English

Degree Type: 

Doctor of Philosophy

Department: 

Department of English

Programme Duration: 

2 years (Standard Entry)

Modes of Study: 

Regular

About Programme: 

Not Published

Entry Requirements: 

  • MPhil in English or a related discipline

  • Candidate should pass an admission interview

Career Opportunities: 

Not Published

Programme Structure

Level 900

First Semester

ENG 901: Research Methods in English
4 Credit(s)

The course exposes candidates to a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods commonly used in language and literary research. Issues covered include research design, developing

appropriate data collection instruments, survey and field techniques, sampling methods, content analysis, statistical analysis, discussion and interpretation of findings, and reporting research.
ENG 902: Corpus Linguistics
4 Credit(s)

This course offers students the opportunity to study the development, construction and use of various corpora in the study of language. It stresses the core values of a corpus-based

analysis as a viable alternative to the competent-based approach of the transformation-generative school. Students will gain practical experience working with the International Corpus of English (ICE)
ENG 904: Topics in English Phonology
4 Credit(s)

The course equips students with knowledge about the major theories of phonology, including classical phonemics, prosodic phonology and generative phonology,

and then focuses on the segmental and non-segmental features of modern English.  There will also be a practical phonetics component involving the use of a language laboratory.
ENG 906: Topics in Modern English Grammar and Usage
4 Credit(s)

This course is designed for students who intend to specialise in the study of English grammar. It deals in detail with selected topics such as the NP, complementation

of  verbs and adjectives in modern English, adverbial usage, pro-forms, theme and rhyme, sentence types and discourse functions, and the semantic and syntactic

functions of coordination and subordination. The analytical framework to be used will be the one adopted by the Quirk grammars and studies based on the

International Corpus of English (ICE). 
ENG 908: Advanced Stylistics
4 Credit(s)

The course seeks to discuss earlier and current linguistically motivated stylistic theories, with particular emphasis on the theoretical and methodological

problems in the application of linguistics to stylistic analysis of literary texts.   Two aspects of stylistics, Stylostatistics (study of statistical structure of literary texts),

and Phonostylistics (study of the expressive or aesthetic functions of sounds) will be the main areas of study.
ENG 910: Language and Ideology
4 Credit(s)

This course explores the system of ideas that pertains to social and linguistic relations. Ideology, as a systemic body of ideas in a society, is embodied in

the sociolinguistic structure of any given society. Thus, this course links language and ideology in order to explore the connections between discourse and

society as well as issues related to language and development of ideologies in society. Areas studied will include issues related to power and solidarity, language

and socio-political issues, and influence of ideology on daily texts and talk. Students are also taken through processes of analysing systemic ideological discourse

(e.g. institutional discourse) in order to recognise implied meanings and competing social values present in such discourses.

Second Semester

ENG 903: Studies in the New Englishes
4 Credit(s)

This course explores the processes of the spread of English around the world in contemporary times as well as its different functions and forms. The course introduces students

to contemporary varieties of English in both native and non-native contexts. It also encourages students to examine the impact that non-native varieties of English have

on the development of English. Students will also be exposed to the attitudes of native and non-native speakers towards the power and domination of English today.

Areas to be considered include nativization, acculturation, language and power, language and identity, language and culture, and the linguistic description of Englishes,

especially Ghanaian English.
ENG 905: Issues in Semantic Analysis of English
3 Credit(s)

This is a directed reading course focusing on various approaches to describing meaning including classical semantics, pragmatics, generative

semantics and Tarskian semantics. The issues guiding the readings are reference, truth, understanding, and knowledge
ENG 907: Seminar in Applied Linguistics
3 Credit(s)

The course treats the application of the principles of English linguistics to the practical problems of language learning.  It also describes some theories of Applied

Linguistics that are normally employed in language teaching. Topics include Second language teaching; language learning theories, e.g. habit formation, rule formation,

deficit hypothesis and Kachru’s theories.

 
ENG 909: Language and Identity
3 Credit(s)

This course introduces students to the discursive construction of identity through language. For this course, students will study different notions of identity and how

these different notions are determined through language and language use. Areas explored will include socio-cultural notions of identity, the concept of national identity,

ethno linguistic identity, issues related to language and gender, language and group identity as well as language issues related to post-modern notions of individual identity.
ENG 911: Language and Literacy
3 Credit(s)

The course equips students to explore the social perspectives on language and literacy. The course looks at the relationship between language and literacy studies.

Issues such as changing definitions of literacy, multiliteracies, literacy practices and access to literacy are examined. These areas are studied with a focus on how language,

especially second language, impacts on literacy. Students are also introduced to contemporary ways through which researchers investigate language and literacy

practices in social as well as educational contexts.
ENG 999: Thesis
3 Credit(s)

All Ph. D. candidates are required to report their supervised research in the form of a thesis written in accordance with the relevant regulations published in the University of Cape Coast

School for Graduate Studies Brochure. The thesis will be examined both in its written form and orally (viva voce) in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the Ph. D. degree.