Teaching English Language and Literature (in combination)

Teachers:
prof. PhDr. Gabriela Lojová, PhD. 

doc. PaedDr. Martina Šipošová, PhD. 

dr. habil. Karáth Tamás, PhD.

PaedDr. Peter Bojo, PhD. 

Mgr. Andrea Demovičová, PhD.

Mgr. Tomáš Hlava, PhD.

Mgr. Patricia Kotlebová, PhD.

Tutor(s):
Full-time studies:
Mgr. Patricia Kotlebová, PhD., 1st year student’s tutor,  patricia.kotlebovauniba.sk
Mgr. Andrea Demovičová, PhD., 2nd and 3rd year student’s tutor, demovicovafedu.uniba.sk

Part-time studies:
doc. PaedDr. Martina Šipošová, PhD., siposovafedu.uniba.sk


Student Study Advisor for the Study Programme: 
Student study advisor for bachelor’s studies:
Stanislava Sakalová, sakalova8uniba.sk

Student study advisor for master’s studies:
Eva Frtúsová, frtusova7uniba.sk


Department Coordinator for International Mobility and Erasmus+:
Mgr. Patricia Kotlebová, PhD., kotlebova1uniba.sk

The organisation of studies is based on a credit system, which gives students the opportunity to participate in the development of their own study plans. The student receives credits after successful completion of the course. The conditions that the student must fulfil during the study and for its proper completion are specified in the internal regulation VP No.1/2020 Study Regulations of the Faculty PdF UK.

The study programme consists of three components: the common social-scientific, pedagogical, and psychological basis of teaching (60 credits), the English language and literature academic specialization (60 credits), and the second academic specialization (60 credits). The study programme provides a wide variation of study paths depending on the student’s interest.

The curriculum specifies the sequence of time and content of the courses/subjects, the method of teaching, forms of assessment, and workload expressed in credits. The student determines his/her study plan for the following study period by enrolling on the basis of clearly defined rules. He/she enrols in subjects in such a composition (compulsory, compulsory elective, and elective subjects) that s/he fulfils the conditions for enrolment in the next part of his/her studies in the control stage of the study.

The curriculum consists of 14 compulsory subjects (7 of which are profile subjects), the completion of which gives the student 48 credits, 18 compulsory elective subjects for which s/he must obtain at least 12 credits (out of a total of 53 credits) and 3 elective subjects.

The compulsory subjects educate students in linguistic, didactic, literary, and intercultural aspects. At the same time, they provide them with conditions for the further development of foreign language skills and  communicative competence. The compulsory elective subjects are divided into five groups (linguistics, literature, didactics, culture and history, practical language) so that students can flexibly design their own study plan in accordance with their interests. They allow students to deepen and broaden the knowledge and skills acquired in the compulsory subjects. Students can supplement their credit composition with any number of credits for elective subjects. All courses are taught in English (including the final thesis and its defence). All relevant information about individual courses (number of credits, scope, and form of teaching, learning outcomes, assessment rules, course completion requirements, recommended semester, prerequisite courses, lecturers, and study literature) is given in the Study Plan and in the Course Information Sheets.

The topics of the final bachelor theses address current issues in relevant fields (linguistics, didactics, literature, realia, and interculture) in relation to the practice of English language teaching. In their formulation, priority is given to the graduate's profiling, the student's orientation towards a particular area of interest, and to current ongoing research projects.

The study programme is carried out in the facilities of the PdF UK in Bratislava (Faculty of Education, Comenius University) at Šoltésovej 4, Moskovská 3, and Račianska 59 streets. The faculty has its own academic library. The availability of information resources is ensured through wireless connection in all faculty buildings. Students have unrestricted access to external resources of the university and to full text databases.

PdF UK provides students with social and motivational scholarships, and the conditions for awarding scholarships are regulated by the Act on Higher Education No.131/2002 Coll., 96 (8 - 11) and the Scholarship Regulations of PdF UK.

Faculty of Education, Comenius University in Bratislava provides students with dormitory accommodation and accommodation-related services, such as meals, spiritual activities, sports activities, and medical care. There is also a free Psychological Counseling Centre at the university.

PdF UK (Faculty of Education, Comenius University) has the possibility to delegate students abroad for studies or internships within the framework of its partnerships, the Erasmus + programmes, and activities covered by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. The results of education obtained at a foreign partner institution are recognised by the university. In PdF UK, the transfer of credits is regulated in the VP No.1/2020 Study Regulations of PdF UK.

STUDY PLAN - full-time form

STUDY PLAN - part-time form

The admission requirement for applicants to the bachelor’s degree programme in the Combined Programme of Teaching English Language and Literature is the completion of a full secondary education with a Secondary School Leaving Certificate. The required proof of educational qualifications is a certified copy of the school leaving certificate.

Applicants are admitted without an entrance examination if they meet one of the following criteria:

1. Passing the English secondary school leaving examination B2, where the student has achieved at least 75% in the external part (not older than 3 years), or passing the English secondary school leaving examination C1,
2. the submission of one of the internationally recognised standardised certificates 'First Certificate in English (FCE)' (no more than 3 years old) or 'Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)' (no more than 4 years old) or 'Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)' (no more than 5 years old),
3. passing the TOEFL test – minimum score 90 (not older than 2 years),
4. passing the IELTS test – Band Score minimum 6 (not older than 2 years),
5. passing the General or Vocational State Language Examination (not older than 3 years) – note: the examinations must be administered by an authorised institution (see www.minedu.sk)
6. passing the Basic State Language Examination with a mark of 'Distinction' (1) (not older than 3 years) – NB: the examinations must be conducted by an approved institution (see www.minedu.sk),
7. passing the CITY and GUILDS test at level B2, covering all four language skills, writing, reading, listening, and speaking (no more than 3 years old).

Meeting at least one of these criteria is considered a passing score on the English Language Entrance Exam, and thus applicants are not required to participate in the Department of English Language and Literature entrance written exam. Based on the recognition of the certificate/state/secondary school leaving examination, the candidate will be awarded a number of marks equivalent to the maximum marks obtained in the written entrance examination. These criteria are updated annually to reflect any changes in standardised testing systems.
The selection of other applicants is based on the results of the written admission test, considering, in part, the results obtained in secondary education. In this case, the weighting of the entrance exam shall be at least ¾ of the overall result of the admission procedure.

The content of the written examination/test consists of English grammar, vocabulary including phraseology and phrases, English pronunciation, and reading comprehension. The knowledge and skills required are equivalent to B2 level of the CEFR, i.e., upper intermediate, or Cambridge Certificate 1 (FCE).
In the case of more applicants than the expected number of applicants admitted to a given study programme, the faculty reserves the right to select the applicants who have achieved the best results in the entrance examination from among those who take the entrance examination. Applicants are admitted to a predetermined number of places.

The learning objectives of the study programme are specified in the graduate profile and elaborated in the course information sheets. Graduates of the study programme are ready to continue their studies at the 2nd level of university education. S/he has gained insight into the issues of educational sciences and social and legislative contexts of education and training, acquired the basics of pedagogical-psychological and digital literacy of a teacher. S/he acquired cross-cutting knowledge of relevant scientific disciplines, as well as the skills to acquire information and solve practical tasks and problems. The graduate is qualified to practise the profession of teaching assistant and English language lecturer. S/he can also be employed in a variety of other spheres requiring a first level of university education. The learning objectives are:

Theoretical knowledge
Graduate of the First Degree (BA) in Teaching English Language and Literature (combined):

• knows the social-scientific and legislative context of institutional education, the principles of organising and planning the educational process,

• knows, can analyse the theoretical background of traditional, humanising, activating, innovative, and alternative methods and the possibilities of their application to English language teaching,

• knows the laws of development of cognitive, affective, and personal characteristics of pupils, understands the role of various determining factors and the possibilities of their influence in the process of English language teaching,

• is familiar with the basics of individual subdisciplines relevant for English language didactics,

• knows the different levels of the English language system (phonetics, phonology, grammar, lexicology, stylistics), understands their structural-functional characteristics,

• has acquired a clear knowledge of the history, culture, and realities of the countries in which English is used as a mother tongue,

• knows the basics of literary theory and criticism, understands the principles of the origins and development of the main literary movements and genres in Anglophone literature,

• is familiar with the cultural and ethnic diversity of Anglophone provenance,

• knows the basics of English language didactics and the principles of the learner-centred approach,

• is familiar with the research methodology of the relevant disciplines,

• is familiar with the basic methodology for the use of literary texts in teaching.

Skills
Graduate of the First Degree (BA) in Teaching English Language and Literature (combined):

• can orient in pedagogical documentation and school legislation,

• can analyse and reflect on the individual components of the educational process,

• can apply basic pedagogical-psychological theoretical knowledge to pedagogical practice

• has developed foreign language communication skills at the B2 - C1 level

• has developed elementary didactic skills, can analyse pedagogical situations, and propose solutions to common problems,

• is familiar with relevant didactic materials, can analyse and select them in relation to teaching objectives,

• can analyse an English text in terms of basic sound, lexical and grammatical language devices,

• can find and describe the main differences and similarities between the linguistic systems of Slovak and English,

• can reflect and discuss anglophone literature and culture in wider social and pedagogical contexts,

• can apply critical analysis in evaluating selected cultural, social, and political phenomena represented in literary works,

• can actively use digital technologies,

• is familiar with the possibilities of working with literary texts in the teaching of English.

Competences
Graduate of the 1st degree (BA) in teaching English language and literature (combined):

• can orient in professional texts, is able to independently acquire and correlate knowledge,

• can read and interpret literature in English,

• has developed the foundations of didactic competences and personal qualities leading to the humanisation of English language teaching,

• can argue, present, and defend his/her views,

• can plan and organise his/her own learning,

• has mastered the strategies of self-knowledge.

An integral part of the graduate's profile are the knowledge, skills, and competences that students develop in the subjects of the common social-scientific, pedagogical, and psychological basis of teaching, which are elaborated in detail in the profile of the graduate of a given study programme.

According to the SKKR, a graduate of the first level of the SP (level 6 of the SKKR) will obtain a qualification and will be qualified for the employment and profession of teaching assistant and foreign language teacher.
Due to the wide range of acquired knowledge, skills, competences, and abilities, he/she can also work in various other spheres of the labour market requiring a first level of university education (e.g. in  the education sector as an organisational worker and methodologist for work with the youth, a lecturer in continuing education, a leisure time animator, pedagogical assistant, a lecturer of an educational programme, a worker of educational agencies, etc., in the education sector in the socio-cultural sphere, in the administrative sector, etc.).

Database of regulated professions:
https://www.minedu.sk/regulovane-povolania-v-slovenskej-republike/

Database of the Register of Occupations of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, the field of Education, Upbringing, and Sport: https://www.sustavapovolani.sk/pracovna_oblast-33

The Law 568/2009 on Lifelong Learning:
https://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2009-568

https://www.profesia.sk/praca/studijne-centrum-basic-slovensko/O4193792

Position of a teacher - lecturer at the BASIC study centre

Curriculum and Course Information Sheets/Link (the link is opened after signing in the AIS system)
https://zona.fedu.uniba.sk/sucasti/katedry/katedra-anglickeho-jazyka-a-literatury/studijny-program/studijne-plany/
https://zona.fedu.uniba.sk/en/sucasti/katedry/katedra-anglickeho-jazyka-a-literatury/studijny-program/ilp/

Erasmus+ Bilateral Contracts with Partner Institutions:

• Spain: Universidad de Granada/ Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Granada

• Spain: Universidad Complutense de Madrid/ Facultad de Filología, Madrid

• Germany: Universität Leipzig/ Philologische Fakultät, Leipzig

• Germany: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München/ Fakultät für Psychologie und Pädagogik, Munich

• Poland: Uniwersytet Pedagogiczny w Krakowie/ Instytut Filologii Angielskej, Kraków

• Czech Republic: Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem/ Faculty of Education, Ústí nad Labem

• Turkey: Maltepe University/ Faculty of Education, Istanbul

• Turkey: Istanbul Sabahattim Zaid University/ Faculty of Education, Istanbul

The Faculty of Education of Comenius University has cooperation agreements with, for instance, the following schools, where students of the English Language and Literature Teaching (Combined) study programme carry out their internships:

• Primary School, Malokarpatské nám.1, 841 03 Bratislava

• Grammar School of L. Novomesky, Tomášikova 2, 821 07 Bratislava

• Private Grammar School, Vážska 32, 821 07 Bratislava

• M. Hodžu Primary School with Kindergarten, Škarniclova 1, 811 01 Bratislava

• 1st Private Grammar School in BA, Bajkalská 20, 821 08 Bratislava

• Primary school P. Marcelyho, Drieňová 16, 821 03 Bratislava

• M. R. Štefánika Primary School with Kindergarten, Grösslingová 48, 811 09 Bratislava

• SNP Primary School, Ostredkova 14, 821 02 Bratislava

• United School Tilgnerova, Tilgnerova 14, 841 05 Bratislava

• Private Primary School, Sklenárova 1, 821 09 Bratislava

• Primary School with Kindergarten, Cádrova 23, 831 01 Bratislava

• Primary School, Kulíškova 8, 821 08 Bratislava

• CENADA Private Primary School for Pupils with Intellectual Talents, Majerníkova 60, 841 05 Bratislava

• Primary School, Pankúchova 4, 851 04 Bratislava

• Primary School, Vazovova 4, 811 07 Bratislava

• Primary School with Kindergarten, Za kasárňou 2, 831 03 Bratislava

• Primary School with Kindergarten, Česká 10, 831 03 Bratislava

• Primary School with Kindergarten, Sibírska 39, 831 02 Bratislava

• Private Primary School FELIX, Krásnohorská 14, 851 07 Bratislava

• Primary School, Hlboká cesta 4, 811 04 Bratislava

• J.A.Komenský Primary School with Kindergarten, Hubeného 25, 831 53 Bratislava

• Primary School with Kindergarten, Dubová 1, 811 04 Bratislava

• Lojova_VTC_EN.pdf
• Lojova_VUPCH_EN.pdf
• Karath_VTC_EN.pdf
• Karath_VUPCH_SK.pdf
• Siposova_VTC_EN.pdf
• Siposova_VUPCH_EN.pdf