Postgraduate Course: Sociolinguistics (LASC11180)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course offers an introduction to the study of the relationship between language and society: Sociolinguistics. The course will cover topics including language, gender, and sexuality; language, politics, and ideology; language and social identity (age, gender, class, region); language contact; and multilingualism. Students will gain an overview of foundational and contemporary theoretical and methodological developments in the field. |
| Course description |
This course introduces students to the study of language in society - Sociolinguistics - by exploring the social and cultural embedding of language. Students will have the opportunity to engage with diverse areas of sociolinguistic inquiry by exploring the social and linguistic constraints of language variation as well as the socio-political implications of language use in society. This will include consideration of how linguistic varieties are used by individuals in everyday life and also how those varieties are perceived by others. Readings will cover key issues and current debates in the field of sociolinguistics such as multilingualism, politeness, identity, code-switching/mixing, translanguaging, and style-shifting.
Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on collaborative learning. You are expected to participate fully in discussions in the class, and occasionally to present material to the class as a whole. Students will be particularly encouraged to apply the course concepts to novel datasets and reflect critically on their own sociolinguistic experiences. The content of this course is intended to provide students with a strong grounding in a research area that complements 'Language Variation and Change' (LASC11141).
Assessment will include a written assignment and a short research project.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe and critically assess foundational concepts in sociolinguistics
- Confidently relate sociolinguistic research to real world contextsÂ
- Apply relevant sociolinguistic theories and concepts to novel datasets
- Demonstrate a sound awareness of current issues in sociolinguistics
- Identify and critically evaluate the major theoretical issues addressed in a sociolinguistics article
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Reading List
Van Herk, Gerard. 2018. What is Sociolinguistics? 2nd edn. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN: 9781118960745.
Jones, R. and Themistocleous, Christiana. 2022. Introducing Language and Society. Cambridge Introductions to Language and Linguistics. Cambridge: CUP. ISBN: 9781108689922.
Holmes, Janet. 2008. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd edn. London: Longman. ISBN: 9781405821315. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Christian Ilbury
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Sasha Wood
Tel:
Email: |
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