1.0     NAME OF THE PROGRAMME – B.A. English

           PROGRAMME CODE – 2205

2.0       ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

To be admitted into B.A. English, a candidate is required to meet at least one of the following:

100 Level

A minimum of five credits at not more than two sittings in the GCE, O’ level, SSCE, NECO

Examinations or its equivalent in relevant subjects including English Language and Literature in English.

200 Level

1. i)        First degree (B.A. and B.Sc) OR a minimum of three credit passes in IJMB, NCE, ND or its equivalent in subjects including English Language and Literature.

ii)        GCE Advanced level passes in two subjects, one of which must be Literature in English.

3.0     PHILOSOPHY

3.1       PHILOSOPHY

To provide our students with in-depth, functional, cost-effective, flexible learning at a distance so as to enhance their skills in the theory and use of the English language as well as sensitive and critical appreciation of literature, which are necessary for adequate expression and self-actualisation in the global context.

3.2       VISION

To be known as the most learner-focused and learner-sensitive programme of the National Open University of Nigeria.

3.3       MISSION

To provide opportunities for the development of language competences, creative and critical/ analytical minds as well as a consolidation of earlier skills so as to equip learners for life in a rapidly globalising world.

4.0     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

4.1       AIMS

           The primary aim of the B.A. English programme of the University is to inculcate in the students’ knowledge and skills relevant to the study of the English language and literature written in or translated into English in a creative and stimulating way in order to enable them achieve oral and communicative competence and think critically and creatively.  Since the study of languages and literature is an effective means of introducing students to cultures other than theirs, the English programme aims at producing graduates who will be professionally equipped to contribute to the development of the nation and humanity and become full-fledged citizens who can fit into the globalised multicultural world we live in. The programme also aims at imparting the linguistic expertise needed by those who aspire to becoming creative writers or making careers in areas where a good mastery of the English language is required. 

4.2       OBJECTIVES

The B.A. English programme is designed to equip students with adequate skills in the theory and use of the language for the advancement of Nigeria within the international community. It is also expected that a critical faculty be developed in the students in terms of being able to read between the lines of any language text they come across as well as being able to develop interest in literary productions. Thus, upon successful completion of the programme, graduates should be able to:

• Show effective mastery of the English language in its various applications
• Achieve adequate self-expression and self-actualization 
• Exhibit preparedness for postgraduate studies in the English linguistics, literary studies,  and/or communication studies
• Engage in language teaching in Nigerian schools and colleges 
• Overcome deficiencies in their spoken and written English
• Develop a sound critical faculty for the analysis of texts of all kinds, visual or literary
• Show a disciplined flare for the creation of literary pieces
• Use linguistic ability to contribute to national development through appropriate usage of language and literature.

5.0     PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND DEGREE RULES

.

5.1     OUTLINE OF COURSE STRUCTURE

100 Level

First Semester

Second Semester

200 Level

First Semester  

Second Semester  

LANGUAGE EMPHASIS

300 Level

First Semester

Second Semester  

400 Level

First Semester

Second Semester  

Total Credit Units:  156

LITERATURE EMPHASIS

300 Level

First Semester

Second Semester  

400 Level

First Semester

Second Semester  

Total Credit Units:  154

5.2       DEGREE RULES

For graduation with a B.A. (Hons.) in English, a student must have a minimum of 120 credit units, which include 20 credit units of general courses for an 8 semester structure; and a minimum of 90 credit units and 16 credit units from the general courses for a 6 semester structure.

Summary of Distribution of Course Credits by Level

NOTE:    Direct Entry students are to register for GST 107, which is a 2 credit course.

5.3       COURSE CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS

GST 101          USE OF ENGLISH AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS I (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Listening enabling skills; Listening and Comprehending; comprehension; note-taking and information retrieval, including data, figures, diagrams and charts; listening for main idea, interpretation and critical evaluation. Effective reading: skimming and scanning; Reading and comprehension at various speed levels; Vocabulary development in various academic contexts; Reading diverse texts in narratives and expository; Reading and comprehending passages with tables; Scientific texts; Reading for interpretation and critical evaluation.

GST 102          USE OF ENGLISH AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS II    (2 CREDIT UNITS C)                                                                                                                  

Writing paragraphs; Topic sentence and coherence; Development of paragraphs; illustration; Description; cause and effect including definitions; Formal letters: essential parts and stylistic forms; complaints and requests; jobs; ordering goods Letters to government and other organizations; Writing reports; reporting events, experiments, writing summaries

CIT      101      COMPUTER IN SOCIETY                                                (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

What is Computer, Elements of a Computer: Hardware and Software, How to Work with a Computer, Operating Systems, and Files. Word Processing: Introduction to Word Processing, Word Processing Program Facilities, Copying text, Saving Changes, and Formatting. Spreadsheet: Entering and Correcting Data, Using Formula, Numeric Formats, Creating Charts, Charts from Non-adjacent Data, Embedded Charts, Charts Links and Chart Types. PowerPoint and Presentations: Presentation Screen, Creating New Presentations, Naming Presentations, Saving Presentations and Formatting Slides, Using Auto-shapes. Networking, Internet and Electronic mail.

CIT 102           APPLICATION SOFTWARE SKILLS                             (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Brief description of computer system: CPU, I/O devices; Operating systems; Computer File Management; Computer Software: overview, types, etc.; Application software: common application software; Using Microsoft Word; Using Microsoft Excel; Features of Database Applications and Microsoft Access; Statistical Analysis Applications; Using SPSS software; Introduction to Desktop Publishing applications; Computer applications in Nursing; Computer applications in Agriculture; Managing the computer system with the Control Panel.

CSS 111          INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY                                 (3 CREDIT UNITS E)

Definition of sociology, family, marriage, society, and culture, socialization; Conforming, deviance, power, authority, leadership, social organizations, Group, social differentiation, religion, social interactions, social stratification, social mobility, collective behaviour, public opinion and propaganda, social change.

GST 105   HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE   (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Nature of Science, Scientific Methods and Theories, Laws of Nature, History of Science; Origin of Western Science in Ancient Times, Science in the Middle Ages of Europe, Rise of Modern Science, Twentieth Century Scientific Revolution. Lost Sciences of Africa, Science, Technology and Inventions, Nature and Scope of Philosophy of Science, Man; His Nature and Origin, Cosmic Environment and Natural Resources, Great Scientists of Nigerian Origin.

GST 107          THE GOOD STUDY GUIDE                             (2CREDIT UNITS C)

Getting Started: How to use the book, Why read about study skills, Getting yourself organized, What is studying all about, Reading and Note-taking: Introduction, Reactions to reading, Your reading strategy, Memory, Taking notes. Other ways of studying: Introduction, Learning in groups, Talks and lectures, Learning from T.V and Radio broadcasts, Other study media. Working with numbers: Getting to know numbers, Describing the world, Describing the tables, Describing with diagrams and graphs, What is good writing? The importance of writing, What does an essay look like, What is a good essay. How to write essays; Introduction, The craft of writing, The advantages of treating essay writing as a craft, Making your essay flow, Making a convincing case, The experience of writing. Preparing for examination.

LIN 111          INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS I                              (2 CREDIT UNITS E)   

What is Linguistics? Language and Linguistics, History of Linguistics, The nature of (Human) Language, Human Language versus Animal Language, Linguistic knowledge and performance, Language, Brain and the Mind, The Evolution of Language, The Autonomy of Language, Formal descriptions of Language, Grammar and types of Grammar (Descriptive, Prescriptive, and Teaching), Language Universals, Language in Society, Language and Culture; Sign Language; Language Varieties; Contrastive Linguistics; Sociolinguistics

LIN 112          INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS II                            (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

Introduction- Review of Part 1, Introduction to Phonology and Distinctive Features; Phonetics: Phoneme; Morphology: Morpheme and Words; Syntax: the Sentence; Semantics: Meaning; Pragmatics; Discourse Analysis; Language acquisition (First and Second); Language and Technology; Language and Development (issues of exclusion); Historical Linguistics and Language Change; Applied Linguistics; Psycholinguistics; Writing Systems/Orthography development; Modern Schools of Thought; Linguistic Methodologies; Language Documentation; Corpus Linguistics.

ENG 111         INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE AND LITERARY CRITICISM                                                                                                                                             (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course is designed to be a general introduction to literature. It covers the definitions nature, forms, elements, functions and techniques of literature. The students are exposed to a study of the basic principles and methods of literary criticism. Representative texts from the three major genres of literature, poetry, drama, and prose fiction, will be used for illustration and practice.

 ENG 113        INTRODUCTION TO NIGERIAN LITERATURE I           (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Introduction to the traditional forms; Myth, Legend, Folktales, Folk Drama, Folk Poetry, Folk Song, The Traditional form as background to Nigerian literature; From the pre-historical to myth to legend to folk Epic to Saga; Influence of Nigerian Belief Systems on evolving Literature – universal God, intermediary gods, personal gods, Folk tales, Fables; Plants; Animals and types as characters; Thoughts and Philosophies; Colonialism; Literacy and the Evolution of Nigerian literature; Colonial Contempt and the writings of Joyce Cary & Joseph Conrad; The incipient Traditional Form – From Oracy to Literacy; Literature; Drama and Theatre in Nigeria; Typical Nigerian Plays: Iwe Iroyin, Onitsha Market Literature and the growth of the Nigerian novel.

ENG 114         INTRODUCTION TO NIGERIAN LITERATURE II         (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Emerging trends in Nigerian literature: Socio-political underpinnings in Nigerian literature, The Female Writer and Feminism in Nigerian Literature, Feminism and Womanism in Nigerian Literature. Generation shifts in Nigerian literature (Drama and Fiction): From First to Second Generation Playwrights, Second Generation Contemporary Novelists and their thematic concerns, Contemporary Drama, Generation shifts in Nigerian literature (Poetry): Traditional Poetry, Pioneer Poets – Dennis Osadebay, etc, Second Generation Nigerian Poets, Contemporary Nigerian Poets, and Theories. Qualities and Contributions of Nigerian literature to World literature: Critical Theories and Theorists in Nigerian literature, Qualities and Contributions of Nigerian literature to World literature, Recognitions and Awards, which the Nigerian literature has earned, Recognitions and Awards – Text, Contest and Context.

ENG 121         STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH I                             (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Historical Background and Phonological Structure; Historical Antecedents to Modern English; Language and Structure; The Structure of the sound system of English; Syllable structure in English; Non Segmental Features of English; Syntactic Structure; Word classes; Open class items; Closed class items; Sentence structure; Sentence types: Structural and Functional; Clauses in Sentence Structure; Group Structure, Morphological structure; Basic units of Word Structure; The Nature of the Morpheme; Affixation; Inflection and Derivation; Other Word formation processes.

ENG 122         STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH II                             (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Construction of different types of sentences; correct use of tenses, agreement between subject and verb, in the context of compound and complex sentences. Organization and development of types of paragraphs; introduction of basic editing and proofreading skills.

ENG 141         SPOKEN ENGLISH                                                                  (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Fundamental Concepts and Definitions; Speech in Human communication; The English sound system; Introduction to Phonetic Transcription; The Human Organs of Speech; The English Consonants and Vowels: Parameters for classification; detailed description; The Syllable and Stress; Syllable; Word stress; Emphatic and Sentence stress; Constraints in analyzing syllabification processes; Intonation: Definitions and Functions; Patterns; Audio presentation of illustrations will be included. The use of audio/visual aids for the teaching of this course is the means of the practical impartation of the speaking skill in this course.

ENG 151         INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE                                                                                                                                                      (3 CREDIT UNITS C)                                          

Domains and Status of Language; the spread of English worldwide; Varieties of English in Nigeria; Standards and Deviations in English; Language Nationism and Nationalism; Distinctions between ESL, Pidgin and Creole; Aspects of Teaching English as A Second Language; the teaching of Literature in English;  Assessment of learner’s in ESL.   

ENG 161         THEATRE WORKSHOP                                                     (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Theatre Workshop introduces the student to the history, theories and practice of theatre. It is a practical course through which the students are expected to acquire the basic theatre skills such as speech and voice training, techniques of improvisation, acting and stage construction. They are also expected to learn and perfect their skills in directing, lighting, costume and make up, casting and rehearsals. The student, by the end of this course, should be able to distinguish between drama and theatre.

ENG 162         ELEMENTS OF DRAMA                                                       (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course introduces the student to drama as a branch of literature, as a composition that employs language to tell a story and as performance. Students should be able to distinguish between drama and ordinary activities; drama and other forms of performances. It deals with the nature of drama: its various elements, forms and artistic features. Representative African and non-African plays are studied in detail for illustration. The plays will be selected from the various major dramatic ages and genres.

ENG 172         INTRODUCTION TO POETRY       (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course deals with the nature of poetry (definitions, elements, forms and functions) against the background of the nature of literature in general). It will also present critical appreciation of poetry (literary devices: imagery, rhetorical figures, sound devices, rhythmic devices, structural devices); and grammatical reading of poetry. There will also be an interpretation, discussion of artistic features of selected African and non-African poems that will be used for illustration.

FRE 101          BASIC FRENCH GRAMMAR I (FOR NON-MAJOR)      

                                                                                                   (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

Identification of People in French, Identification of Things in French, Greetings in French, Presentation of People in French, Presentation of Self in French, Saying Ones Profession in French, Presentation of One’s Daily Itineraries in French, Requesting for Price and Payment in French, Giving Precise Information on Past Events in French, Asking for Specified Quantity of Things, Giving out Orders, Asking for and Indicating Directions.

FRE 102          BASIC FRENCH GRAMMAR II (FOR NON-MAJOR)                           

                                                                                                     (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

Polite Response to a Request in French, Inviting Someone in French, Giving Guidelines in French, Travelling in French, Expression of Possibilities in French, Expression of Tastes in French, Expression of Sporting Activities in French, Expression of Sentiments in French, Describing Somebody in French, Describing Weather in French, Giving Advice in French, Expression of Obligations in French, Giving Permissions and Interdictions in French, Expression of Wishes.

JLS 111           INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM           (3 CREDIT UNITS E)

Historical approach to the development of Journalism, the pre/post independent periods, the independent era. The nature of news. Writing the news, editing the copy, headline writing, journalistic style, elements of good news reporting., interviewing and news sources.  Media laws, court reporting, knowing the courts in Nigeria, defamation and copyright laws.

ENG 221         AN INTRODUCTION TO SYNTACTIC MODELS                 (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Syntax within the structure of language: An overview of the structure of language, Major concerns of the syntax of English, Perspectives of the analysis of syntax. Elements of Traditional Grammar: Origin and development, Linguistic practices in traditional grammar, Meaning and the nature of the Sentence, A critique of traditional grammar. Elements of Structural Grammar: Origin, Practice of immediate constituent analysis, Elements of the clause, Critique of structural grammar. Earlier Versions of transformational grammar: Finite state grammar and phrase structure grammar, popular models of transformational grammar, Critique of early models.

ENG 222          ADVANCED ENGLISH SYNTAX                                           (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Chomsky’s Universal grammar: Aspects of the Knowledge of language, parametric variations, Rules and notational conventions, English phrase structure rules. Organisation of the syntax of English: Lexical categories, Phrasal categories via merger operations, phrase and clause types. Formalising modules of grammar: Projections, x-bar, theta and case theories, Government, Binding and Bounding theories, D-structure. Syntactic Processes and relations: NP movement structures, WH-movement structure, Empty categories, Introduction to Minimalist theory.

ENG 241          INTRODUCTION TO PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY OF ENGLISH                                                                                                                                       (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Introduction: what is phonetics? What is Phonology? The phoneme, speech organs and production; consonants and vowels; Principles of phonetic and phonological description; mechanics of speech production, accents; transcription; phonological system; The syllable; principles of symbolic representation of sounds; Phonological rules; the English suprasegmentals: stress, rhythm, intonation; syllable structure. To be supplemented practical language exercises for illustrations. This is done mostly through the use of practical spoken English software as part of the practical learning exercises in the course.  

ENG 223         ADVANCED ENGLISH COMPOSITION I                          (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course will cover the basics of composition writing; various composition/essay types – persuasive, argumentative, expository, narrative, etc.

ENG 224         ADVANCED ENGLISH COMPOSITION II                         (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Specialized composition writing, e.g., reports, long essays, minutes of meetings, various types of letters, invitations, public announcements, speech writing, etc. Correct language use; other technical matters connected with these kinds of writing.

ENG 211   HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE                              (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

English Language: the Roots; the Language Situation in England before English; the Roman Conquest; Anglo-Saxon Conquest; the Origin and Status of Old English; some features of the Old English; Influences on the Old English: Religion; the Danish Invasion and the Vikings Age; Middle English Period: the Norman Conquest (1066-1200): The Ascendancy of French; The Fusion of French and English; Re-establishment of English; English and French in the 13^th Century; the Decline of French; the Rise of the Middle Class; General Adoption of English; Some Characteristics of Middle English: Grammar; Vocabulary; Spelling and Speech Sounds; The Rise of the Standard English; the Spread of the London Dialect; Early Modern Periods (1500-1750): Some Characteristics; The Renaissance English; Changes in Grammar; The Problem of Spelling; the Inkhorn Controversy; the Vocabulary Question; The Emergence of Dictionaries; Shakespeare and the World of Words; the King James Bible; Changes in Pronunciation; the Great Vowel Shift; Some Features of Grammar;      The English Language in the 18^th Century: An English Academy and Johnson’s Dictionary; The 18^th Century Grammarians; the Rise of Prescriptive Grammar; English since 1900; Sources of New Words; the Oxford English Dictionary; the Spelling Reform; Functional Varieties of English; Varieties of Modern English; English across the World; Reasons for the Growth of English as a world Language; The American English; English in Nigeria.

ENG226     ENGLISH MORPHOLOGY                                                        (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Detailed study of word formation processes; internal structure of English word and morpheme structure; inflectional morphology, identification of lexical categories and grammatical categories; Nature and Types of Morphemes- Affixation (Derivational and Inflectional); Phonological and Syntactic Influences on Affixation; word formation processes in English: derivation, compounding, invention, clipping, acronym, blending, back formation, reduplication etc.

ENG 281    THE AFRICAN NOVEL                                                          (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

The African Novel is a course that presents the novels as a major genre of prose fiction. It presents a detailed study of selected African novels from its beginning to the present day. It highlights the features that characterize this literary form from other genres of literature. It reflects the socio-political currents that have given the African novel its typical character and selected text from the major regions of Africa will be studied.

ENG 251     LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY                                                 (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Language as a Social phenomenon and its functions; social factors of language use; Language varieties: Dialect, accent and sociolect; register; style; standard, non- standard, native and non-native; deviant/restricted varieties (slang, jargon, grafitti); new varieties (email, text messaging); languages in contact (pidgin and Creole); Language typologies; anthropology; language learning and language acquisition; bilingualism/multilingualism; language policy; language planning, maintenance, shift and death; discourse analysis; code switching, interference and borrowing; linguistic imperialism; sociolinguistic situation of Nigeria; sociolinguistics and other disciplines.  

ENG 212       CREATIVE WRITING I                                                     (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course introduces students to the concept literary creativity. It comprises the format of imaginative writing from the germinal idea to the final script. Literary conventions and devices/techniques of creative writing will be explored, with focus on prose fiction, poetry and drama. Students will be led through the basic steps in practical literary composition.

ENG 213         INTRODUCTION TO ORAL LITERATURE                     (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course gives an overview of oral literature as a literary genre. The nature of oral literature and its relationship with folklore, myth, legend and other forms of orature will be studied. The developments in the study of oral literature in Europe and other parts of the world will also form part of the course. Finally, the general characteristics features, forms and functions of oral literature will be studies with examples drawn from various genres and from different parts of the world.

ENG 215         SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE I (Medieval and Renaissance) 

(2 CREDIT UNITS E)

The major literary themes and conventions of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature (excluding Elizabethan Drama and Metaphysical poetry);  survey of the shifting perceptions of the universe from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance with emphasis on the significance of Humanism and Science during the period; major conventions such as Miracle and Morality Plays, Medieval and Elizabethan lyrics and essay; study of selected authors including Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spencer and John Milton, etc.

ENG 216         SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE II (Restoration to Present)                                                                                                                                                   (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

The course covers the major literary themes, styles and conventions of the Restoration to the Present. It is a survey of the shifting perceptions of the universe from the Puritans, through the Restoration, the Victorian periods to the present in the major literary genres of each age. There will be a study of the major literary themes, styles and conventions of the periods in selected literary works and essays.

ENG 261         MODERN AFRICAN DRAMA                                                (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

A critical study of African drama in English in the light of anti-colonialist drama will be presented in this course. All forms of drama from the earliest stage of the development of drama- traditional culture-based drama, historical drama, and drama of social criticism. The emphasis will be on written drama – plays from its evolution to the present and the themes and conventions that are specific to African Drama will be highlighted. The influence of colonialism on the creation of African plays the development of African drama will also be examined. Representative plays will be selected from the four Regions of Africa for study.

ENG 272         MODERN AFRICAN POETRY                                               (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course will be based on a critical study of African poetry in English and English translation dealing with colonialism, negritude, apartheid and social criticism; special focus on the artistic elements of the poetry, including indigenous and foreign elements. Modern African Poetry will be studied as the bedrock of African Literature as poetry is has been part of African way of life as reflected in songs for various occasions like during moonlight plays, births, marriages, deaths and during other ceremonies and festivals. The concentration will however be on the written poetry from the late fifties to the contemporary times.

INR111       INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES                

                                                                                                                          (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

Definition and Nature of international studies, Introduction to some international concepts and implementations of international studies, Development in some basic skills of international relations and politics, Orientation on History of International Economics and Trade, Element of power and International interaction, interdependence,  Major concepts of politics like Alliance, Balance of power, Universal, Regional and National Security systems, International Politics like Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Bargaining and Negotiation, Sanctions and International Technical Assistance.

GST202      FUNDAMENTALS OF PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

                                                                                                                           (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Basic Understanding of Conflict; Definitions, Causes and Types of Conflict, Conflict Theories, Phases in Conflict, Conflict Analysis & Transformation. Dynamics of Conflict; Relationship between Perception and Conflict, Language Barriers in Conflict and Resolution, Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism, Arms Control and Demilitarization, Peace and Education. Trends in Global Issues: International, Continental and Regional Organizations in the Pursuance of World Peace, Peaceful Methods of Conflict Resolution, Coercive Means of Conflict Resolution, Gender Issues and Humanitarian Intervention.

GST203       INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC

                                                                                                                          (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Definition and Scope of Philosophy, Philosophy as the Parent Discipline, Branches of Philosophy, Philosophy and Other Disciplines, Sources of Knowledge and Criteria for Knowing. Definition and Scope of Logic, Logic’s Vocabulary, Valid, Invalid, Deductive and Inductive Arguments, Language and its Functions. Fallacies, Definitions, Categorical Propositions, Syllogisms, Symbolizing in Logic, Truth Table Analysis, Logical Proofs of Validity Using Truth Tables, Rules of Inference and Argument Forms, Laws of Thought.

MAC212    MEDIA AND SOCIETY                                                             (3 CREDIT UNITS E)

Introduction defining the course title and explaining the link between Media Communication and the Society.  Elements of communication, the cultural and social process of communication. Emphasis on sociological problems, themes and concepts. Juxtapose mass communication against the major social institutions e.g. school, churches, mosques, families, marriages, cultural organizations and groups etc.  Focus on the sociology of mass communication, professionalism in journalism, mass media message/content).Review the issues of cultural imperialism arising from media dependency.  Control of mass media organizations and communication politics.  The Role of Communication in National Development

PCR272          CONCEPTS AND PRACTICE OF PEACE BUILDING       (3 CREDIT UNITS E)

Definitions of concepts such as: conflict, peace, peace-keeping, peace-making, peace-enforcement and peace-building; causes of conflicts, types of conflicts, processes of conflict resolution and transformation; agents of peace building; multi-track diplomacy; the roles of government, regional, continental and international organizations in global peace and security; challenges of peace and conflict management, peace building and post-conflict reconstruction.

ENG 311         RESEARCH METHODS                                                            (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Students’ collection of their own language data; analysis of data collected, working either individually or in small groups of two/three. Basic concepts of language field work; field methods; questionnaire sampling; etc. Prerequisites are ENG 222, ENG 241, and ENG 223.

ENG 321      CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH USAGE                                       (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

English in use in English-speaking communities; attitude to usage; the notion of                      ‘correctness’ versus ‘grammaticalness’; variations in use; and the problem of defining ‘standard English’ worldwide.

ENG 341         THE PHONOLOGY OF ENGLISH                                           (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Segmental and non-segmental phonemes of the English Language and their organisation in concrete discourse; practical exercises to improve the students’ perception and production of these sounds; various approaches to the description of English phonology (phonemic, prosodic, generative). The use of practical exercises through practical spoken English software would also be encouraged among the students.

ENG 351         INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED LINGUISTICS                   (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

An overview of history and development of applied linguistics; theories and principles of applied linguistics as they apply in the African context; major areas of current research and theory; interdisciplinary nature of the discipline; relevance to English language teaching; first and second language acquisition, contrastive analysis, error analysis, discourse analysis, performance analysis; language teaching  and applied linguistics- first, second, and foreign languages; Language in applied linguistics- levels and scope of applied description; Socio-cultural competence- context and culture in language teaching; Attestedness: corpus linguistics and language teaching-authenticity, reality, and artifice in language use and learning; Interlingual and intralingual language teaching-direct method: political, pedagogic, psycholinguistic perspectives; aims of language teaching and learning- learner purposes, language uses and applied linguistic theories; how, where and when general linguistics can be applied both to practical uses and to the non – linguistic fields; use of linguistics in language teaching, language testing, language standardization, planning and development, the creation of orthographies and compilation of dictionaries.        

ENG 331         INTRODUCTION TO SEMANTICS                                        (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Sense properties and sense relations; problem of word versus sentence meaning; theories of meaning; etc., situating the topics within the general framework of linguistics. 

ENG 353         THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN NIGERIA                             (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

The implantation and growth of English in Nigeria: advent, promotion, functions of English in Nigeria, English and sociolinguistic consequences in Nigeria; The Linguistic Features of English in Nigeria: Debate on ‘Nigerian English’, phonological, grammatical, lexico-semantic, discourse features of English in Nigeria; Variety Differentiation: Criteria, spoken varieties, written varieties, standard Nigerian English; English and Pidgin in Nigeria: Pidgins, Creoles and Broken English, Evolution, Functions of Nigerian Pidgin, Structural differences between Nigerian Pidgin and English. English and Language Planning in Nigeria: Language planning, Polices in Governance, Education, English and the National Question.

ENG 352         DISCOURSE ANALYSIS                                                         (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Introduction to the principles and practice of discourse analysis; practical analysis, study, and description of relevant textual materials.

ENG 355         INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLINGUISTICS                          (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Introduction to the history, methodology, basic concepts and applications of sociolinguistics; the relationship between language and society; attitudes towards language varieties and social dialects; the problem of multilingualism. 

ENG 312         CREATIVE WRITING II                                                      (3 CREDIT UNITS E)

This is more of the application of the basic steps in creative writing studied in ENG 212. It is a enhancement of the knowledge and practical skills required for creative writing in various genres. Students are expected to submit creative works in at least one of the literary genres – poems, the short story, or a playlet. Final assessment will be based on the student’s original creative work.

ENG 314         PUBLIC SPEAKING                                                                 (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course deals with the foundations and theories of persuasion; public speaking; the audience; selecting a topic and purpose; supporting your ideas; organizing the materials; preparing the delivery; and making persuasive speeches.

ENG 316           COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS                                   (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Verbal and non-verbal skills in the business environment. Different types of oral and written communication and correspondences used, e.g. in banks, companies, stock-broking, supermarkets, telecommunications, firms, and other types of business houses. Effective use of telephone, oral presentations, effective writing skills for the business world; business writing tasks such as letters, memos, e-mails, report writing, minutes, speeches, account statements, proposals, and correct use of language at meetings, speaking skills, grammar and style issues.

ENG 315         GENRES OF AFRICAN ORAL LITERATURE                       (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course will present a detailed survey and classification of African oral literature; the nature, characteristic features, artistic elements, functions, performance; current methods of collection and preservation of African Oral literature.

ENG 313         BLACK DIASPORA LITERATURE I: AFRICAN-AMERICAN                                                                                                                                                       (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

The social and intellectual background to the literature of the African-American as manifested in their essays, political pamphlets and autobiographies; the critical study of their poetry, drama and prose fiction from the 18^th Century to the present.

ENG381          THE ENGLISH NOVEL                                                            (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Study of the themes and conventions of English novel since Defoe. Major English writers and influences on the English novel will be studied. There will also be a study of representative novels mainly from the 18^th century to the modern times.

ENG 362         ENGLISH DRAMA                                                                    (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

The development of the English Drama: the evolution of the stage from Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe through Shakespeare and Ben Jonson to the present; the technical and thematic preoccupation of the dramatists. 

ENG 372         ENGLISH POETRY                                                                   (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

In-depth examination of the English poetry from the Romantic period to the present against its political, philosophical, and literary/aesthetic backgrounds and the relationships that informed the poetry of the various periods under study; the ideas that shaped the matter and manner of the works of the representative poets selected for study.

ENG 318         BLACK DIASPORA LITERATURE II: CARIBBEAN            (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

The historical, social and intellectual milieu of the literature of the English-speaking Caribbean people as reflected in their essays, political pamphlets, autobiographies and cultural magazines; a critical study of the poetry, drama and prose fiction written by the representative writers of this region from the 17^th century to the present.

GST301           ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDIES I                                        (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

Definition of Entrepreneurship, Relationship Between Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Factors of Entrepreneurship; Dealing with External Factors of Entrepreneurship; Factors of Production; Profit and Other Objectives of an Entrepreneur, the Business Environment, Understanding Viability Study; Needs and Characteristics of Consumers; Mission and Enterprise Objectives; Export Market Shares; Target Market; Income Determination; Break-even Point, Size of the Business, Location Factors; Financial Requirements Forms of Ownership; Business Plan. Risk Analysis; Legal Requirements; Staffing, Purchasing; Production; Management.

INR332      WAR AND PEACE IN WEST AFRICA SINCE 1960

                                                                                                                            (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

Historical Perspective of major Wars in West Africa since 1960, Major causes of Wars in West Africa since independence, Mending of fences during War period in West Africa since independence, Methods of conflict resolution among States in West Africa since independence, Maintenance of Peace in West Africa since independence, The role of West African States in the Nigerian Civil War, The role of West African States in the Chadian crisis, The role of West African States in the conflicts in Sierra-Leone, The role of West African States in the Liberia and Gambia crisis. The creation of ECOWAS, Significance of ECOWAS in the maintenance of Peace in West Africa since independence, the role of ECOMOG in the peace keeping mission of the West African States.

ENG 421         NEW TRENDS IN SYNTAX                                                   (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Various approaches to syntactic theory. Modern grammars critically examined: Bloomfieldian/taxonomic, Pike’s tagmenic grammar, Chomsky’s systemic/functional, transformational generative grammars, stratificational, sector analysis, and case grammars. Usefulness of each theory and application to English. Focus on theoretical issues in transformational generative syntax: ambiguity, paraphrase, recursiveness, etc: transformational processes: relativisation, noun phrase complementation, nominalization, etc. Prerequisites are ENG 241 and ENG 222. 

ENG423          LITERATURE OF THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC PERIOD           

   (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course will address the historical events that ushered in the Romantic era (between 1800 and 1840) in England. Other aspects that will be focused on in the course include the ideals of the Romantic period; the attention to Nature; the concept of the Sublime, amongst others. Some Romantic poets and their works will be studied, and these include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake Shelly and Byron. The literary criticism of the period includes those of Coleridge, Godwin, Wollstonecraft and Lamb. Works of prominent novelists of the period, Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott, will also be studied.

ENG424          NEW NIGERIAN LITERATURE                                        (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

The past two decades have witnessed the emergence of new Nigerian voices whose thematic concerns and literary style look similar but depart from the first and second generation Nigerian writers. Their works traverse all the genres of literature – poetry, drama, and fiction. Their observation of events is keen and their views sometimes possess a radical mien that jolts the reader into a new way of looking at things. These new voices in Nigerian writing are not necessarily young age wise; they are new on the literary scene and their subjects and style vary from the old. Their subject matters have relevance to the current situation within the Nigerian polity. For this reason, some of the following writers and their works will be analysed in this course: Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chimamanda Adichie, Uwem Akpan, Jude Dibia, Sefi Atta, Teju Cole, Helon Habila, E.C. Osondu, Rotimi Babatunde, Chika Unigwe, Phillip Bengho, Biyi Bandele, Karen King-Aribisala, Igoni Barrett, among others.  

ENG 432         PRAGMATICS                                                                         (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Scope, goals and principles of pragmatics; utterance – meaning, as distinct from sentence meaning; the socio –cultural and linguistic rules that determine correct interpretation of terms in the real world; presupposition; context; locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts; speech acts in general, intention; inference; conventional and conversational implicatures; emerging theories of pragmatics.  

ENG 434         LITERARY STYLISTICS                                                         (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Literary stylistics as applied literary analysis that accommodates non-literary analysis; how literary semantics are unearthed through linguistic inquiry into texts; focus on the syntactic, phonological, discoursal, and lexical operations in the thematic and linguistic interpretation of texts; interpretation of the nuances of meaning in texts through the application of linguistic instruments; current linguistic theories as base of analyses of texts; analyses through models for practical application of the acquired knowledge and skills.

ENG 491      PSYCHOLINGUISTICS                                                              (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Psycholinguistic account of language; relationship between language and the mind. Language acquisition and language learning; thinking and cognition; language and the brain; language localization; linguistic performance and behaviour; language production and comprehension; language impairment.

ENG 454         MULTILINGUALISM                                                               (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Multilingual nation: varieties of its linguistic issues. Social, cultural and political implications: the problems of national languages, official orthographies, languages to be taught in schools; language policy; and language planning.  Different aspects of multilingualism, Nigeria as a case study: language situation, multiglossic nature of language functions, language choice, language attitudes, plight and destiny of small group/minority language groups, management of multilingualism/ language engineering in Nigeria; implications of multilingualism in Nigeria for other multilingual contexts.

ENG 411         ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES                                    (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Adoption of English to particular circumstances and purposes; specialized varieties of English: the language of Journalism, bureaucracy, science and technology, ordinary conversation, etc. Short project involving a particular field of study.

ENG 418         PROJECT/LONG ESSAY                                                        (4 CREDIT UNITS C)

The student is expected to carry out a research and write a project based on a chosen subject approved by the supervisor. 

ENG 453         LANGUAGE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT                (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Relationship between language and national development, relationship between language and individuals and societal development, language and the economy, language and national mobilization, language and national unity and integration, language and national ideology, language and a patriotic culture, language and nationalism, language and national health, language and economic wellbeing, language and infrastructural facilities, language and social attitudes, language and social culture. Constraints placed on national development by the linguistic situations in developing African nations; language as the most effective means of human communication; language as the cornerstone of mass participation in the development process.    

ENG 414         SPEECH WRITING                                                                  (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Introduction – What speech writing entails, The Communication process and the context of speech writing. Basis principles of Speech writing, Types of speech, e.g. expository, analytical etc.  The step of quality speech writing, e.g., choosing topics, sourcing for information etc.  Logic, Language and Style in speech writing.  Review of selected speeches, Learners should be made to write at least 3 speeches to test their understanding of the different steps in speech writing.

ENG 416         CREATIVE WRITING III                                                           (2 CREDIT UNITS E)

This course will be a practical application of knowledge and skills acquired in ENG 212 and ENG 312, and students are expected to produce a portfolio of creative writing in the English language.

ENG 417        POST-COLONIAL AFRICAN LITERATURE                         (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

The nature of post-colonial literature and its application to the whole range of the literary output across Africa since the end of the colonization of the peoples. The course is thus diachronic even though the subject matters of the writers do not necessarily have to be. In this wise, one could safely call the whole period since the 1950s on the African continent post-colonial as many of the peoples of Africa actually got their deliverance from colonial rule mostly from this period onwards. It is also historically known that the colonial period actually ceased from about the middle of the 20th century. Literatures of the peoples of the world thus got into the post-colonial era since the stated period. Thus, students would be exposed to literatures that were presented to the public within this diachronic period.

ENG 415         LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM                                 (3 CREDIT UNITS C)

Theory of literature in general; theories of poetry, drama and prose fiction; the nature and approaches of literary criticism; the history of English criticism with, emphasis on major genres, themes and general critical principles; relate of selected readings to problems in the criticism of African literature.

ENG 419         AFRICAN LITERATURE AND GENDER                              (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

The twin concepts of gender and identity as the defining principles in the characterization, situations, styles of selected African literary texts; literary texts as chronicles of the changing images of characters caught in the maelstrom of a constantly changing world; focus on instances that reflect the basic physiological differences between men and women as well as the preconceived assumptions about the “proper” roles, attitudes and characteristics (physical) that men and women should have in patriarchal societies.

ENG 426         TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE         (2 CREDIT UNITS C)

This course covers the period of English Literature between the 1900-1990s which is a period characterized by global wars, radical artistic experiment and the emergence of new nations  out of British colonial rule. All these influenced the literature of this period as writers responded to the stimulus and challenge of these events with their literary outputs. This course therefore presents the experiments and the modernist innovations of English writers during this period of extraordinary ferment in literature.

6.0       LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

The language of instruction is the English language

7.0       QUALITY ASSURANCE

7.1       STAFF

Academic staff for the programme is located at the headquarters, and at the various Study Centres spread across the country. Currently, there are 31 facilitators in the various Study Centres. This is shown in the table below.

Headquarters Staff:

1. Otubanjo, D. A. O., PhD Political Science – Professor/Dean

1. Yesufu, A. R.,  B.A. English (NIG.), M.A English (IBADAN), PhD English (INDIANA) – Professor

• Eyisi, Joy C., NCE English/Rel. Studies (AWKA), B.A. Education/English (NIG.), M.Ed. Educ. Admin & Supervision (AWKA), M.A. English, PhD English (NIG.) – Professor  (Adjunct)

1. Ofulue, C. I., B.A. Linguistics (ILORIN), M.A. Linguistics (IBADAN),                                                                                                         PhD Linguistics (INDIANA) –  Associate Professor   

1. Daniel, I. O., B.Ed. English/Lang. Arts, MA English, PhD English (IBADAN) – Senior Lecturer/HOU

1. Iwuchukwu, O. F., BA English (NIG.), MA English, PhD English (LAGOS) – Senior Lecturer   

1. Iyere, Theodore O., BA English (JOS), PGDE (ABU), MA  English (ABU) – Lecturer I

• Yakubu, A. M., BA English, MA English, PhD English (LAGOS) – Lecturer I

1. Oni, J. F., BA English (ADO EKITI), MA English, PhD English (IBADAN) – Lecturer II

Current List of Facilitators for BA English

7.2       ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Admissions and Registration are fully automated. Prospective students’ applications are passed through a set of criteria following NUC guidelines. Successful candidates are issued provisional letters of admission, subject to presentation of original copies of their credentials for verification. The flexible nature of the University’s programmes allows candidates to register online for the minimum or maximum number of credit units in a semester.

7.3       INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND DELIVERY

The method of instruction is by the distance learning mode, which involves the use of a range of media to bridge the ‘distance’ between the instructor and the students. Print is the major medium of instruction for this programme. Each course has a study material developed and written specifically for it, and which students are expected to study prior to their being examined. A course guide is also provided to give the student an overview of the course. For the oral aspect of language learning, audio tapes will be provided to accompany the study materials.

7.4       EVALUATION

Continuous assessments are carried out in the form of assignments and are based on the study material for each course. These assignments will constitute 30% of the total score. The pass mark for the continuous assessment is 40% of the total score. Except otherwise stated, each course will culminate in an end of semester examination. The examination constitutes 70% of the total score. The pass mark for the final examination is 40% of the total score. Examination scripts are marked by lecturers in the Unit, within their specified areas of specialization.

7.4.1    TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

As part of the evaluation mechanism, each course would be provided with four TMAs out of which the best three would be used for the Continuous Assessments for a course. The best three would also be used for the practical courses. To qualify to sit for examination, therefore, each student must turn in at least three TMAs for each of the course.

7.4.2    END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATION

Each course will also be examined at the end of the semester. Instructional facilitators as well as academic staff for the programme are encouraged to develop questions for the examination data bank. The questions are moderated internally as well as externally by external Assessor, for the 400 level courses.

7.4.3    MARKING OF EXAMINATION SCRIPTS

The marking guides for each course as moderated by the internal and external assessors are used in the marking of the scripts by the Lecturers in the English Unit. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the automated TMAs and examinations being conducted by the University currently makes it less cumbersome to have students scripts marked as this is usually done automatically and the result immediately stored for future retrieval and compilation. Moreover, the student’s grade can be easily accessed as soon as the examination is completed by the student.

7.5       LEARNER SUPPORT SERVICES

The programme will be serviced by a range of support services, one of which is the grading of the tutor marked assignments by tutorial facilitators. The assignments, which will be returned to the students with facilitators’ comments will serve as a means for feedback, and will enable students to assess and improve on their performance. Student Counsellors are also available at the Study Centres to cater for the academic needs of learners.

8.0       RECOGNITION OF THE PROGRAMME

The programme has been prepared in line with NUC guidelines as well as international standards. It presently enjoys an interim accreditation status from the NUC.

9.0       PROPOSED STARTING DATE AND PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

The current programme, as approved by Senate, commenced in the 2006/2007 academic session.

 This document is a proposal for a review of the programme and it is aimed at providing a language and literature emphasis. The proposed date of commencement of the revised programme is 2014/2015 academic session subject to Senate’s approval.

10.0     TARGET STUDENTS

The B.A. English programme has been designed for persons who wish to upgrade their qualifications, their language and literary skills in order to enhance their performance in their various vocations.  

11.0     STUDENT ENROLMENT AND PROJECTION

Based on the current figures for registered students of (644) in 2010/2011 (B.A. Ed. figure is 511), estimated yearly projection is 20% or more of current admission figures.

12.0     CONCLUSION

In view of the decline in standards in the use and teaching of the English language, this programme becomes quite relevant. In addition, the ability to do independent logical reasoning is essential for intelligent decision making. A development of aesthetic ability through creative works is expected to arise from going through this programme. In this wise, career opportunities abound for graduates of the programme in a vast number of industries. English language as a global language and as the nation’s official language is vital for the nation’s development and participation in the global market. The ability to reason creatively and independently is also expected to create in the students the ability to be solution providers in many areas of human endeavour.