MONS1017 Decoding "We-ness": A Critical Inquiry into Discourse, Ideology and Community (5 cr)

This course explores the notion of “imagined community” from a discursive and linguistic-anthropological perspective, by critically interrogating how notions of community, self, and other are discursively established in communicative practice. The course examines the role of empirically observable patterns of real-life language use in community-building processes, as well as the impact of common-sense notions of language purity and of various discourses that circulate in print and social media. Case studies and readings are drawn from various parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and will also cover current expressions of identity politics.

Completion methods:

Lectures, reading circle, group work, independent work.

Assessment details:

Passing the course requires completion of all required assignments in line with stated learning outcomes. An 80% attendance requirement is applied. Grade-specific assessment criteria are introduced in the course.

After completing the course, the student will:

• be familiar with linguistic-anthropological and sociolinguistic approaches to community as a discursive accomplishment, including the social-scientific critique of essentialism in which they are grounded
• be able to recognize the contingent character of the various forms of we-ness that can be found in current socio-political debates and in popular discourse
• be able to recognize the various forms of othering that are present in these debates and discourses
• be able to critically evaluate these socio-political debates and intervene accordingly
• be able to reflect critically on the role language experts can play in such debates and on the relevant forms of knowledge which linguistic expertise is able to produce in relation to them

Only Master's students who have completed a bachelor's thesis and a bachelor's degree are admitted to the course. If there is a queue for the course, priority is given to students who are in the final stages of their studies.

Study materials will be provided by the teacher.