MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics

Program Overview

The MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics program at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), United Kingdom, is a distinctive postgraduate degree designed for students with a keen interest in the intricate workings of language, particularly its application within legal and professional contexts. Offered by the School of Humanities and Education Studies, this program delves into how language functions in various societal settings, from media and advertising to healthcare and the law. It aims to provide a sophisticated and systematic understanding of linguistic systems and their use in both spoken and written communication, including non-verbal cues, with a specific focus on legal settings and authorship attribution. The curriculum emphasizes strengthening theoretical knowledge of the English language while exploring the pervasive and powerful influence of language use in society, ultimately preparing graduates for diverse professional roles or further academic pursuits in linguistics.

Curriculum: The curriculum of the MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics program is structured to provide a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the field. Core modules typically include "Investigating Language Systems," "Discourse & Pragmatics," "Language Acquisition," "Contemporary Issues in Applied Linguistics," and "Research Methods." A crucial element of the program is the "Professional Practice" module, which offers students workplace experience, demonstrating how applied linguistics theory and research can be directly applied to understanding institutional and work-related settings, such as business, social services, healthcare, and law and policing. The program culminates in a substantial 15,000-word dissertation on a chosen topic within Applied and Forensic Linguistics, allowing for specialized research. Learning methods combine lectures, seminars, virtual learning environments, group work, practical sessions, and individual tutorials, with assessment solely through coursework, including portfolio work, reports, essays, and presentations.

Research Focus: Canterbury Christ Church University’s School of Humanities and Education Studies, which houses the MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics program, emphasizes research that underpins its teaching and fosters critical inquiry among students. Faculty members are actively engaged in research within various areas of linguistics, including forensic linguistics, discourse analysis, language acquisition, and the sociolinguistics of language use in professional contexts. The program encourages students to engage with existing research and develop their own research capabilities, culminating in the empirical dissertation. While specific current research projects within forensic linguistics are not extensively detailed on the public-facing university pages, the academic staff's expertise ensures that students are exposed to contemporary research methodologies and relevant debates within the field, preparing them to evaluate and apply ethically considered research approaches.

Industry Engagement: The MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics program at CCCU demonstrates strong industry engagement through its curriculum design and practical components. The "Professional Practice" module is a key example, providing students with tangible workplace experience to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios within various professional contexts, including the legal sector. The program’s content is informed by the practical application of linguistics in fields such as media, advertising, education, translation, healthcare, and the law. By analyzing the diverse professional contexts where language is crucial, the course helps students identify their desired career paths. The emphasis on developing communication skills, critical analysis of language use, and the ability to conduct ethical empirical research directly prepares graduates for roles requiring high-level linguistic insight in professional settings.

Global Perspective: The MA Applied and Forensic Linguistics program at Canterbury Christ Church University inherently incorporates a global perspective by acknowledging the universal nature of language use and the transnational aspects of communication challenges and legal contexts. While the program may primarily focus on the English language and the Anglo-Saxon judicial system, its theoretical and practical insights are designed to be transferable to other languages and legal systems, provided that the specific context is duly considered. The university attracts a diverse international student body, which enriches classroom discussions and provides varied cultural insights into language use and communication practices. This multicultural learning environment, coupled with the program's focus on the pervasive and powerful role of language in diverse societies, prepares graduates to understand and engage with linguistic phenomena and challenges in an increasingly interconnected globalized world.