Page 87 - SYU Prospectus

English Language & Literature

will acquire in-depth knowledge in the emergent common-ground among these three areas of
studies.

ENG 335 Popular Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims at providing students an introduction to contemporary debates on how
subjectivities and everyday practices of popular culture take shape in mass society. It also
delineates the ways popular culture constitutes a common and thereby important part of our
lives. By studying cultural phenomena such as consumer culture, pop music, media and sports,
advertisements, films, anime and comics, theme parks etc., this course endeavours to show
students that an informal consciousness of class, gender and race is essential to any
understanding of the sociology of popular cultural practices, both in the West and in Hong
Kong. Issues such as postmodernism, identity politics, technoscience and media will be related
to popular cultural texts which are already parts of students’ literacies and practices.

ENG 340 Interpreting I
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course aims to help students acquire the E-C and C-E interpreting skills through
intensive and rigorous drills in the language laboratory. Continuous interpretation homework will
be assigned and feedback given thereon. In the learning process, great emphasis will be laid
on listening comprehension and note taking skills (with short term memory developed in terms
of linked thinking and educated guess). Particular attention will also be given to sight
translation, transcription, glossary building and major principles relating to interpreting in
different specific fields. Reading of academic papers by scholars and veteran interpreters about
interpreting is required.

ENG 350 Psycholinguistics
1 Term; 3 Credits
Psycholinguistics is the scientific study of language from a psychological point of view.
This course serves as an introduction to psycholinguistics and it will examine key issues
concerning how language is acquired, represented and processed in the brain (with particular
focus on language disorders and language acquisition). Major psychological mechanisms/
processes involved in language perception and language production will be covered and
experimental research in psycholinguistics will be discussed.

ENG 364 Second Language Acquisition
1 Term; 3 Credits
The course aims to introduce to students important theories and research findings
concerning the various aspects of learning English as a second language (ESL). It starts with
first language acquisition research because this is necessary to understand second language
acquisition. The early sessions in the course trace the early developments of SLA as a
discipline. These are then followed by examining individual learner differences that can affect

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