English Language and Applied Linguistics. Module Descriptions 2017/18

Transcription

1 English Language and Applied Linguistics Module Descriptions 2017/18 Level H (i.e. 3 rd Yr.) Modules Please be aware that all modules are subject to availability. If you have any questions about the modules, please contact calincomingexchangemodules@contacts.bham.ac.uk. For many of these modules, some experience of studying English Language and Applied Linguistics may be required, and you should remember this when choosing your modules. Please note that at the time this document has been prepared (April 2017) the following information is provisional, and there may be minor changes between now and the beginning of 2017/18 academic year.

2 Exploring Linguistic Diversity MODULE CODE x 1500 word essay 1 x 2500 word essay SEMESTER 1 This module gives an introduction to the diversity and essential characteristics of the world s languages, how data is collected in linguistic typology, and how it can be described and analysed. It will draw on and extend the concepts and methods that students have acquired in their English language studies thus far to tackle one of the fundamental questions in contemporary linguistics: how much do languages differ from each other? We will study this question across a range of linguistic subsystems, including phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, drawing on case studies from languages around the world. The issue of language endangerment, and the challenges of language documentation, will also be discussed.

3 Language and New Media MODULE CODE x poster presentation 1 x 3000 word project SEMESTER 1 This module gives an introduction to the diversity and essential characteristics of the world s languages, how data is collected in linguistic typology, and how it can be described and analysed. It will draw on and extend the concepts and methods that students have acquired in their English language studies thus far to tackle one of the fundamental questions in contemporary linguistics: how much do languages differ from each other? We will study this question across a range of linguistic subsystems, including phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, drawing on case studies from languages around the world. The issue of language endangerment, and the challenges of language documentation, will also be discussed.

4 Clinical Linguistics MODULE CODE x 1000 data analysis exercise 1 x 3000 word essay SEMESTER 2 This module will introduce students to a range of language impairments in children and adults. It will draw on detailed linguistic knowledge to consider developmental disorders of speech and language in children, and acquired and degenerative language disorders in adults. Students will be given the opportunity to analyse language data to consider the impact of specific conditions across all linguistic subsystems, including phonetics and phonology, syntax and morphology, and semantics and pragmatics. The module will focus on the linguistic aspects but will also consider approaches to diagnosis, rehabilitation and therapy.

5 English Language Teaching MODULE CODE x 500 word short essay 1x 1000 word analytical essay 1 x 2000 classroom observation report (or equivalent) SEMESTER 2 The purpose of the module is to lead you to an understanding of the way in which linguistic theory is applied to the field of language teaching, especially foreign and second-language teaching. Although the module does not provide a recognised qualification in TEFL/TESL, it provides a thorough introduction to the theory underlying the subject and gives you an opportunity to relate your theoretical knowledge to pedagogic practice by including an element of fieldwork (classroom observations and in-class teaching practice) and data analysis. Topics include: differences between first and second-language learning; variation in language learning ability, e.g. social and cultural, as well as individual factors such as personality and intelligence; the meaning of errors; differences between languages and communicative competence. It has a very strong focus on the practice of language teaching and workshops and lectures are geared towards the analysis of teaching material and teaching methods.

6 Discourse and Society MODULE CODE x 2000 word essay 1 x 2hr seen exam SEMESTER 2 The aim of this course is to develop a critical awareness of relations between language use and its social situations and functions. The first half of the semester explores largely descriptive theories of discourse and society, taking in linguistic, sociological and anthropological perspectives. How can we understand language use in terms of the broader social, cultural and political activities and structures of which it is a part? How do social and cultural norms enter into the ways in which we communicate? The second half of the semester shifts the emphasis to the critical, and to issues of propaganda, spin and ideology, taking in the ideas of George Orwell, Dale Spender and, prominently, the tradition of Critical Discourse Analysis. How can an understanding of language use help us to critique social, cultural and political activities and structures? How can we, in relation to our everyday communication and our experience of politics and the media, challenge social and cultural norms?

7 Evaluative Language MODULE CODE x 2000 word essays SEMESTER 2 Language is constantly used to talk and write about the value and quality of things - what we like and dislike, how useful or appealing something is, whether a course of action is to be recommended or whether an idea is to be believed. This language may be termed 'evaluative language', and it is the subject of a considerable amount of current research. Evaluative language is important because it influences society's value systems and is instrumental in building individuals' world views. It is crucial to the language of persuasion. Language of this kind may be overt, when opinions are expressed, but it may also be implicit, subtle and more difficult to identify. Implicit evaluation can exert a hidden influence over the people who experience it. This module will look at the resources in English that are used for evaluation, both overt and implicit. It will examine the evaluative language used in a number of situations, including reviews, news reporting, academic discourse and political speech and writing. Students will be introduced to a number of theoretical approaches and a variety of methods to identify and analyse evaluative language. These include but are not restricted to: appraisal theory (from Systemic-Functional Linguistics); Sentiment Analysis (from computational linguistics); stance-taking (from conversational analysis); semantic prosody and the phraseology of evaluative language (from corpus linguistics). Students will acquire familiarity with all these approaches and will focus on at least two for a more in-depth study, in most cases based on data they have collected themselves.

8 Language, senses and Sound Symbolism MODULE CODE x 1500 word essay 1x 2500 word essay SEMESTER 1 One of the primary things people do with language is to talk about sensory impressions, for example, whether food tastes sweet or whether a coffee smells burnt. Sensory language is also highly relevant in applied contexts such as advertising, as when a piece of music is described as having tasty boogaloo beats. This module will introduce students to a range of topics in the study of sensory language, including how sensory terms differ between languages (e.g., some languages have more smell terms than English) and how sensory language connects to various topics of linguistic theory and cognitive linguistics. Students will be given the opportunity to analyse language data and advertisements to consider sensory language in the context of various linguistic subsystems, including phonetics and phonology, syntax and morphology, and semantics and pragmatics.

9 Phraseology MODULE CODE word task 2000 word essay SEMESTER 1 Traditional linguistic theory divides languages into two basic components: words, which make meanings, and grammatical rules, which determine how words can combine. But while general grammatical rules can explain why, say, she drove a powerful car is correct and car powerful a drove she is not, there are no such rules explaining why native speakers of English will accept She drove a powerful car but not She drove a strong car, or why they will accept She prefers strong coffee but not She prefers powerful coffee. How, then, can such word combination preferences and dispreferences be explained? The aim of this module is to provide students with an in-depth introduction to phraseology, the branch of linguistics that attempts to answer this question. The first half of the module considers phraseology from a psychological perspective, asking how word combinations are stored in, and accessed from, the mind. The second half of the module focuses on more socially-oriented views of phraseology, which see word combinations as preferred ways of speaking or writing in particular social or institutional settings. Students will critically assess these different views of phraseology and consider whether and to what extent they provide an alternative to the traditional words and rules model of language.

10 Language, Gender and Identity MODULE CODE x 1500 word essay 1x research report (2500 words) SEMESTER 2 Do men and women speak differently? What are the implications of gender-marked lexis? How does gender interact with identity? And what do we mean by identity, anyway? These are some of the questions posed, explored and critiqued throughout the module as we investigate the interface between language, gender and identity using a range of historical and contemporary, spoken and written texts. Topics may include: the origins and evolution of language and gender studies; the constructivist approach to gender and identity, and the role of language in the creation of self; the depiction of gender and sexuality in written discourse including popular media and fictional narratives; sites of social conflict, such as exceptional women in power, and the performances of identities in non-heteronormative social groups. Throughout we assess the possible impacts and implications of gender and identity analysis, and its relevance for the 21st century.