This course is an introductory undergraduate-level course that focuses on language and communication. Reading scholarly works from (interactional) sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, we will learn theories and concepts used for analyzing a variety of aspects of language use that vary with culture, society, race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, and technology. By gathering and interpreting real-life examples, we will also examine how we use language and interact with others to make meanings, establish relationships, and perform social identities.
Discourse Analysis, (interactional) sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and qualitative research methods
This course combines lectures, group activities, discussions, and tutorials.
After successfully completing the course, students will be able to
- Develop skills in noticing, analyzing and interpreting, and personally and critically evaluating language use in everyday life
- Gain first-hand experience in collecting and analyzing empirical data
- Advance their knowledge of sociolinguistic theories and approaches in the context of language and communication.
- Design and undertake small-scale qualitative research on language use.
Attendance, participation, and preparation 10%
Weekly quizzes 15%
Midterm 40%
Group project 35%
All required readings will be posted on Moodle.