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Sociolinguistics


Course Description

The study of language as a cultural and social phenomenon. Topics include language and meaning, language and world view, language and social behavior, and language and social issues.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In general, expectations for graduate students are higher, with more stringent standards for grading. Additional requirements for graduate students will include some combination of the following: (1) additional required reading, including original scholarly research; (2) longer and more complex written assignments, which demonstrate a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of concepts and theoretical issues introduced in the course; (3) in-class presentations; (4) a final research paper, which should include a literature review and conform to professional standards in the discipline in terms of organization, formatting, argumentation, and citations. If undergraduates are also assigned a final research paper, theirs will be shorter and will not require a thorough literature review.


Athena Title

Sociolinguistics


Prerequisite

LING 3060


Semester Course Offered

Offered every even-numbered year.


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Course Objectives

At the end of the course, students will understand that language is a cultural and social phenomenon. They will be able to discuss the ways in which language both reflects and creates such constructs as sociocultural activity, power, culture, gender, race, and social class; they will also be prepared to discuss issues of language and identity, language and discrimination, and language as a social con- struct. They will have achieved familiarity with a variety of social, anthropologi- cal, and linguistic concepts, ideas, theories, and findings common to the field of sociolinguistics and experience in conducting research on language use.


Topical Outline

General topics covered include language and social identities; language and social constructs; language socialization. Theoretical topics include the formal, the interpretive/situated, and the sociohistorical/dialogic. Methodological topics include correlational analyses and ethnography of communication. A number of graded tasks will be assigned, such as quizzes, tests, and various writing assignments done either in or outside of class.


Syllabus