Language, Discourse and Society
Module convenor: Diane Davies
Credits: 30
Content
Outline Syllabus:
- Language Change and Variation
- Standard English
- World Englishes
- Bilingualism and Language Choice
- Language Planning and Policy
- Language and Gender
- Field Methods in Sociolinguistics
- Introduction to Spoken and Written Discourse
- Discourse and Genre
- Discourse and Pragmatics
- Analysing Talk
- Register and Style
- Analysing Multimodal Texts
- Critical Discourse Analysis
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to...
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of central concepts in sociolinguistics, such as dialectal variation and standardisation.
- Critically evaluate the role of English as a global language policy and planning in national, educational and other social contexts.
- Analyse variation in language use within specific communities and social networks.
- Understand key concepts and issues in the study of discourse and their role within the developing field of Applied Linguistics.
- Collect and analyse critically a variety of authentic spoken and written discourse types.
- Examine issues of language and discourse in educational and other contexts.
- Appreciate the relationship between discourse, power and ideology.
Show the ability to work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time management.
Teaching and learning outcomes
Student Workload:
- Seminars: 30
- Tutorials: 2
- Private Study: 193
- Total Hours: 225
Seminars and group tutorial at the end of the module.
Assessment
An essay on an approved sociolinguistic topic (3,000 words) and a piece of discourse or textual analysis (3,000 words).
OR
A 6,000 word assignment combining the two elements above.
This module is offered by the School of Education.
