We live in an age of communication overload, transmitting and receiving language from all directions throughout every waking hour of our lives. We use words to speak, write, text, email and tweet, we continually express ourselves through gestures and body language, and we adapt our discourse to a wide variety of contexts in thousands of subtle and complex ways. Yet we rarely pause to reflect on how language works - we rarely have the opportunity. This module will introduce students to the idea of language as an object of study, and to some of the big questions involved in such study. What is language? How do children learn language? How did Walt Disney change the way we hear regional accents? And does your cat have important things to say to you? We will investigate these questions and more through a study of familiar, everyday language – the language of magazine articles, Facebook posts, phone conversations and stand-up comedy acts – in order to understand the value and importance of language study in the modern world.

• Study language in a critical, reflective manner.
• Explore and discuss some of the key questions and issues related to the study of language
• Use information from class and independent reading to construct an academically-sound argument.
• Compose coherent and well-structured essays and other assignments.

The module will be delivered through nine 2-hour sessions on weekday evenings from 7-9pm. These sessions will consist of a 1-hour lecture followed by class discussion and group work on specific topics relating to the module. The discussion and group work will enable the students to think critically and contribute to the debates and topics presented during the lectures. The discussion-led sessions and the lectures will be supplemented by resources available to the students via Learning Central.

• The ability to communicate ideas and arguments effectively, whether in class discussion or in written form
• The ability to work effectively with others in groups and to learn collaboratively through discussion and interaction
• The ability to think critically, analyse texts (written, spoken and non-verbal), evaluate arguments, and challenge assumptions.
• The ability to formulate and justify arguments and conclusions and present appropriate supporting evidence
• The ability to locate relevant resources in the library and online and use them appropriately in academic work
• The ability to use a range of information technology resources to assist  with information retrieval and assignment presentation
• The ability to independently organise study methods, manage time effectively, and prioritise workload to meet deadlines

Formative assessment / feedback will occur on a weekly basis through class discussion and group work.

Type of assessment % Contribution Title Duration (if applicable) Approx. date of Assessment Submission

Assignment 1 (Reflective piece) 10% Exact nature of task will vary from year to year 250 words Week 4

Assignment 2 (Close analysis) 30% Exact nature of task will vary from year to year 500 words Week 7

Assignment 3 (Essay) 60% Exact nature of task will vary from year to year 750 words 

Students who fail one or more assessment elements will be given the opportunity to re-submit coursework in response to different titles over the summer once the Inside Narratives exam board has met in June.1 week after final session

Syllabus content

What is language, and why do we need it?

This session will introduce and examine the concept of language and the processes by which we decide what constitutes language

Infant Language

This session will consider the ways in which children learn to understand and communicate with others

Animal Language

This session will consider whether animals can be considered to use language

The Speech Community (1): Who Belongs?

This session will consider what it means to speak a language, and what are the criteria for membership within a speech community

The Speech Community (2): Mind Your Manners

This session will consider the function of politeness (and rudeness) within different speech communities

The Speech Community (3): Only Joking

This session will consider the function of humour and laughter within different speech communities

The Speech Community (4): Local Variations

This session will examine the notion of ‘received pronunciation’, and discuss the importance of dialects and ‘regional’ accents.

The Speaking Self

This session will consider the ways in which language can be used to express an individual identity, emotion or perspective

Speaking of Language

This final workshop will consolidate the work done so far and discuss ways of speaking and writing critically about language

Indicative Reading and Resource List:

Essential

Course reader

Recommended

J. Aitchison and D. Lewis (eds), New Media Language (London, 2003)

J. Corner and J. Hawthorn (eds.), Communication Studies: An Introductory Reader (London, 1993)

J. Thomas, Meaning in Interaction (London, 1995)

L. Thomas, S. Wareing, I. Singh, J. Peccei, J. Thornborrow and J. Jones, Language,Society and Power: An Introduction (2nd edition) (London, 2004)

T. Thwaites, L. Davis and W. Mules, Introducing Cultural and Media Studies: A Semiotic Approach (Basingstoke, 2002)