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76646-01 - Research seminar: Kritische soziolinguistische Ethnografie: Theorie, Methoden und Feldforschung (4 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Yvette Bürki (yvette.buerki@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar analyses the epistemological principles of critical sociolinguistic ethnography, as well as how this field has evolved historically in relation to ethnography and anthropology. It examines its fundamental theoretical and methodological principles of research in relation to data collection and research ethics. The seminar pays special attention to the hands on side, so a good part of the seminar is focused on the presentation and analysis of discourse and interactive data. |
| Learning objectives | At the end of the seminar, students should be expected to: • discuss, evaluate and critically question the ways in which critical sociolinguistic ethnography contributes to the study on the role of language in the construction of social differences and social inequality. • apply the fundamental theoretical and methodological principles of critical sociolinguistic ethnographic research based on their own data and/or other research. |
| Bibliography | Bucholtz, M. (2000). The politics of transcription. Journal of Pragmatics, 32(10), 1439–1465. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00094-6 (26 p.) Copland, F. & Creese, A. (2016). Ethical issues in Linguistic Ethnography: Balancing the micro and the macro. In P. I. De Costa (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research. Language research narratives (pp. 161–178). Routledge. Heller, M. (2001). Undoing the macro/micro dichotomy: Ideology and categorisation in a linguistic minority school. In N. Coupland, S. Sarangi, & C. Candlin (Eds.), Sociolinguistics and social theory (pp. 212–234). Longman. Heller, Monica; Pietikäinen, Sari & Pujolar, Joan (2024). Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods. Studiying Language Issues That Matter (2nd Edition). Routledge. Ochs, E. (1979). Transcription as theory. In E. Ochs & B. B. Schieffelin (Eds.), Developmental Pragmatics (pp. 43–72). Academic Press. Tusting, K. (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Ethnography. Routledge. (ch. 1, General introduction (Tusting); ch. 2, Interactional sociolinguistics (Rampton); ch. 11 Participant observation and field notes (Papen); ch. 12, The ethnographic interview (De Fina); ch. 13, Micro-analysis of spoken interaction (Heinrichsmeier); ch.14, Ethics (Copland); ch. 16, Reflexivity (Patiño-Santos) |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 19.09.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 26.09.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 03.10.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 10.10.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 17.10.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 24.10.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 31.10.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 07.11.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 14.11.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 21.11.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 28.11.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Dies Academicus |
| Friday 05.12.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 12.12.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Friday 19.12.2025 | 12.15-14.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 5 |
| Modules |
General Linguistics: Recommendations (PhD subject: General Linguistics) Modul: Deutsche Sprachwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Spanische Sprachwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Sprache als Prozess (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Sprache und Gesellschaft (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Wahlbereich Master Deutsche Philologie: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Two in-class presentations (40% each) plus ongoing assessment (20%) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Departement Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften |