Welcome

Director: Professor Kerry Dunne

Welcome to the Language Centre at the University of Wollongong. The Language Centre was established in 2009, although languages and English language have been taught at the University since the 1970s. I am the Director of the Language Centre, which is located in the Faculty of Arts.

Proficiency in more than one language is an advantage in today’s globalised economies. The Language Centre offers subjects in Asian and European languages, and in English Language and Linguistics (ELL). Academics in the Centre have strong reputations for teaching excellence.

Students can study major or minor sequences in:

Languages and ELL subjects can be studied as majors in many degrees including the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Commerce, or as electives  in other degrees such as the Bachelor of Engineering.  The Certificate in Languages (24 cps) and the Diploma of Languages (48 cps), offered from 2010, will allow students to value add to their studies by learning a language concurrently with their main degree.

Students can deepen their language and cultural proficiency by studying at one of the University’s exchange partner universities. Intensive short courses—3-4 weeks—and semester or year-long exchanges are possible and the study is credited in many degree programs.

The Language Centre also offers subjects that focus on providing students with a grounding in the society and culture that they may be working in.

The English Language and Linguistics (ELL) program offers subjects to extend students’ command of English and to develop the skills needed for academic study and vocational success. The ELL program has two streams in first year, one for non-English speaking background students (ELL 151  & 152) and one for speakers with an English language background (ELL 161).  Both offer students the opportunity to develop their essay and report writing and their presentation skills.

 A major in ELL can specialise in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) or in English for professional purposes. Students wishing to major in Linguistics and/or for teaching English in schools or English as a Second Language should take one of the ELL units and the foundation course in Linguistics.

For students wanting to develop a research profile in languages and/or Linguistics, supervision is available at Honours level and for higher degrees (Masters and PhD) in areas of research strength.

Over the next five years, the Language Centre will be consolidating its current offerings and expanding the range of subjects taught to allow for greater diversity and to meet the needs of students, as well as the education and business sectors.