LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

GCE AS/A levels consultation
The GCE AS/A level have been revised in line with the remit that QCA received from the DfES. The draft revised criteria are now out to consultation.

The National Languages Strategy in Higher Education
On 24 February 2005 the DfES published The National Languages Strategy in Higher Education.

Languages threat in Scotland
Articles on the BBC news website report that the Scottish Qualifications Authority is considering ditching dozens of Higher subjects, including languages. However, Gaelic for learners and native speakers is safe. The Gaelic language has been in decline but a bill aimed at protecting it has been put before Holyrood.

Languages may get higher profile
An article on the BBC news website, 21st June 2004, reports that language learning could become a required subject in the overhaul of the English curriculum.

Language teaching 'too boring'
An article on the BBC news website, 11th June 2004, reports "uninteresting and irrelevant" GCSE language courses are killing off interest.

Head teachers call for compulsory languages
A BBC article, on 13th Oct 2003, reports that head teacher have said Foreign languages should be compulsory for sixth formers doing the diploma that is set to replace A-levels and GCSEs.

Languages tough out hard times
An article in the Australian, on 15th October 2003, discusses the status of various languages in Australian Higher Education.

What could learning Latin ever do for us?
This article in the Scotsman, 15th October 2003, examines the validity of teaching Latin and Greek and questions whether it was a good idea to drop them from the curriculum at the majority of schools.

Specialist language degrees (25 Nov 05)
Event date: 25 November, 2005
Location: Goodenough College, London

The place of Languages in the curriculum (6 Dec 2004)
Event date: 6 December, 2004
Location: Room B202, 2nd floor, Russell Square Campus, Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies,

Interdisciplinarity and inter-cultural learning in Area Studies curricula
Event date: 6 May, 2003
Location: CILT, London

Resources and techniques for teaching Linguistics
Event date: 20 June, 2003
Location: CILT, London

Languages and Curriculum 2000: implications for Higher Education
Event date: 19 October, 2001
Location: British Academy, London

Curriculum 2000, part 2
Event date: 11 October, 2002
Location: Open University, London

Spoken language
This article first explains the lack of specific attention to speaking, and the reasons for its study. It then outlines the main aims of an applied linguistic course in the topic. These are the major defining features of speech; the pedagogical options for teaching speech; the impact of oral tasks; issues in the testing of speaking; and the nature of the oral language curriculum. The article identifies key aims and objectives, outlines relevant teaching procedures, and ways of obtaining formative and summative assessment.

Post-graduate certificate of education: modern foreign languages
This entry gives detail of the Post-graduate Certificate of Education in Modern Foreign Languages in Britain.The number and names of leading institutions is listed. The context for the PGCE is given in relation to the main organisation and quality assurance of teacher training courses. The content of the PGCE is described together with a rationale in terms of the National Currciculum for MFLs in Britain. Reference is made to the Standards against which trainees are trained and assessed. Recent trends are set out along with possible future developments. The entry ends with a list of salient documents and publications. Web based sites are listed and details of research into MFLs teacher education.

Institution wide language programmes
Institution Wide Language Programmes emerged in the 1980s to 'service' growing demand for tuition from non-specialist language learners. Today they operate in various guises in the majority of UK universities. Many report buoyant numbers, but they are financially exposed for organisational and funding reasons. The best examples of IWLPs succeed in offsetting a natural tendency to uniformity through clever design of modules and by making available a wide range of resources, often through a Language Centre, to meet individual needs.

Principles of programme design: joint honours - linguistics + a modern foreign language
A joint-honours programme combining linguistics and a modern foreign language needs to stand up as a respectable diet in linguistics, that is, introduce basic notions of both pure and applied linguistics early on and allow students to go on to develop either depth or breadth of knowledge / understanding within the discipline. Structural constraints permitting, it should also fully capitalise upon the dual interests of the students, that is, exploit their competence in modern foreign languages to support and inform their work in linguistics and, conversely, make sure that their familiarity with notions from linguistics consolidates their acquisition of modern-foreign-language competence.

LICS from CATS - a managed approach to the curriculum

This paper discusses how reviewing the curriculum can help in dealing with some of the pressures faced by language departments; considers how the needs of many kinds of students can be incorporated into, and satisfied by, a unified curriculum; considers how the Common European Framework can be used for Curriculum Review.

Excusez-moi, êtes-vous un terroriste?
Languages are key to global citizenship. The Times Higher Education Supplement has published an article by the Subject Centre Directory, Prof Mike Kelly, on the government's recent proposals to make foreign languages an optional subject for pupils in England after the age of 14. The article appeared in the THES edition of March 29th, 2002, pages 22-23.

Thematic Network Project (TNP)