This course is designed to give the necessary training for those taking up a mentored internship field assignment with SIL International. This initial assignment would be up to two years duration and may be undertaken as the first phase of a longer-term involvement.
It is envisaged that the main characteristics of such an assignment include (but are not limited to):
- 18-24 months duration under supervision
- Language and culture learning
- Participation in 'on the job training'
- Definition of further learning objectives (i.e. post-assignment training if desired)
Participants are normally required to have taken the
Language and Culture Acquisition course or an equivalent, and will opt for one of the training tracks below.
Each is comprised of a unique core component plus a number of shared components that are common to each track. Further details of the unique core components to each track can be found in tabs on this page.
In addition to the component unique to their selected training track, participants will take other components including:
- Understanding anthropology
- Intercultural communication training; language and society
- Teamwork
- Living in Christ (optional for those not members of Wycliffe organisations)
Entry requirements
The usual entry requirements for a Redcliffe College postgraduate level course apply.
Assignment Related Training is taught in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International.
In addition to the specialist tracks, each Assignment Related Training student will cover content such as:
Anthropology
Learn how your own culture shapes your identity and behaviour and discover how to understand new cultures. This part of the course will introduce you to research methods, showing you how relevant anthropology is to your own future role in translation, literacy, community development, scripture engagement etc.
Language & Society
Discover how you use language, including your own mother tongue, and the idea of language of education, and second (or more) languages. This course will also teach you the key concepts and terminology in Sociolinguistics, particularly those relating to language, showing you its relevance to any future activities you may undertake in areas such as language analysis, dictionary making, literacy, translation etc.
Following and Leading Across Cultures
How can you work effectively with others of a different culture? What factors promote, and what hinder, working well cross-culturally? How does a team work: what are the different roles; what effect can different values, goals and personalities have? This part of the course will give you the answers to these, and many other, questions.
Portfolio
As part of the course, you will complete an individual research project investigating factors affecting language development activities in a particular area of the world. You will also complete an assignment covering languages and cultures at national and local level, issues of anthropology, and sociolinguistic selected characteristics at national and ethnic group level.
Skills for Language Study
An introduction to linguistic theory and practical fieldwork methods in phonology, morphology and syntax.
This track will broaden your grasp of linguistic theory in the core areas of phonology, morphology and syntax, and will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to participate in a field language project. You will also learn to use specialist computer software for language analysis and documentation.
Those taking the Language Study Skills track normally spend weeks 8-10 of the course working with a speaker of a non-European language to establish, under the guidance of a tutor, a preliminary analysis of linguistic features of that language.
They should normally expect an assignment following this track to be characterised by:
- Preliminary language analysis write up of grammar/ phonology if needed
- The collection of language data for further study
Download the full course objectives here.
Dictionary Making
Cover the basic principles and methods of constructing a bilingual dictionary. Can be studied as part of Assignment Related Training or as a stand-alone course.
Cover the basic principles and methods of constructing a bilingual dictionary. Can be studied as part of Assignment Related Training or as a stand-alone course.
An accurate and insightful dictionary is a great help to the language community and expatriate worker alike.
In addition, it is a key element of literacy development for any preliterate or semiliterate community. A good dictionary also lays a foundation for a translation project.
This short course is usually taken as part of Assignment Related Training. Participants taking this track follow the first seven weeks of the Skills for Language Study track when they are introduced to Grammar and Phonology. Following this introduction, a seminar in dictionary making is held during weeks 8 to 10 of the course. Alternatively, if you have previously studied linguistics and have experience of using the relevant SIL software, it may be possible to take the three-week Dictionary Making Seminar as a standalone course.
In this seminar, participants will cover the basic principles and methods of constructing a bilingual dictionary. These include
- Designing a dictionary for a particular audience
- Gathering and ordering vocabulary data
- Using appropriate software to store and publish a dictionary
Download the full course objectives here.
Language Survey
This track of Assignment Related Training equips you with an awareness of the linguistic and sociolinguistic criteria that can be used to define language and dialect boundaries.
This track of Assignment Related Training equips you with an awareness of the linguistic and sociolinguistic criteria that can be used to define language and dialect boundaries.
Language Survey not only provides a good record of language and language use in a given area, it also provides the data needed to enable communities to make decisions on the viability and appropriateness of language development and Bible translation projects.
Participants will understand the theoretical basis for, and know how to use, the methods that have been developed to determine:
- Lexical similarity; measure inherent intelligibility
- Assess bilingual proficiency
- Describe language attitudes and patterns of language use.
They will also understand the importance of good language survey design and will know how to produce a report of language survey findings.
Download the full course objectives here.
Literacy
Providing basic training in literacy work amongst children and adults in the developing world.
The Literacy track is part of Assignment Related Training and is taught in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International.
It is primarily intended for those with no previous experience.
During the literacy track, attention will be given to:
- Literacy programme issues
- Literacy teaching methods
- Literacy materials production
- Teacher training
Key aspects of developing sustainable literacy programmes and other major issues in current thinking about literacy will also be considered.
Scripture Engagement
Equipping you to facilitate transformative engagement with Scripture.
This practical course offers specialist training in how to make God’s Word available and accessible to people of all nations and languages and to facilitate transformative engagement with Scripture. You will:
- Explore how language, culture and worldview impact engagement with Scripture.
- Learn to use practical tools for engaging individuals and communities with Scripture, such as Bible studies and Chronological Bible Storying.
- Discover how Scripture can be made accessible through audio, visual, digital and print mediums.
- Develop skills in strategic planning and community engagement.
Scripture Engagement is open to anyone but also forms part of the initial training for those working with SIL International on a Scripture Engagement or Ethno Arts assignment.
“I’ve learnt to break down barriers, build bridges and open doors to helping people engage with God’s Word.” Martin, SE student
The Scripture Engagement track is offered non-validated and therefore cannot be studied for credit towards the MA Field Linguistics or MA Literacy Programme Development.
However, Scripture Engagement students who are required by their organisation to complete LACA and ART might like to consider enrolling on Redcliffe's MA in Contemporary Missiology, with a recognised specialism in Scripture Engagement. The Scripture Engagement track of ART includes the taught content of CM9 Scripture Engagement: Approaches and Issues, required for this specialism.
As a result, Scripture Engagement students might like to study the following:
- CM1 Research Methods and Approaches for Missiological Study at the July Summer School
- Language and Culture Acquisition and Assignment Related Training - Scripture Engagement during the following autumn, to satisfy the SIL International learning objectives
- CM2 Global Missiological Issues in Intercultural Contexts at the following Summer School, or in Weekend Mode during the Spring
- Either of the following:
CM8 Reading the Bible Missionally
CM10 Scripture Engagement: Professional Project
CM16 Life and Work in Muslim Contexts
- Finally, students have two years to complete a dissertation to be awarded an MA in Contemporary Missiology (Scripture Engagement)
Course dates
Assignment Related Training (ART) forms part of the PGCert stage of MA Field Linguistics and MA Literacy Programme Development, which runs from July to November. It can also be studied as a standalone module.
The Scripture Engagement and Language Survey study tracks are non-validated and students do not need to be enrolled on a Master's programme.
The Assignment Related Training module runs from 10 September to 30 November 2018.
The Dictionary Making Seminar can be studied standalone from 5 - 23 November 2018.
There will be no lectures 22 to 28 October 2018.
Application deadline: 30 July 2018
For full course dates, please click here: 2018
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees for Assignment Related Training in 2018 are £1,850.
The tuition fees for the Dictionary Making Seminar alone are £550.
In addition to tuition fees, students pay a maintenance fee for daily refreshments, weekly community lunch and use of the facilities during their course of study. Students may also need to pay costs associated with any accommodation or validated programme that they are on.
For more information about course fees, see our fees page; for information about finding suitable accommodation for your stay, see our Living in Gloucester page.