Double Degree Programme

Double Degree Programme

BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature and BEd (Hons) in English Language Teaching (Programme Code 2864)

Course Description

This is a four-year full-time course leading to the award of two Honours degrees. Upon graduation, students will hold recognized teacher status and will have satisfied the Government's requirements for professional English language teachers. The Course is jointly offered by the Department of English Language & Literature and the Department of Education Studies. It provides thorough preparation in two distinct disciplines: English Language & Literature and Education Studies. Students are required to take a total of 133 units and the components are as follows:

    English Subjects                                          51 units
    Education Subjects                                      52 units
    Honours Project                                            6 units
    Complementary Studies Subjects                    24 units
                                                       Total:   133 units

Aims and Objectives

The English Language & Literature Component ("the English Component")

The aims of the English Component of this double degree include:

(a)

the presentation of a coherent discipline which ensures rigorous mental training;

(b)

the development of independent and critical thinking;

(c)

the instruction of students in literature and language studies in order that their minds are broadened through engagement with the arts and the expression of humane ideals;

(d)

the cultivation of an appreciation of significant literary works, and the relating of these works to the study of language; and

(e)

the exploration of how languages work and how language is used in different contexts.

The objectives of the English Component include the education of students who as graduates are:

(a)

prepared to enter postgraduate study requiring sophisticated knowledge of English language and/or literature;

(b)

prepared to enter a career in education;

(c)

prepared to enter a wide diversity of other careers such as the media, cultural affairs, civil service, banking, and business for which fluent English and flexible, critical and imaginative thinking are necessary; and

(d)

enthusiastic for life-long learning and prepared to adapt to changing conditions in life.

The Education Studies Component ("the Education Component")

The aims of the Education Component of this double degree include:

(a)

the development of expertise in the teaching of English;

(b)

the acquisition of knowledge of disciplines that inform educational practice;

(c)

the promotion of students' understanding of effective functioning within the education profession and the wider school context; and

(d)

the cultivation of personal qualities that support teachers’ daily work and professional development.

The objectives of the Education Component include the preparation of teachers who are:

(a)

capable of teaching English competently in school and of conducting themselves appropriately in a professional environment;

(b)

able to make use of multi-disciplinary knowledge in teaching and learning;

(c)

capable of effective communication, critical and creative thinking as well as self-reflection; and

(d)

committed to teaching and life-long professional development.

Special Features

This Course has an edge over other similar courses as it places equal emphasis on English subject knowledge and Education subject knowledge and pedagogy.
During the flow of studies, students will undertake periods of school experience and teaching practice.
During the summer preceding Year III, students will embark on a 6-8 week Overseas Immersion Programme designed to enhance their English proficiency and cultural awareness in an intensely English-speaking environment.

Graduate Profile

Students who successfully complete the Course will be expected to possess and demonstrate the following qualities.

Course graduates will

(a)

possess a broad knowledge of their dual disciplines, with a language facility enabling them to express and discuss complex ideas relating to these disciplines in written and spoken form;

(b)

reflect in their daily lives qualities of critical and analytical thinking inculcated during the years of their academic training;

(c)

appreciate and value the importance of the transferability of skills and ideas between disciplines;

(d)

demonstrate an expertise in the teaching of English at secondary school level, and a capability to conduct themselves appropriately and constructively in a professional educational environment;

(e)

understand that an educational practitioner must be both reflective and proactive, and that professionalism demands constant evaluation and re-evaluation of practice;

(f)

exhibit a willingness and facility to make use of multi-disciplinary knowledge in teaching and learning;

(g)

harbour an overriding concern for the pastoral and educational well-being of the young persons under their care and tutelage;

(h)

comprehend the importance of a commitment to life-long personal and professional development;

(i)

demonstrate the kinds of flexibility and positive attitudes demanded by the flux and flow of society in a 21^st century context;

(j)

in due course, assume leadership and policy-making roles inside and outside their work environments.

Career Opportunities

The Course will prepare graduates for teaching and teaching-related careers. Graduates will be equipped with a range of skills that will enable them to contribute effectively and flexibly to the changing needs of Hong Kong in the 21^st century.

Entrance Requirements / Intake Quota

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Link to School / Faculty / Departmental Web Page

http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~baengbed/