EKIS574 Language as Cultural Practice (5 cr)
Description
Content
This course explores the relationship between language and cultural practices. The role of language in people’s lives cannot be understood without the study of the ways in which words, grammatical structures and discourse patterns are embedded in social and cultural activities such as greeting, giving directions, telling stories, agreeing and disagreeing, playing, arguing, performing, learning or engaging in political debates. This course introduces theoretical perspectives, methods and analytic tools for studying how such activities are accomplished and organized in different cultural settings.
Completion methods
Contact teaching, assignments, group work, project work
Assessment details
- preparation for classes and active participation in class discussion
- active contribution to group work
- ability to complete coursework in the given time frame
- quality of oral and written coursework output
- ability to critically reflect on and apply the content provided in the course
Learning outcomes
- identify and critically discuss key approaches to the study of language and culture, including linguistic anthropology, language socialization and ethnography
- describe cultural activities at the level of linguistic and other semiotic resources, structures of discourse/interaction and overall organizational patterns
- analyse the relationship between language, social and cultural practices, identities, norms and ideologies using the tools and methods applied on the course.