This Masters level course offers an overview of some of the qualitative approaches that have been adopted to the study of language in society. The course provides an overview of the theoretical and practical questions regarding qualitative research, including how data are selected, collected, and analyzed. Topics covered in the course include the historical context of contemporary sociolinguistic methodology, the development of research questions, standards of evidence, research ethics and ethnography, with key research studies which illustrate the different approaches.

10 x 2hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

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Portfolio of blog posts (total of 2000 words) - 40%

Essay (3000 words) - 60%

This course aims to:

■ introduce students to language in social theory applied to specific contexts and areas.

■ familiarise students with key theoretical issues in sociolinguistics, through a range of qualitative approaches.

■ examine contemporary societal problems as they interact with language use.

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

■ Critically appraise relevant research theories in the area of qualitative sociolinguistics;

■ Describe and evaluate a range of qualitative methodologies used in the study of language and society;

■ Apply relevant social theories to the study of language.

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