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| Semester | spring semester 2019 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Aline Bieri (aline.bieri@unibas.ch) |
| Content | This course is an introduction to sociolinguistic principles and methodologies. The course involves the reading and understanding of key texts and case studies, practical work on samples of language data, devising a project proposal, collecting and analysing data and writing up a research report. With the integration of these components we model a way to approach sociolinguistic investigations into language that is founded on theoretical principles and conducted through specific methodologies. Thus we can arrive at insights into the role that language plays in the social and the influence of the social on language. The areas in sociolinguistics that we introduce in the course include: variation, interaction, and varieties of English. |
| Learning objectives | 1. To learn about the ways in which language varies in social contexts, and how language shapes and in turn is itself shaped by interactions. 2. To learn how to plan a basic research project and conduct meaningful empirical data collection. 3. To learn how to write up a fieldwork project. 4. To continue sharpening analytical skills of critical reading concerning research methodology |
| Bibliography | Students should buy the course book: Van Herk, Gerard. (2018). "What Is Sociolinguistics?", 2nd ed. Hoboken, USA: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-118-96074-5. The book will be available at the Labyrinth bookshop (http://www.buchhandlung-labyrinth.ch/), Nadelberg 17 (opposite the English Seminar) as of mid-January. In preparation for the first meeting of the course, you are required to have read the first two chapters of Van Herk (2018). Additional texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | For BA students of English |
| Course application | In order to ensure a good learning environment, we aim at no more than 25 students per class (3 sections). We ask you to register via the following doodle link and recommend that you create a doodle account https://doodle.com/poll/39wxx88tnuew6np2. You may only register TWICE: once for a class section and once for a waiting list. Multiple voting (more than twice) will be removed and you will be assigned a place in a class with free seats after registration has closed. Should you not have made it into one of the courses and you are only able to register for the waiting lists, we guarantee that we will take you in the course with the least student numbers. The doodle will close on February 11 in order to finalise student distribution in the week before term start. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Introduction to English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | 1. English in Action group research paper (50%) 2. Two quizzes (50%) |
| 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 |