Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LH Discourse and Society
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	Eng Lang and Linguistics
Module Code	09 19622
Module Lead	Joe Bennett
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	BA English SH; BA English JH (Pathway 2); English Major; English Minor (Pathway 2); optional
Contact Hours	Seminar-30 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	The aim of this module is to develop a critical awareness of relations between language use and its social situations and functions. The first half of the module explores largely descriptive theories of discourse and society, taking in linguistic, sociological and anthropological perspectives. How can we understand language use in terms of the broader social, cultural and political activities and structures of which it is a part? How do social and cultural norms enter into the ways in which we communicate? The second half of the module shifts the emphasis to the critical, and to issues of propaganda, ‘spin’ and ideology, taking in the ideas of George Orwell, Dale Spender and, prominently, the tradition of Critical Discourse Analysis. How can an understanding of language use help us to critique social, cultural and political activities and structures? How can we, in relation to our everyday communication and our experience of politics and the media, challenge social and cultural norms?
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module the student should be able to: Demonstrate an awareness of, and critically evaluate, a number of major linguistic, sociological and anthropological approaches to the relations between discourse and society Apply the key concepts of some of these approaches in the analysis of discourse data Use such analysis to identify significant tendencies in the discourse of fields such as politics, the media, commerce, and their own everyday lives Engage with existing arguments, and develop their own critical arguments, about the ethical and political value of particular discursive phenomena in contemporary society
Assessment	19622-01 : Assignment 1 : Coursework (25%) 19622-02 : Assignment 2 : Coursework (75%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 1500 word essay (40%); 1 x 2000 word essay (60%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other
Reading List