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64037-01 - Research seminar: Evaluative practices in English online and offline (4 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Thomas Messerli (thomas.messerli@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | We live in what Gerlitz and Helmond (2013) have called a “like economy.” In many settings, people are making assessments, attribute values, and express their opinions. They rate hotels, books and other products online, they voice their take on current affairs on Twitter, Facebook and Reddit, or they simply discuss their opinions and values over a meal with their family. Theoretically, this has been addressed in a rich linguistic literature on evaluation, appraisal and stance-taking, while methodologically, evaluative practices have been looked at in qualitative discourse analytic studies as well as in corpus-assisted and corpus-based research. In this seminar, we will on the one hand explore the different theoretical perspectives and methodological tools within linguistics that have been employed to study evaluation, while also applying them to data excerpts from different domains, including spoken fictional discourse, offline texts and online posts. On the other hand, students are required to collect their own data and develop a research project on evaluative practices that is suitable also for a seminar paper. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will have explored evaluation/appraisal/stance from a range of theoretical perspectives. They will have analysed data individually and in groups and discussed their findings with others. They will have attentively read relevant texts and deepened their knowledge of them in plenary and group discussions guided by reading questions. Informed by growing theoretical and methodological expertise, students will have worked on their own research relevant to the topic at hand. They will have collected some data, thought about it individually and discussed it with their peers. They will have developed relevant research questions and a methodology to address these questions. Students will have applied their insights to their own data as well as the data of other course participants and the examples provided in the course. |
| Bibliography | All obligatory reading for the course will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This course is open to MA students of English and MSG Sprache und Kommunikation. |
| Course application | Please register for this course in MOnA. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 25.02.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | --, -- |
| Friday 04.03.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 11.03.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Friday 18.03.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 25.03.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 01.04.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 08.04.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 15.04.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Ostern |
| Friday 22.04.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 29.04.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 06.05.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 13.05.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 20.05.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 27.05.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Auffahrt |
| Friday 03.06.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Research in English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Sprache und Gesellschaft (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | regular and active participation; preparatory reading; oral presentation plus data analysis workshop; short written task in connection with the presentation (sample data analysis of around 1’500 words) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |