School of Critical Studies

The University of Glasgow has a long connection with the field of Applied Linguistics, and this was formalised in 2019 with the establishment of the MSc in Applied Linguistics and a few years later with a specialist PhD programme in Applied Linguistics. In recent years we have hosted flagship conferences for the Association of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice (2024), Systemic Functional Linguistics (2025) and the British Association for Applied Linguistics (2025), as well as two networking events on environmental communication (2022 and 2024).

At Glasgow we work with a broad definition of Applied Linguistics as the application and development of linguistic theory and methods to any aspect of social life. Language Education is naturally a significant area of research for us, particularly in the global context, but we also specialise in forensic linguistics, multilingualism, environmental communication, professional communication, critical discourse analysis, gendered attitudes to language, political activism, and systemic functional linguistics. Researching in these areas means we have developed working relations with colleagues in Modern Languages and Cultures, Education and the Social Sciences within Glasgow as well as colleagues from China, Brazil, Hong Kong and the United States. We are also developing a special research and teaching relationship with several universities in Vietnam.

We have a very lively community of postgraduate researchers, who regular meet to showcase and discuss their work with their peers over a coffee and snacks and each year we organise an online symposium on Linguacultural Space with colleagues and students from Bologna, Tilburg and Salamanca. We are also affiliated with the LINDES research group based in Salamanca.