Professional and business communication in international relations, MA

Overview

The course aims to provide you with a thorough understanding of the main theories, models and ideas in the study of professional, business communication and international liaisons. It will also enable you to understand and evaluate critically a wide spectrum of ideas put forward in the study of the language and will equip you with the intellectual perspectives and the scholarly skills that will prepare you to conduct independent research. This programme is intended for anyone interested in linguistics, the application of language research to internal and external communication in organizations, language pedagogy.
The benefit of the course is that it can be easily tailored to specific interests of people from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
The course is suitable for:

• People working in such fields as journalism, marketing, PR, diplomacy, education who wish to study communication, language and culture
• Teachers of English, German or Russian as a foreign language, who wish to upgrade their professional standing, gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field

All students on this programme are introduced to the Virtual Learning Environment (data portal), which contains necessary interactive course materials for working professionals to complete in part-time, self-study mode over a period of at least 24 months.

Course Details

You will study two core modules one of which (General Scientific Module) is invariable and the other one you will choose from a range depending on your interests:

• Module 2.1 is oriented towards the study of applied linguistics
• Module 2.2 focuses on the international affairs
• Module 2.3 aims at journalism and cross-cultural communication
• Module 2.4 covers language teaching and learning   

In the end you will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation.

You will do a total of 17 assessed pieces of work over two years.

Modules (full descriptions)

• GENERAL SCIENTIFIC MODULE

Science History and Methodology
Professional and Business Communication: Theory and Practice
Quantitative Linguistics and IT
Foundations of International Relations Theory

• VARIABLE MODULES

MODULE 2.1 LINGUISTICS

• General Linguistics and History of Linguistics Theories  
• Linguistics Practical Course
• Sociolinguistics
• Discourse, Culture and Communication

MODULE 2.2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• International Relations Theory
• Theory and Practice of Human Rights
• Intercultural Communication
• Business English Practical Course
• Language and National Identity

MODULE 2.3 JOURNALISM AND CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

• Theory and Practice of Journalism
• Intercultural Communication
• Literature and Culture
• Journalism Ethics

MODULE 2.4 SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING

• Pedagogy and Psychology of the Higher Education
• Pedagogy of Teaching and Learning Second Languages
• Language Teaching and Observation
• Language Testing

You will also choose three to six courses from a range which may include the following:

• Psycholinguistics
• Ethnolinguistics
• Language, Style and Identity
• Descriptive Linguistics
• Discourse for Teachers
• Cognitive Linguistics and Language Learning
• Mass Communication Theory
• Human Intervention and International Relations
• Culture Studies
• Text Analysis and Interpretation
• Analysis of Spoken and Written Discourse
• Language and Literature: Key Topics in Stylistics   
• Russian Literature as a Part of Global Culture
• Global Journalism
• Teacher Training
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching and Learning.

Please note that availability of optional modules may vary from year to year.

Fees and Modules (full descriptions)

We charge tuition fee for the course. Fees for 2015/16 are as follows:

• 120 000 rubles

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Please, if you need further information regarding fees and funding contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Entry Requirements

International students

Academic requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from your country.

English language requirements

You can satisfy our English language requirements in several ways:

• by holding an English language qualification to the right level; for this course we ask for  IELTS 6.0 in all bands.
• by taking and successfully completing one of our English/Russian courses for international students

Please if you have any questions contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How to Apply

For the quickest and easiest way to apply please first contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GENERALSCIENTIFICMODULE

• Science History and Methodology
• Professional and Business Communication: Theory and Practice
• Quantitative Linguistics and IT
• Foundations of International Relations Theory

This module is designed to introduce some of the core skills and knowledge required to carry out further research successfully in the chosen area. It familiarizes you with the key aspects of scientific cognition, approaches, the main issues of contemporary science, its terminology and methodology. The module also gives overview of the current quantitative linguistics, its status as a boundary discipline as well as provides grounding in cross-cultural communication and international relations.

MODULE 2.1 LINGUISTICS

• General Linguistics and History of Linguistics Theorie
• Linguistics Practical Course
• Sociolinguistics
• Discourse, Culture and Communication

This module provides grounding in theory of linguistics and an introduction to the main aspects of language use and language development. One part of the course will introduce and discuss concepts and issues in the field of Sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistic topics will include: ‘standard’ language and dialectal variety, linguistic variation by social context / purpose, language and social class, language policy and planning. The other part will explore issues of culture and communication correlations, discourse analysis through the practical study of a range of authentic spoken interactions in professional and business communication.

MODULE 2.2 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• International Relations Theory
• Theory and Practice of Human Rights
• Intercultural Communication
• Business English Practical Course
• Language and National Identity

The module addresses the major issues in the area of international relations, including the relationship between the law and other types of human rights initiatives and activities. Students will be provided with specialised knowledge about culture; stereotyping, national identity, intercultural mediation and globalisation processes. Both courses Language and National Identity and Business English contribute to students’ ability to communicate successfully across cultural boundaries of languages, styles and values.

MODULE 2.3 JOURNALISM AND CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

• Theory and Practice of Journalism
• Intercultural Communication
• Literature and Culture
• Journalism Ethics

The module offers a mix of journalism practice and theory from cross-cultural perspective. It introduces journalistic techniques and literature study, with the particular reference to the development of world cultures (in the last 25 years). Students will explore a wide range of communication processes and problems that naturally appear when dealing with people from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Studying a course of Journalism Ethic contributes to understanding of moral principles and forms of conduct, relating to the field, and makes students hold themselves accountable for professional work through applying this knowledge and their best judgments to all potential scenarios they will face in their career.

MODULE 2.4 SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING

• Pedagogy and Psychology of the Higher Education
• Pedagogy of Teaching and Learning Second Languages
• Language Teaching and Observation
• Language Testing

The aim of the module is to give you the grounding in teaching foreign languages (TFL). This module will look at a number of different aspects of current TFL methodology through classroom observation and mini-group teaching/presentations. We will be focusing on: effective lesson planning and delivering a lesson; different types of lesson and their format; different ways of presenting and practicing new language when working with students of different ages; what is meant by a learner-centered approach; students’ learning styles and ways of catering for different types of learners; classroom management and structuring the learning environment; learners’ errors, different correction techniques and ways of assessment.