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77912-01 - Seminar: Language, Power, and Global Inequalities (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Zeynep Köylü (zeynep.koylu@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This BA/MA seminar provides an overview of critical perspectives on the relationship between language, power, and social inequality. In this seminar, we aim to examine how linguistic practices both reflect and reproduce social hierarchies across diverse contexts such as education, mobility, migration, media, and global communication. We will review and discuss a range of theoretical and methodological approaches within critical applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, focusing on how they address issues of ideology, identity, and access. Particular attention will be given to the global role of English, both as a native language (ENL) associated with privilege, authority, and linguistic capital, and as a lingua franca (ELF) that enables transnational communication while introducing new forms of inequality and negotiation. Students will have the opportunity to design, conduct, analyze, and present a small-scale qualitative project that investigates how power relations are enacted, negotiated, or resisted through language use. Although the focus is on English as a native language and a lingua franca in global and multilingual settings, the seminar is also relevant for students interested in broader questions of language, justice, and inequality. References: • Bourdieu, P. (1991). "Language and symbolic power". Polity Press. • de Swaan, A. (2001). "Words of the world: The global language system". Polity Press. • Pennycook, A. (2021). "Critical applied linguistics: A critical re-introduction" (2nd ed.). Routledge. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of this seminar, students will be able to: 1. Understand and explain major theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language, power, and inequality. 2. Analyze how language practices reflect, reproduce, or resist social hierarchies in various contexts. 3. Critically evaluate concepts such as linguistic capital, legitimate language, symbolic power, linguistic imperialism, and global language systems. 4. Examine how English functions both as a native language associated with privilege and authority and as a lingua franca that facilitates communication yet reproduces new forms of linguistic and cultural inequality. 5. Examine the role of language policies, ideologies, and discourses in shaping access, privilege, and exclusion within multilingual and plurilingual societies. 6. Apply qualitative and critical research approaches to investigate power relations in language use and policy. 7. Design and present a small-scale qualitative project or case study exploring how linguistic practices relate to structures of power and inequality. 8.Synthesize and communicate theoretical and empirical insights in written and oral formats that demonstrate critical awareness and methodological reflection. |
| Bibliography | All course readings are accessible on the course platform ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This course is open to students of English who have passed all three BA introductory modules (including the proseminar papers) and to MA students of English and MSG Sprache und Kommunikation. |
| Course application | Please register for this course on services unibas. In order to ensure a good learning environment, we aim at no more than 20 students per linguistics seminar. We ask you to sign up for classes via the ADAM registration surveys, which will open on 1 January, 2026, 10am (CET) and close on 22 February, 2026, 2pm (CET): https://adam.unibas.ch/goto_adam_crs_1623802.html **Please only register for a maximum of TWO seminars and only for more than one if you really intend to take both courses.** Should you have not made it into one of the courses and you are only able to register on the list in a position higher than 20, we guarantee that we will take you in the course with the least student numbers. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ostern |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 14.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Module: Language and Society (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Module: Research and Extension (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Attendance and active participation Data analysis assignment (working in pairs or small groups) Research report (working in pairs or small groups) on a relevant topic with a focus on English as a native language or a lingua franca. |
| 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 |