This course introduces students to core research areas within the field of language and communication, with a focus on theories, approaches and applications drawn from sociolinguistics. It is designed for students who already have solid foundations in sociolinguistics and communication studies, as well as for students who are new to the field. We focus on foundational concepts as well as contemporary key issues to provide a state-of-the-art overview of some of the social, cultural and political dimensions in language and communication research. Students are expected to engage in discussions and independent research about topics that are of relevance to them and their own communities.

 

This is a reading-heavy course. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 80 hours of independent reading over the semester. We meet on Monday evenings for 1.5-hour lectures, immediately followed by one-hour tutorials. The lectures provide detailed overviews of relevant topics in language and communication research, but they do not substitute the readings. In the tutorials students will be given opportunities to engage with the materials through in-class discussions, presentations and group work and thereby apply their knowledge and understanding of the concepts, theories and approaches we discuss in this course.

 

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe and compare key issues and methodologies in the field of language and communication
2. Identify and critically discuss contemporary key issues in the field
3. Reflect on and articulate how these key issues relate to society, culture, and power
4. Conduct ethically sound and empirically grounded independent research

 

1. Tutorial contribution and participation. CLO 1, 2, 3               15%
2. Data collection and research method plan. CLO 1, 2, 4        15%
3. Reader responses. CLO 2, 3                                                       20%
4. Data session reflection. CLO 1, 2, 3, 4                                      10%
5. 1,600-word pilot study (13 December). CLO 1, 2, 3, 4            40%

 

Regular office hours will be held during the semester. Please consult the course syllabus for updated information.

 

Reading                                                            80h

Writing essay drafts and final essay           30h

Lectures                                                          20h

Conducting/presenting small research     10h

Tutorials                                                           7h

Total                                                                147h

 

The units covered in the course include:

• Theoretical foundations of language and communication
• Spoken discourse and social interaction
• Critical discourse analysis
• Narrative analysis
• Discourse, gender and sexuality
• Research methods in sociolinguistics
• Language and social media
• Linguistic landscapes
• Multilingualism and translanguaging

 

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Definitions

The University’s definitions on “plagiarism” are as follows:

Plagiarism refers to “direct copying of textual material or wilful use of other people’s data and ideas, and presenting them as one’s own without acknowledgement, whether or not such materials, data and ideas have been published” (Paragraph 6, HKU’s “Regulations Governing Students’ Academic Conduct Concerning Assessment”). In other words, a person is committing plagiarism if he/she paraphrases or quotes the work of another person without clearly identifying (according to academic conventions) the borrowed material and documenting its source.

Self-plagiarism refers to “reuse of one’s own data or repeat of previously published written work, or part thereof, in a ‘new’ publication without acknowledging that the data set has been used or written work has been published elsewhere” (Paragraph 3.1, HKU’s “Policy on Research Integrity”). For instance, if a student re-uses largely or fully the contents of his/her past assignment submitted elsewhere and without acknowledging so in the “new” assignment, it can constitute self-plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a very serious offence and it is strictly prohibited in all assignments and examinations: "A candidate shall not engage in plagiarism nor employ nor seek to employ any other unfair means at an examination or in any other form of assessment” (Paragraph 6, HKU’s “Regulations Governing Students’ Academic Conduct Concerning Assessment”). Students should use proper citations and provide sources wherever necessary.

Protocol on the Handling of Plagiarism

There are severe penalties for plagiarism in the School of English. Students found plagiarizing may be failed not only in the plagiarized oral or written assignment but in the course. Their case will also be considered by a School panel which may decide on further penalties depending on the gravity of the offence. This may involve disclosure of the plagiarism committed to teachers of other courses within the School. The panel may also decide to lodge a complaint with the University's Disciplinary Committee which can result in other penalties. For details, please refer to the “Protocol on the Handling of Plagiarism” available on the Faculty’s website and the MAES Handbook.

Originality Checking of Assignments

Please read HKU’s Turnitin webpage for information on this originality checking engine, which “offers originality checking on students' work for proper citation or potential plagiarism. Once a paper is submitted to Turnitin, it will compare with documents in a continuously updated database consisting of current and archived web pages, millions of student papers worldwide, and collections of newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, e-Books and e-Texts”.