MA Pragmatics

Programme Specification (PDF)


Aims of the MA programme in Pragmatics

In addition to the MA in Linguistics, the department offers three more advanced MAs: in Pragmatics, in Phonology and in Syntax.

The MA Pragmatics is a one-year taught course designed for students with an appropriate background in linguistics, philosophy, psychology or cognitive science, who wish to do a more concentrated course in pragmatics, with particular, but by no means exclusive, focus on the relevance-theoretic approach (developed by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson). Although the degree can be an end in itself, this advanced degree programme is an excellent preparation for independent doctoral research in pragmatics.

Both the teaching and assessment of the MA Pragmatics is strongly research-oriented. The teaching reflects cutting edge developments, with students receiving extensive training in both research methods and the scholarly presentation of ideas. The most important component of the assessment is a dissertation, with the remaining assessments divided between coursework, essays and exams.

Content

The core of the programme is four courses in pragmatic theory (two per term), plus a pragmatics research seminar, and an additional course chosen by the student in consultation with their advisor. In addition, students must take one course each in phonology and in syntax, since tackling some issues in pragmatics requires an understanding of linguistic structure.

In all courses students are exposed to the primary literature and trained to write short research papers on pragmatics topics.

Structure of the full-time programme



Term 1 Term 2 Term 3/summer
Relevance Theory and Pragmatics Cognitive Aspects of Pragmatics Dissertation
Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics Philosophical Aspects of Pragmatics  
Advanced Phonological Theory A Pragmatics Research Seminar  
Foundational Issues in Syntax Option  


Structure of the two-year part-time programme (example)



Year 1
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3/summer
Relevance Theory and Pragmatics Cognitive Aspects of Pragmatics Supervised reading
Advanced Phonological Theory Option  


Year 2
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3/summer
Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics Philosophical Aspects of Pragmatics Dissertation
Foundational Issues in Syntax Pragmatics Research Seminar  


Possible option topics include: Semantic Theory, Pragmatics & Cognition, Issues in Pragmatics, Issues in Semantics, Philosophy of Language, Language Acquisition, Computational Linguistics, amongst many others.

There will be a weekly small group tutorial during terms 1 and 2. During term 3 and the summer the tutorials are replaced by individual supervision sessions.

Assessment

The course is assessed through a mixture of exams and essays, plus the dissertation, with the weighting given below. The three short exams take place at the end of term 1 (December). The other assessments take place in the summer term (May). The dissertation is written over the summer and submitted by 15 September.

Component Weighting
3 short exams covering Relevance theory and Pragmatics, Foundational Issues in Syntax, and Phonological Theory A jointly 10 %
1 exam covering Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics, and Cognitive Aspects of Pragmatics 20 %
1 essay covering Philosophical Aspects of Pragmatics (5000 words) 10 %
1 essay covering Pragmatics Research Seminar (5000 words) 10 %
1 essay covering Option (5000 words) 10 %
Dissertation (10,000- 12,000 words) 40 %
Total 100 %


Teaching staff

Pragmatics: Robyn Carston, Deirdre Wilson, post-doctoral teaching assistants
Syntax: Michael Brody, Ad Neeleman, Neil Smith, Hans van de Koot
Phonology: John Harris, Moira Yip



What our students say

"The instructors and administrators are incredibly accessible."

"The academic course has challenged me to think in new ways."

"When I complete my studies at UCL, I know I will be well equipped to enter the job market, or to continue my studies at a higher level."

"The quality of teaching and advice has provided me with the support I need, and the enthusiasm of the staff for their subject is truly infectious."

Programme details

Length of the programme: the MA begins in late September and lasts one calendar year (12 months) full-time or two years part-time.

Entrance requirements: normally, an upper 2nd class BA in Linguistics, or equivalent

Scholarships

Please visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/financial-matters/scholarships/graduate/index.shtml for an overview of departmental and UCL scholarships and other sources of funding available.

The Department also provides bursaries to cover part of the tuition fees. You can find details on the UCL web site.



Applying

To apply for this MA please visit the UCL graduate application and admission page.

Getting more information

If you would like any further information about this programme, then please e-mail us with your contact details at . Alternatively, you may write to us at the following address:

Graduate Admissions
Department of Phonetics & Linguistics
UCL
Gower Street
London WC1E 6 BT
UK