In this course we will examine the issues of power and how it relates to language use in various institutions such as law, medicine, and the media, among others. Language presents one of the most important (but not exclusive) power resources. We will learn that language can be both powerful and empowering. We will discuss how people in power can influence the ways in which language is used, and exercise control over access to language by others. We will also examine examples of how these others, in their turn, can contest and negotiate power. In language, power can be expressed in more or less overt ways. To minimize opposition, for example, power is increasingly exercised covertly or indirectly in different institutions. A particular attractive feature of the course is that we will examine real-life language data collected in a number of Hong Kong institutions. We will also discuss similarities and the differences in institutional language practices across different sociocultural contexts including Hong Kong and other countries in Asia and beyond.
Topic 1: Introducing key concepts: language and power
Topic 2: Language, power and media
Topic 3:Language, power and the state
Topic 4: Language, power and the law
Topic 5: Language, power and medicine
Topic 6: Language, power and education
On completing this course, you will be able to:
- Develop a critical awareness of how language can be employed to enact, negotiate and contest power.
- Engage in the critical analysis of social issues, such as sexism, racism, and oppression through examining the language and power interrelation in authentic institutional discourses.
- Apply the knowledge of how language can be both powerful and empowering to novel institutional settings.
- Develop a critical understanding of how language and power interact in various sociocultural contexts.
- Engage in group interaction and communicate their viewpoint by engaging in group discussions.
| Activities | Number of hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 24 | |
| Tutorials | 12 | |
| Reading / Self-study | 60 | |
| Assessment: In class Test | 5 | |
| Assessment: Essay/report writing | 20 | |
| Total | 121 |
100% coursework
| Assessment Method | Details of Assignment | Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group project |
Students in groups will identify a problem related to language use and power in an institution; locate relevant literature, analyze the language data, and present the results (oral presentation & written report). |
40%
|
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| Individual presentation | Individual performance of in-class group project presentation. | 30% | |
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In class test (midterm) |
Test (midterm) to be taken in class during scheduled lecture time. the test will cover all material in the course. The format will be multiple choice and short answer questions. |
30% |
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Lecture |
Topic and reading |
|
1 |
Introduction
Foucault, M. (1983). The History of Sexuality: The Will to Knowledge. New York: Pantheon Books. [Chap. 1 “The Incitement to Discourse”, p. 17-35] |
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2 |
Language and power: An overview
Simpson, P., Mayr, A., & Statham S. (2019). Language and power: A resource book for students (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. [Chap. A “Introduction: Key topics in the study of language and power”]. |
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3 |
Language, power, and media (1)
Mooney, A., & Evans, B. (2015). Language, society, and power: An introduction (4th ed.). London: Routledge. [Chap. 4 “Language and the media”]. |
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4 |
Language, power, and media (2)
Wong, A.D. (2024). ‘“Gangpu is too funny!”: The mediatization of Hong Kong Mandarin as a jocular register’, Language in Society, 53(4), pp. 707–730. doi:10.1017/S0047404523000416. |
|
5 |
Language, power, and the state
Pak, V. (2023) “(De)coupling race and language: The state listening subject and its rearticulation of antiracism as racism in Singapore,” Language in Society, 52(1), pp. 151–172. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404521000373. |
|
6 |
Language, power, and the law (1)
Ehrlich, S. (2007) “Legal discourse and the cultural intelligiblity of gendered meanings 1,” Journal of Sociolinguistics, 11(4), pp. 452–477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2007.00333.x. |
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7 |
Language, power, and the law (2)
Wong, D. and Leung, P.K. (2012) “Modernization of Power in Legal and Medical Discourses: The Birth of the (Male) Homosexual in Hong Kong and Its Aftermath,” Journal of Homosexuality, 59(10), pp. 1403–1423. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2012.724943.
Note: Group project proposals due |
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- |
Reading week
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8 |
Midterm test (in class) Language, power, and medicine (1)
Wilce, J.M. (2009) “Medical Discourse,” Annual Review of Anthropology, 38(1), pp. 199–215. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-091908-164450. |
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9 |
Language, power, and medicine (2)
Zimdars, M. (2023) “Medicalized reality weight-loss television and the negotiation of neoliberalism on My 600 Pound Life,” Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies, 18(4), pp. 367–384. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020221134014. |
|
10 |
Language, power, and education
Gu, M. (Michelle), Kou, Z. (Christy) and Guo, X. (Grace) (2019) “Understanding Chinese language teachers’ language ideologies in teaching South Asian students in Hong Kong,” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22(8), pp. 1030–1047. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1332000. |
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11 |
Group project presentations (1)
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12 |
Group project presentations (2)
Conclusion of course |
There is no official textbook for the course. Additional reading materials will be provided in lectures and tutorial sessions.