In this core module, students will engage critically with the complex relationship between language and society from a range of sociolinguistic perspectives and they will be encouraged to develop their research skills in preparation for the requirements of Level 6.
In the first teaching block, lectures and seminar discussions will focus on sociolinguistics at the macro level to look at language diversity, language endangerment multilingualism and language contact, in addition to the global spread of ideas, identities and discourse through language.
We will also touch upon major debates regarding gender and power in both media and scholarly discourses and use this theme to show how academic theories evolve through research.
Weekly sessions will involve investigating case studies from different countries to showcase how language research can be applied to the study of policy, politics, education and media. A further focus will be on interactional sociolinguistics through the study of the relations between language and gender in mixed and single-sex talk in both private and public spheres.
In the second teaching block, sessions introduce students to key sociolinguistic research and findings that shed light on how and why different speakers systematically vary their language use in relation to a range of social factors, such as class, social status, age, ethnicity, gender. Sessions then move on to explore how and why individual speakers alternate between styles and languages on different occasions, drawing on sociolinguistic models of style and code-switching/code-mixing. In the course of this module, students will be encouraged to explore variation at all levels of language: from phonetics to syntax and pragmatics and will be introduced to key research methods in the field of sociolinguistics as a way of learning to evaluate qualitative and quantitative approaches to the study of language and society. Finally, students will conduct their own sociolinguistic projects, collecting spoken data or analysing existing recordings,taking into account issues of ethics and permission.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
Topics students will engage with include:
Embedded as part of the module are research methods to enable students to undertake a research project on language, including:
Teaching and learning will take place in a weekly one-hour interactive lecture followed by a seminar. Methods will include tutor-led and student-led presentations, and practically-based exercises, debates and formative assessment tasks. Independent study will include further reading, research, and reading in groups. There will also be project supervision and in-class tutorials to prepare for the assignment.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lectures and seminars | 44 |
| Guided independent study | Fieldwork Directed reading, study and assignment preparation, revision | 14, 242 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The elements of assessment include an unseen class test (40%) and project proposal (15%) and project (45%). The unseen class test will assess students' understanding of key concepts, theories and research findings in macro sociolinguistic approaches to language. The proposal and project will test students' understanding of general sociolinguistic principles, theories, and methods and encourage the development of research skills in students.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate familiarity with case studies in the study of sociolinguistics | Formative: classroom discussions prompted by task based activities and formative tasks Summative: unseen exam and portfolio of work |
| Demonstrate an understanding of the current methodological trends in linguistic research | Formative: classroom discussions prompted by task based activities and formative tasks Summative: unseen exam and portfolio of work |
| Demonstrate the ability to design and undertake a practical language research project | Formative: Formative tasks Summative: portfolio of work |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Unseen Class Test | 40 |
| Coursework | Project | 45 |
| Coursework | Project Proposal | 15 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Coates, J. and Pichler, P (2011) Language and Gender: a Reader. 2nd ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
De Fina, A., Schiffrin, D. and M. Bamberg (2006) Discourse and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Holmes, J. (1992) An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Longman.
Podesva, R.J. and Sharma, D. (2013) Research Methods in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wray, A. and Bloomer, A. (2006) Projects in Linguistics: a practical guide to researching language. London: Hodder Arnold.
Cameron, D. (2008) The myth of Mars and Venus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Coates, J. (2003) Men Talk. Oxford: Blackwell
Coates, J. (2004) Women, Men and Language. A Sociolinguistic Account of Gender differences in Language (3rd Edition). Harlow: Pearson Longman.
Coupland, N. and Jaworski, A. (2009) The New Sociolinguistics Reader. 2nd ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gabriele, G. (2005) Research Methods for English Studies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Gobo, G (2008) Doing Ethnography. London: Sage.
Litosseliti, L. (2010) Research Methods in Linguistics, London: Continuum.
Sealey, A. (2010) Researching English Language: A Resource Book for Students. London: Routledge.