Course Catalogue

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This Honours-level course seeks to explore how different facets of our identities and the social groups we belong to condition our language use, as well as how we use language to do identity work. Students will be introduced to social theory in a number of key areas, covering major dimensions of identity such as race, gender and social class, and discover how sociolinguists have connected these theories to language in use. Unlike quantitative, variationist approaches to sociolinguistics, this course focuses on qualitative approaches to the interface of language and identity.

1 x 2hr session per week (comprising 1x1hr lecture; 1x 1hr seminar) over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

This is one of the Honours options in English Language and Linguistics and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into English Language & Linguistics, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation

None

None

Report (1500 words) - 40%

Written Assignment (2500 words) - 60%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ develop students' understanding of how language both influences and is influenced by various facets of individuals' identities.

■ Familiarise students with key aspects of social theory and how they can be applied productively to the study of language in use.

■ familiarise students with a range of major qualitative approaches to sociolinguistic research.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ apply relevant social theories to the study of language and identity.

■ critically assess sociolinguistic literature on various topics connected to identity issues.

■ synthesise social theory and qualitative sociolinguistic methodologies in order to plan a novel research project of their own.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.