion of in-class activities | 10% | 5 | 0.2 | 2, 7, 10, 12, 15, 1 |
| Project | 20% | 10 | 0.4 | 25, 21, 22, 23, 24, 7, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 18, 6 |
ALL assessment tasks are compulsory. If a task is not submitted, the student will get a 0.
Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1 of the assessment items.
To be able to pass the course, students must have obtained a 5. To calculate the average mark, they must have a minimum of 4/10 in both exams and the course project. Otherwise, they will have to retake those items with a mark lower than 4 even if the course average is higher than 5/10.
The student's command of English will be taken into account when marking all exercises and for the final mark. If a student's level of English is lower than C2, up to 40% of the final grade can be taken off.
Students are required to employ non-sexist language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check the website of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA): https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/lsa-guidelines-nonsexist-usage. Appropriate use of language will be part of the assessment criteria.
Important note for exchange students (Erasmus, etc.) on exams and other tests: Erasmus students who request to bring forward an exam or any other type of assessment activity must present the lecturer with an official document from their home university justifying their request.
VERY IMPORTANT: PLAGIARISM.In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed. Irregularities can refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indicating authoriship, or a misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
NOTE ON AI USAGE: This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
REASSESSMENT:
Re-assessment for this subject will be undertaken on an item-by-item basis, for which the following conditions apply:
-The student must have submitted the project and taken both exams. They must have an average mark equal to or higher than 3.5.
The maximum grade for re-assessed items is 6/10.
Should students need to reassess the two exams, they will be required to sit one single examination.
it is not possible to reassess class contribution (10%).
PROCEDURE FOR REVIEWING GRADES AWARDED:
On carrying out each assessment activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be
followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
SINGLE-ASSESSMENT OPTION:
Students will have to hand in a project (20%) and sit an exam covering all the concepts in the course (80%).
RE-ASSESSMENT OF SINGLE-ASSESSMENT OPTION:
Students must have passed one item (5/10) and have a minimum of 3.5in the exam to be able to sit the reassessment.
Bibliography
At the beginning of each block, more specific references will be provided.
Canagarajah, Suresh (2007). Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition. Modern Language Journal, 91, 923–939.
Codó, Eva (2021). Non-localizable vs localizable English: New linguistic hierarchies in “democratizing” English in Spanish education. In R. Tupas, R. Rubdy, & M. Saraceni (Eds.), Bloomsbury World English Volume 2: Ideologies. (pp. 233–252). Bloomsbury.
Codó, Eva and Riera-Gil, Elvira (2022) The value(s) of English as global linguistic capital: A dialogue between linguistic justice and sociolinguistic approaches. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 277, 95-119.
Cogo, Alessia & Dewey, Martin (2012) Analysing English as a Lingua Franca: A Corpus Driven Investigation. Continuum.
Crystal, David (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd Edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Garrido, Maria Rosa & Codó, Eva (2017). Deskilling and delanguaging African migrants in Barcelona: Pathways of labor market incorporation and the value of ‘global’ English. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 15(1), 29–49.
Holliday, Adrian (2006). Native-speakerism. ELT Journal, 60(4), 385–387.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2002) A sociolinguistically based, empirically researched pronunciation syllabus for English as an international language. Applied Linguistics 23(1): 83-103.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2020) Where are we with ELF and language testing? An opinion piece. ELT Journal 74(4), 473-479.
Jenkins, Jennifer, Baker, Will and Dewey, Martin (Eds.) (2018) The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca.Routledge.
Kachru, Braj (1976) Models of English for the third world: white man’s linguistic burden or language pragmatics? TESOL Quarterly 10(2), 221-239.
Lippi-Green, Rosina (2012, 2nd ed.) Englishwith an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States. Routledge.
Llurda, Enric (2005) Non-Native Language Teachers: Perceptions, Challenges and Contributions to the Profession. Springer.
Llurda, Enric & Calvet-Terré, Júlia (2022) Native-speakerism and non-native second language teachers: A research agenda. Language Teaching (published online first). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444822000271.
Modiano, Marko (2001) Ideology and the ELT practitioner. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 159-173.
O’Regan, John (2021) Global English and Political Economy. Routledge.
Pennycook, Alastair (2017, 3rd ed) The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language. Routledge. Routledge.
Phillipson, Robert (1992) Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford University Press.
Saraceni, Mario (2015) World Englishes: A Critical Analysis. Bloomsbury.
Seidlhofer, Barbara (2011) Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford University Press.
Sunyol, Andrea (2021). “A breathtaking English”: Negotiating what counts as distinctive linguistic capital at an elite international school near Barcelona. In J. E. Petrovic & B. Yazan (Eds.), The Commodification of Language: Conceptual Concerns and Empirical Manifestations (pp. 89–107). Routledge.
Tupas, Ruanni (Ed.) (2015) Unequal Englishes: The Politics of Englishes Today. Springer.
Tupas, Ruanni (Ed.) (2024) Investigating Unequal Englishes:Understanding, Researching and Analysing Inequalities of the Englishes of the World. Routledge.
Van Parijs, Philippe (2011) Linguistic Justice for Europe and for the World. Oxford University Press.
Academic journals on this topic:
Journal of English as a Lingua Franca – De Gruyter (UAB subscription)
World Englishes – Wiley (UAB subscription)
English Today – Cambridge University Press
English World-Wide: A Journal of Varieties of English – John Benjamins
“Global English and Social Justice” (special issue of Nordic Journal of English Studies)
https://njes-journal.com/49/volume/19/issue/3 (open access)
Software
No specific software is needed for this course.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 2 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 2 | English | first semester | morning-mixed |