Certificate Programs

A certificate program is a one-year non-degree program which prepares students for professional careers in various sectors of the community. The DEP offers the following three certificate programs.

1. Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (C-TEFL)

(Three terms, 80 hours of instruction per term)

Justification

As the importance of English as a Foreign Language grows in Armenia, so does the number of English teachers at the primary, tertiary, and secondary level. Yet all too often, these teachers enter the classroom without state-of-the-art training. The goal of the C-TEFL program is to enhance the professional knowledge and practical skills of in-service and pre-service classroom teachers in Armenia and the region. It is designed to meet the needs of those current and future teachers who may not have the time or aspiration to pursue a Master's degree, but who do want to keep up with the latest developments in the field, and expand and improve their own teaching.

The program consists of three ten-week terms, with eighty hours of instruction per term. In the first term students will take English for Language Teachers , to build their language and academic skills, along with The Structure and Sound System of English . In the second term, students will take Language Learning and Teaching and Teaching the Four Skills . In the final term, students will take Design and Assessment and complete a Practicum.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Those holders of the C-TEFL who wish to pursue further study towards the MA TEFL may transfer C-TEFL 011 and C-TEFL 032 courses for the MA TEFL Program.

The tuition is 27000 AMD per unit credit

Course Schedule for Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (C-TEFL)

Course Descriptions:

C-TEFL 011 English for Language Teachers

The aim of this Intensive English course is to raise students' general English language proficiency in preparation for the Certificate Program. The course will help students develop academic reading, listening and speaking skills with an emphasis on writing skills and effective use of grammar necessary to function as an English language teacher.

C-TEFL 012 The Structure and Sound System of English

The course will examine the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and pragmatic features of English. The focus on grammatical structures will consider form, meaning, and use at the sentence level and within spoken and written discourse. The course will also explore ways to analyze learners' language and organize effective pronunciation and grammar instruction.

C-TEFL 021 Language Learning and Teaching

This course will survey current understandings of second language acquisition and implications for second and foreign language instruction. It will explore communicative teaching practices and underlying principles, with a focus on practical issues teachers face in the language classroom.

C-TEFL 022 Teaching the Four Skills

This course will explore what teachers do in classroom and why, what the four skills entail and what methods and techniques may best work to help EFL learners master the four skills. The course will also provide practical guidance regarding task design and sequencing, classroom management, and reflective teaching.

C-TEFL 031 Course Design and Assessment

This course will address issues of course design and assessment as relevant to the language teacher in the classroom. Building upon block-one courses, it will provide students with practical knowledge regarding needs analysis, syllabus design, lesson planning, materials development, and classroom-based tests and alternative assessment.

C-TEFL 032 Practicum

The practicum component aims to consolidate the theory and practice of teaching methods covered, to help student teachers develop and expand their own teaching/learning techniques, and to facilitate the integration of new EFL teaching methods through reflective te3aching practices. To improve the effectiveness of the practicum, students will be assigned to work with a master-teacher in an authentic EFL class. They will be guided through their apprenticeship in stages—observation, controlled practice of teaching techniques, and gradual responsibility for each lesson. Throughout the practicum, students will receive constructive feedback and assistance, practice peer observation and evaluation and learn how to reflect on their own teaching as a means of improvement.

NOTE:

•  A score of 80 on the iBT TOEFL

•  C-TEFL 012 and C-TEFL 032 will be considered as the equivalent of TEFL 111 and TEFL 139 respectively.

2. Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Young Learners

(C-TEFL-YL) (Three terms, 80 hours per term)

Justification

It is increasingly considered essential for young learners of a new language to begin as early as possible. It is also well understood that teaching young learners requires a very different training than teaching young adults or adults. As the importance of English as a Foreign Language grows in Armenia, so does the number of English teachers at the primary level. Yet all too often, these teachers enter the classroom without state-of-the-art training. The goal of the CTEFL-YL certificate program is to enhance the professional knowledge and practical skills of in-service and pre-service classroom teachers of young learners of English in Armenia and the region. It is designed to meet the needs of those current and future teachers who may not have the time or aspiration to pursue a two-year degree, but who do want to keep up with the latest developments in the field, and expand and improve their own teaching at the elementary level.

The program consists of three ten-week terms, with eighty hours of instruction per term. In the first term students will take English for Language Teachers , to build their language and academic skills, along with The Structure and Sound System of English . In the second term, students will take The Psychology of Teaching a Foreign Language to Young Learners and Methods of Teaching to Young Learners . In the final term, students will take Materials Development and Assessment for Young Learners and complete a Practicum.

•  Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Younger Learners. Those holders of the CTEFL-YL who wish to pursue their studies for the MA TEFL may transfer CT-YL 011 and CT-YL 032 to that program.

The tuition is 27000 AMD per unit credit

Course Schedule for Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to

Young Learners (C-TEFL-YL)

Course Descriptions:

C-TEFL-YL 011 English for Language Teachers

The aim of this Intensive English course is to raise students' general English language proficiency in preparation for the Certificate Program. The course will help students develop academic reading, listening and speaking skills with an emphasis on writing skills and effective use of grammar necessary to function as an English language teacher.

C-TEFL-YL 012 The Structure and Sound System of English

The course will examine the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and pragmatic features of English. The focus on grammatical structures will consider form, meaning, and use at the sentence level and within spoken and written discourse. The course will also explore ways to analyze learners' language and organize effective pronunciation and grammar instruction.

C-TEFL-YL 021 Psychology of Language Teaching to Young Learners

This course will survey current understandings of child second language acquisition and implications for second and foreign language instruction. It will explore communicative teaching practices and underlying principles, with a focus on practical issues teachers face when teaching young learners in the language classroom.

C-TEFL-YL 022 Methods of Teaching to Younger Learners

This course will explore what teachers do in classroom and why, what teaching to young learners entails and what methods and techniques may best work to help these learners master the basics of using the English language. The course will also provide practical guidance regarding task design and sequencing, classroom management, and reflective teaching.

C-TEFL-YL 031 Materials Development and Assessment for Young Learners

This course will address issues of course design and assessment as relevant to the language teacher in the classroom. Building upon block-one courses, it will provide students with practical knowledge regarding needs analysis, syllabus design, lesson planning, materials development, and classroom-based tests and alternative assessment.

C-TEFL-YL 032 Practicum

The practicum component aims to consolidate the theory and practice of teaching methods covered, to help student teachers develop and expand their own teaching/learning techniques, and to facilitate the integration of new EFL teaching methods with the young learner in mind through reflective teaching practices. To improve the effectiveness of the practicum, students will be assigned to work with a master-teacher in an authentic EFL class for young learners. They will be guided through their apprenticeship in stages—observation, controlled practice of teaching techniques, and gradual responsibility for each lesson. Throughout the practicum, students will receive constructive feedback and assistance, practice peer observation and evaluation and learn how to reflect on their own teaching as a means of improvement.

NOTE:

•  A score of 80 on the iBT TOEFL or 550 on paper and pencil TOEFL will be required for admission (Those who take paper and pencil TOEFL should take a writing test and an oral proficiency interview at the DEP at an approved cost).

•  C-TEFL-YL 011 and C-TEFL-YL 032 will be considered the equivalent of TEFL 111 and TEFL 139, respectively.

3. Certificate in Translation (C-TR)

(Three terms, 80 hours per term)

Justification

As the importance of English as a Foreign Language grows in Armenia, so does the need for translating materials written in English into Armenian and vice versa . Yet all too often, the number of professionally trained translators does not accommodate the needs of the community. The goal of the Certificate in Translation program is to enhance the professional knowledge and practical skills of educated people in Armenia and the region to be able to translate various documents from English into Armenian and vice-versa. The program is designed to meet the growing needs of those current and future translators who may not have the time or aspiration to pursue a Master's degree, but who do want to keep up with the latest developments in the field, and expand and improve their own skills in translation.

The program consists of three ten-week terms, with eighty hours of instruction per term. In the first term, students will take English for Translators , to build their language and academic skills, along with Contrastive Linguistics of English and Armenian . In the second term, students will take History and Theories of Translation and Critique of Translated Works . In the final term, students will take two practicum courses in translation: Practicum 1: Translating English into Armenian , and Practicum 2: Translating Armenian into English .

Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Certificate in English-Armenian Translation. Those holders of the C-TR who wish to pursue further study towards the MA TEFL may transfer CT-T011 to the MA TEFL Program.

The tuition is 27000 AMD per unit credit

Course Schedule for Certificate in Translation (C-TR)

Course descriptions:

C-TR 011 English for Translators

The aim of this course is to raise students' general English language proficiency in preparation for the Certificate in Translation Program. The course will help students develop an ability to read and write in a variety of genres with an emphasis on writing skills and the effective use of grammar necessary to function as a English/Armenian translator.

C-TR 012 Contrastive Linguistics of English and Armenian

The course will help students to compare and contrast various areas of the English and Armenian languages to identify the differences and similarities between the two and to prepare the students to offer solutions for problematic areas that can present particular difficulties in translating from one language to the other. The course will also examine the morphological, syntactic and pragmatic features of the two languages. The focus on grammatical structures will consider form, meaning, and use from the sentence level up through the level of larger discourse.

C-TR 021 History and Theories of Translation

This course aims to investigate the history of translation and the theories that have accompanied the changing roles of translation in the societies where they have been put into practice. Translation will be viewed here as a factor that has contributed to shifts in intellectual, literary and cultural trends. This course will also examine the main theoretical concepts currently discussed in translation studies, and demonstrate how they influence translation in practice. By taking a discourse and intercultural studies approach, rather than a purely linguistic approach, this course will explore the impact of translation as a force for change and trace the ways in which texts are received by readers in different cultural contexts. Students will describe and analyze basic concepts in translation studies, understand the linguistic and cultural environment in which translated texts function, and understand the theoretical and practical aspects of translation processes. Students need to understand the role of translation in literary history, follow critical discussion in translation theory, analyze translations and build up a bibliography and a set of references related to translation theory and history.

C-TR 022 Critique of Translated Work

This course will undertake a thorough and in-depth analysis of selected longer works of translation. Students will learn how to establish appropriate criteria for critiquing a given work of translation by practicing individually and in small groups under the supervision of the instructor.

C-TR 031 Practicum1: Translation from Armenian into English , and

C-TR 032 Practicum 2: Translation from English into Armenian

The practicum component aims to consolidate the theory and practice of translation covered in the previous courses. They will help student translators develop and expand their own translating techniques, and to facilitate the integration of their skills and knowledge through large-scale practice. These courses, the first practicing translating from English into Armenian and the second the reverse, will enable students to translate a wide variety of genres in professional areas (medicine, law, business, etc.) so that they can make informed choices about their own professional future.

Students will be guided through their apprenticeship in stages—observation, controlled practice of translation techniques, and increasingly difficult and lengthy texts. Throughout the practicum, students will receive constructive feedback and assistance and evaluate peer performance. At the end of the practicum, students will be required to translate a complete piece of text under the supervision of a faculty member.

NOTE:

•  A score of 80 on the iBT TOEFL or 550 on the paper and pencil TOEFL will be required for admission (Those who take paper and pencil TOEFL should take a writing test and an oral proficiency interview at the DEP at an approved cost).

•  C-TR 011 can be considered the equivalent of TEFL 111 course.