Module Directory

This module introduces final-year undergraduate students from across the social sciences to the fundamental theories and analytical methods that underpin effective communication within various professional environments. The course aims to demonstrate how language can be strategically employed to achieve diverse objectives and will likely be of particular interest to students interested in going into careers in management and marketing.

Key concepts such as discourse, influence, authority, emotion, and cross-cultural communication will be explored to provide insights into the factors that impact professional interactions and the tactics that can be utilised to enhance communication effectiveness. Throughout the module, students will not only develop a solid understanding of these theoretical concepts but will also have numerous opportunities to refine their own professional communication skills and techniques. Practical application of these skills will be encouraged across a variety of scenarios and settings, ensuring that students are well-equipped to excel in their future careers in management and marketing.

The aims of this module are:

•  Introduce students to essential theories and strategies for effective professional communication.


• Examine the diverse applications of language in various settings to establish and convey meaning, with a focus on professional communication scenarios.


• Investigate the factors that contribute to successful communication within and across professional contexts.


• Provide opportunities for students to practise, enhance, and implement communication skills and techniques tailored to their future professional careers.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Understand the selected theoretical concepts and models in the field of professional communication.
2. Appreciate the role of language and the role it plays in different communicative practices and contexts.
3. Be critically aware of the factors that shape and influence the ways in which communication takes places across a range of different media.
4. Demonstrate practical abilities and strategies for communicating effectively across a range of different professional contexts and media.

Syllabus 

• Introduction to professional communication.


• Intercultural communication and communicative competence.


• Approaches to understanding communication 1.


• Approaches to understanding communication 2.


• Communicative practices within professional contexts 1.


• Communicative practices within professional contexts 2.


• Developing successful communicative practices – speaking.


• Developing successful communicative practices – writing.


• Developing successful communicative practices – digital literacies 1.


• Developing successful communicative practices – digital literacies 2.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour lecture per week.

The lectures will be a combination of lecture-style input and student-centred seminar activities. Lecture-style input introduces students to theoretical concepts and models and provides an overview of key research findings.

Seminar activities include exercises, pair- and group-work tasks, and discussion.

Classroom activities are supplemented by readings and recommended online materials such as presentations by or interviews with researchers whose work is being discussed, self-assessment quizzes, etc.

All materials will be provided online in a format that allows for visual/auditory adaptation to individual needs, and Listen Again will be enabled, so learning and teaching methods will be inclusive for all students.