Meaning in Interaction
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Module Aims
Aim 1
Familiarize students with a range of pragmatic approaches and theories (speech acts, conversational implicature, politeness), providing them with an introduction to the pragmatic and communicative functions of language, rather than just grammatical and semantic structures.
Aim 2
Show how language operates not just at the level of the sentence and utterance, but at the level of text and discourse, including the use of persuasive language (rhetoric) and the relation between language and ideology.
Aim 3
Teach students to apply pragmatic and discourse theory to linguistic data in the analysis of short examples and texts, based on the understanding of a range of relevant literature.
Module Content
This module will explore different dimensions of and different approaches to ‘meaning’, focusing on aspects of meaning at the level of text and discourse. The content of the module may include but not be limited to pragmatic theory (exploring the relation between linguistic expressions, language users and contexts) and the analysis of short texts (newspapers, political discourse, forensic texts, etc.) with the instruments of critical discourse analysis, conversation analysis and rhetorical theory.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
The module will employ both formal lectures and seminars which will include discussion, question/answer sequences, problem-solving activities, as well as theoretical engagement with, and critical application of the ideas introduced. Students will learn through practical engagement with various tasks, as well as by discussing relevant approaches in the literature. Teaching and learning on this module may also comprise class and group discussions, class-based group work and face-to-face feedback with the tutor. There is an expectation that students will engage interactively with the tutor and their peers during the sessions, and undertake additional reading and preparatory work outside of the lecture and seminar sessions.
Weekly seminars are designed to maximize opportunities for in-class discussion of concepts and theories that form the object of module assessment, as well as introduce some of the relevant academic literature. A wide range of audio-visual material will be used to illustrate theory and help students apply theoretical frameworks to real-life situations. Students will also be required to prepare certain topics by reading relevant literature in order to summarize, discuss and evaluate existing academic research in class. Independent work includes library work, doing research for assignments and writing them up, as well as self-managed group-work, in preparation of joint presentations on various topics in class.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through one Examination and one Essay.
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