Admission requirements
A passing mark for Sociolinguistics or equivalent is highly recommended.
Description
Building and expanding on what you have learnt in Sociolinguistics, this course will further explore the intricate relationship between language, language variation and identity. Is language merely a reflection of who we are, and to what social group we belong, or can language also be used to give shape to who we are and where we belong? Is identity something static, dynamic, or a bit of both? And what does this mean for the language we use?
In this course we will look at the various ways in which individuals and groups recognize and negotiate identities through language use. We will consider the different conceptions of identity that exist in the field of Language and Identity, and look at the various analytical approaches that can be used to study the complex relationship between language and identity.
In doing so, we will consider a selection of case-studies that make use of these different approaches and investigate different modes of communication, such as Computer Mediated Communication and social media. For instance, we will go into questions like: What does the Twitter language of the Real House Wifes look like and how do they position their public identities? How are gender identities negotiated and re-negotiated through gendered discourse? Do bilinguals have to juggle two different identities in a monolingual setting because of the different identies that are associated with the languages they speak? How are ethnicity and national identity related to our language use?
This course will equip you with the fundamentals of language and identity that feature in the courses offered in the Language in Use Track such as Language, Gender and Sexuality, and Language Policy and Multilingualism.
Course objectives
Obtain an overview of the different theoretical perspectives concerning language and identity;
Practise applying different notions of identity to analyze the relationship between language and identity;
Gain insight into a selection of analytical approaches that can be used to study the relationship between language and identity;
Obtain an overview of real-world examples of how language and identity ineract on various levels;
Practise identifying real-world problems to do with language and identity and discussing these in light of the theories dealt with in this course;
Practise developping a research topic related to the field independently;
Practise giving a coherent oral presentation on the analytic and theoretical concepts associated with language and identity;
Practise writing a coherent synthesis on a topic related to language and identity in an appropriate academic register.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Active participation (in the form of weekly assignments)
Presentation
Paper (building on your presentation)
Weighing
Active participation (in the form of weekly assignments) 20%
Presentation 20%
Paper (building on your presentation) 60%
Students will have successfully passed the course if the average course grade is a 6 or higher, and the paper and the presentation are at least a 5.
Resit
When the final grade is lower than a 6 or when the grade for the paper and/or presentation is below a 5, the paper and/or the presentation will have to be retaken during the resit period. There is no resit for active participation.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
The reading will consist of a selection of journal articles and chapters, all of which are available in digital form from the library or made available on the Brightspace page of the course.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
#### Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats
Remarks
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