The new MA programme LANGUAGE AND CULTURE offered by the Department of English and American Studies at Sofia University is designed to develop students’ competence and practical skills in English language communication in intercultural contexts. It relies on the experience we gained in our preceding programmes of linguistics and culture. We are now enlarging the scope of the respective fields by offering an even greater number of options.

It is interdisciplinary and trains students in the humanities to interpret different types of texts and narratives, using the tools of textual, visual and cultural analysis in line with the demands of education in the 21st century.

The programme is targeted at BA graduates in English or another philology, as well as non-philology graduates with a high competence in English (level C1 of the European Language Portfolio) who wish to build a career in academic and professional fields such as TEFL, language consultancy, applied linguistics, British/American cultures, journalism, advertising, international relations, publishing, project development and coordination, and so on.

It is flexible and offers a number of courses in a blended form of learning (e-learning).

This is what graduates say about their experience in the two preceding programmes.

Seminars: 45
ECTS credits: 3

MA THESIS WRITING – SEMINAR – PART ONE
Taught by each respective academic supervisor
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 3

MA THESIS WRITING – SEMINAR – PART TWO
Taught by each respective academic supervisor
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 3

Assoc. Prof. Dr Kornelia Slavova
Lectures: 30
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 6

The course aims to acquaint students with cultural diversity in twentieth century American society through the lens of pluralistic American drama/ theatre, which have attacked racial and ethnic prejudice, as well as sexual discrimination. Lectures will explore cultural difference along various lines (race, gender, class, region, and performance style), whereas seminars will discuss specific plays and their film adaptations. The approach will be student-oriented: we will be looking at plays as art, as literary creations but also as cultural objects in the public arena of theatre and film making. Students will be encouraged to do independent work on specific cultural issues as well as to trace the transformations of the dramatic text in performance and film. Assessment will be based on seminar presentation and term paper/ project. There are no special prerequisites for the course apart from a good command of English language as the course is conducted in English.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Kornelia Slavova and Daniela Naydeva
Lectures: 30
ECTS credits: 3

The course aims to introduce students to the changes and trends in the culture of the United States influenced by the Cold War as well as draw comparisons to similar or simultaneous processes in Western Europe and the Soviet block. The lectures will follow the developments both chronologically (from the late 1940s to the late 1980s, as well as post-Cold War influences) and thematically (material culture, culture of everyday life, religion, popular culture, intelligence/spy culture, paranoia, etc.). The approach is student-oriented and involves autonomous reading and discussion of key texts in the field as well as getting acquainted with exemplary specimens of cultural production from the period. Students will be required to do autonomous reading and film watching, and conduct their own research on a topic of their choice. Evaluation involves a mid-term test and a term paper. To do this course, students should have some knowledge of contemporary American culture and international history. The course is conducted in English.

Dr Angel Igov
Lectures: 30
ECTS credits: 3

The course aims to introduce students to diverse social, cultural and anthropological practices, which construct the image of the city in literature, as well as how the literary text re-creates urban space. Lectures and discussions focus on emblematic “literary” cities such as New York, London, and L. A. as represented in contemporary British and American writing by Paul Auster, E. L. Doctorow, Ian McEwan, Angela Carter, Raymond Carver and others. The approach is student-oriented and involves autonomous reading and discussion of critical and theoretical texts. Film adaptations of short stories and novels will help students visualize the connection between textual space and symbolic urban spaces/ places. Students will be expected to write a term paper or a project on a topic related to the overall theme of the course. Evaluation involves a mid-term test and a term-paper. There are no specific prerequisites for the course apart from a good command of English as the course is conducted in English.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Tsvetomira Venkova
Lectures: 30
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 6

This course aims to introduce students to the basics of linguistic analysis, more specifically the analysis of English grammar (morpho-syntax). However, reference will also be made to the neighbouring fields of semantics, pragmatics and text linguistics, so the module will thus serve as a bridge to more advanced linguistic disciplines.

The lectures, in the form of multi-media presentations, will focus on the basic issues in their depth and interrelations. The topics refer to the parts of speech and the related grammatical categories as well as the basic aspects of word description. The sentence is represented as a general structure and at the level of phrases as related to their syntactic functions. In addition, language is viewed in its communicative perspective, information structure and textuality. The development of students’ ideas and interpretations will be encouraged by discussions, selected readings and student mini-conferences.

The seminars will be student-oriented and participants will be expected to take the lead. There will be a reading assignment for each week, and we will be discussing exercises and data which students will need to have worked on before coming to class.

Assessment will be based on class attendance and participation (1/3), a mid-term test (1/3), and a final exam (1/3).

It is hoped that this course will raise students’ awareness of the structure of language in general, and English and Bulgarian in particular, which in turn should help them in careers as diverse as translation, journalism, language teaching and research. The course is taught in English and assumes no prior knowledge of linguistics.

Associate Professor Dr Rositsa Ishpekova
Lectures: 30
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 6

The course aims to acquaint the students with the major postulates of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and the linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors (G. Lakoff and M. Johnson, “Metaphors We Live By”, 1980, G. Lakoff , “Women, Fire and Dangerous Things”, 1987, R. Gibbs “The Poetics of Mind. Figurative Language, Thought and Understanding”, 1994, Z. Kovecses “Metaphor: A practical introduction”, 2010 and others). Both universal and culture-specific conceptual metaphors are discussed (Z. Kovecses “Metaphor in Culture”, 2005). Emphasis is laid on the conceptual metaphors in different types of discourse, especially in political discourse as well as on the metaphorical motivation of idioms.

Prof. D.Litt. Stefana Dimitrova
Lectures: 30
Seminars: 30
ECTS credits: 6

The course follows the origins and development of the Theory of Linguistic Relativity (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). Its various aspects are considered in view of their relation to various linguistic disciplines. The course is based primarily on the works of B. L. Whorf, the creator of the theory. Also analyzed is the work of E. Sapir. The Language Relativity Theory is one of the gnoseological teachings in contemporary linguistics. The term “language” has in it a broader scope, while the notion “language system” stands far away from the traditional view of language.

This is what graduates from the previous MA programmes Cultural Interactions: British and American Perspectives and English in Modern Communication have said about their experience:

“After having two bachelors and a master degree, I have to admit that my Master in Cultural Interactions at the Department of English and American Studies at Sofia University was one of the most interesting things I have ever done in my life. In simple words, it made me see the world with completely different eyes. And this is not only because of the extremely intriguing and multi-dimensional material we had to study (from post-colonial to cyber studies) but because of the way it was taught by the specific respectable professors who gave us the opporunity to discover aspects of life, society, and even psychology, which other people don’t even suspect they exist. Good luck!!!”

Martha Moissidou (Greece), MA “Cultural Interactions”

“In my view the MA programme in Cultural Interactions serves as an efficient transition from the BA degree in English at Sofia University to the professional world with its valuable insights into major global socio-cultural processes and phenomena, such as the impact of US postmodernism, the contemporary consequences of British colonialism, the growing importance of the role of gender worldwide. For me personally, the programme was a mind-opener: its variety of projects, case studies and in-class discussions helped me upgrade what I already knew as well as improve my practical skills.

The ultimate test for me was my risky ambition to combine this humanities-oriented programme with an MA in Business Studies at the University of Sheffield. It turned that that my MA at Sofia University stood me in good stead for an in-depth understanding of the culture of consumption and the co-functioning of the processes of globalization and localization. The risk was worth taking!”

Nadezhda Nikolova, MA in Cultural Interactions

 

“When I chose the MA Programme Cultural Interactions, I was only thinking of improving my qualifications and of getting yet another certificate in English and American Studies into the bargain. I never thought about it in terms of my future career. The class discussions of literature, cinema, and media aroused my interest in postmodernism and the study of popular culture and everyday life, and even gave me confidence to participate in an international students’ conference at the University of Lille-3, France. Afterwards I spent six months as an Erasmus student at Saarbrücken University, working on my MA thesis.

This Programme gave me an orientation I did not expect, as well as a strong motivation to continue my studies – now I am a PhD student in cultural studies at the Dept. of English and American Studies, University of Sofia. I am glad and proud of what I have done so far. “

Alexander Trendafilov, MA in Cultural Interactions

As part of the MA Programme in Cultural Interactions, I had the chance to compare our standards of education with the ones at two other European universities. Lille-3 University gave me the opportunity to participate in an international conference and enjoy my first “public performance”. I was so pleased that my presentation was well-accepted and provoked a serious discussion with professionals in film studies. The following year I continued my studies in English and American culture as an Erasmus student for two semesters at the University of Zaragoza. I liked it so much: I was offered more interactive forms of study and a greater dose of individual work online. Yet, this experience made me appreciate what the Program at Sofia University had already given me – a greater focus on theoretical approaches, combined with intensive discussions in class, in a word,  a solid basis for the furthering of my analytical, critical and communicative skills.

Marta Peneva, MA in Cultural Interactions, still writing her MA thesis

 The Department of English and American Studies at Sofia University feels like a really vibrant and forward-thinking place and I’m really glad I chose to do my MA here. As an EFL teacher it’s been a wonderful experience getting to know people and studying here. I’ve also had the chance to present my master’s dissertation at the international IATEFL conference, which was a great experience.

The programme is extremely useful, especially for those who would like to study or do research in comparative literature and general linguistics. It stimulates an independent and critical approach to the study of language and literature. I highly recommend it as it offers a superb education. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the academic staff who have been encouraging and helpful, and students who have been friendly and supportive.

Osman Bedel, MA in English in Modern Communication

Lille-3 conference Gender/Genre, June 2009.