Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism: A Critical Approach
Code: 42298 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4313157 Advanced English Studies | OT | 0 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Melissa Moyer Greer
- Email:
- melissa.moyer@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Prerequisites
Students are required to have a proficient level of oral and written English in order to sucessfully fulfill the course requirements. A minimum level of a C2 is required.
Objectives and Contextualisation
- To introduce students to critical thinking about multilingualism from a qualitative sociolinguistic perspective.
- To introduce students to current themes in the study of bilingualism and multilingualism in society.
- To provide students with the necessary theoretical framework to be able to formulate their own questions on the topic of multilingualism.
- To prpovide students with exercise where they can aquire practical experience and apply knoweldege acquired to the analysis of specific cases.
Competences
- Analyse and synthesise information at an advanced level.
- Analyse the relationship between factors, processes or phenomena in the acquisition of English as a second language, its learning and teaching methods, and its literature, history and culture.
- Apply methodological knowledge of statistical analysis and data generation, treatment and codification of multilingual databases, analysis of literary texts, etc. to research.
- Communicate the knowledge acquired and the contributions of one's research correctly, accurately and clearly both orally and in writing.
- Critically argue, issue judgements and present ideas on the basis of the analysis of information originating from scientific production in these areas.
- Develop autonomous learning skills applicable to the research process.
- Distinguish and contrast between the different methodological and theoretical models applied to the academic study of the acquisition, teaching and use of English as a second language in multilingual and multicultural contexts, literary studies and cultural studies.
- Resolve problems in multicultural academic and/or professional environments associated with the studies of the acquisition, teaching and use of English as a second language in multilingual and multicultural contexts, and the literature and culture of this language.
- Show respect towards the opinions, values, behaviours and/or practices of others.
- Use the English language for academic and professional purposes related to research into the acquisition, teaching and use of English as a second language in multilingual and multicultural contexts, literary studies and cultural studies.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse and synthesise information at an advanced level.
- Apply the concepts acquired to the reality of linguistic use by multilingual individuals.
- Communicate the knowledge acquired and the contributions of one's research correctly, accurately and clearly both orally and in writing.
- Critically read academic articles on multilingualism from the point of view of critical socio-linguistics.
- Design ethnographic fieldwork and the methods for the collection of data on multilingual speakers and communities.
- Develop autonomous learning skills applicable to the research process.
- Distinguish the most important socio-linguistic characteristics of multilingual societies and individuals where English is used as a lingua franca.
- Distinguish the most recent theoretical concepts of use for explaining multilingualism from the points of view of the individual and society.
- Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different models of linguistic production.
- Explain the relation between linguistic practices and thinking among multilingual individuals.
- Recognise and question the bases of monolingualism in the fields of linguistics and socio-linguistics.
- Show respect towards the opinions, values, behaviours and/or practices of others.
- Write advanced level academic texts on multilingualism from the point of view of critical socio-linguistics.
Content
A more detailed syllabus of topics is provided at the beginning of the course.
Topic 1 Introducing Qualitative Sociolinguistics. Key concepts.
Topic 2 Qualitative Sociolinguistics. A Critical Perspective
Topic 3 Bilingual and Multilingual Language Practices
Topic 4 Monolingualism, Bilingualism and Multilingualism in
the Articulation of Nations and States
Topic 5 Globalization, Language Diversity, and Inequality
Topic 6 The Value of Language in the Economy
Topic 7 Language Skills in the Workplace
Topic 8 Language and Identity
Topic 9 Language Power, Ideology and Agency
Topic 10 English in Multilingual World Contexts
Methodology
- Each topic on the syllabus will be introduced along with the key notions and concepts students will need to master
- Discussion of assigned readings
- Analysis of practical cases
- Correction in class of exercises and assignments
15 minutes will be dedicated to evaluating teacher performance and course content at the end of the term.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Assigned readings | 17 | 0.68 | 9, 4 |
| Assignments | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 3, 12, 6, 8, 7, 13, 10, 4, 11 |
| Discuss assigned readings | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 3, 12, 8, 9, 4, 11 |
| Final assignment | 22 | 0.88 | 13, 9, 4 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Preparation to undertake practical exercises | 11 | 0.44 | 13, 9, 4 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Practical exercises of analysis | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 2, 3, 12, 5, 8, 7, 13, 9, 10, 11 |
Assessment
The final grade of the course will be calculated on the basis of
- 3 Assignments: 30%
- A final paper: 40%
- Presentation and weekly exercises: 30%.
Recuperation
All student submissions of work that do not reach a minimum of 4 out of 10 can be redone. All grades of 4 and above will be included in the calculation of the final grade according to the weight assigned. -
Assignments and short exercises in class can not not opt for resubmission.
The maximum grade for any piece of work that is resubmited is a 6 out of 10.
The grade of the final paper that has been resubmitted will be the final mark, even in tjose cases where the resubmitted grade is a lower mark than the oroginal work previously submitted.
If a student fails on the resubmission of the final paper, it is possible to pass the subject as long as the global average is equal to or greater than 5.
VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiarism of any of the evaluatioin items will automatically be considered a “fail” (0 points ) for the plagiarized item. Plagiarism isinvolves copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources, presenting it as original work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR FRAGMENTS FROM THE INTERNET AND ADDING THEM WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO A TEXT WHICH IS PRESENTED AS ORIGINAL). Plagiarism is a serious offense. Students must learn to respect the intellectual property of others, identifying any source they may use, and take responsibility for the originality and authenticity of the texts they produce.
GRADE REVISION: Lecturers will inform students (via the Moodle) of the procedures to be followed, the place, and the dates for reviewing all grades awarded for the work they hasve submitted.
REQUIRED WORK: Students will not obatin a grade for the course if they have submitted lessthan 30% of the assessment items.
NON-CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
It is possible to request a single assessment for this subject. For more information you can access the link: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudis/grau/informacio-academica/avavaluacio/avavaluacio-unica-1345885008033.html
Non-continuous assessment consists of:
· Final paper 40%
· 3 assignments related to the course content 30%
· Practical exercises carried out during the course 30%
The same system for recuperating course content will be applied as for those students opting for continuous assessment.
Revision of the final grade follows the same procedure as for students enrolled for continuous assessment
You must keep in mind the dates to request this form of evaluation that is stipulated by the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 30 | 40 | 1.6 | 1, 2, 3, 13, 9, 4 |
| Class participation and forums of debate | 30 | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 2, 12, 8, 7, 13, 10, 4, 11 |
| Final paper | 40 | 10 | 0.4 | 6, 5, 8, 7, 13, 10, 4, 11 |
Bibliography
Anderson, Benedict. 1983. (Revised edition 2006). Imagined Communities. London: Verso, 224Pp. ONLINE VERSION: https://zubairabid.com/Semester7/subjects/nationalism/readings/Benedict%20Anderson%20-%20Imagined%20Communities_%20Reflections%20on%20the%20Origin%20and%20Spread%20of%20Nationalism-Verso%20(2006).pdf
Appadurai, Arjun. 1996. Modernity at Large. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 229 Pp.ONLINE VERSION: https://books.google.es/bookshl=en&lr=&id=4LVeJT7gghMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=Appadurai,+Arjun.+1996.+Modernity+at+Large.+Minneapolis:+University+of+Minnesota+Press,+229+Pp.&ots=6PRKsD2gGf&sig=rlHTB_59YZIecOEJQ5CCl8XpZQ0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Bex, Tony & Richard J. Watts (eds.). 1999. Standard English. The Widening Debate. London:Routledge, 312 Pp.
Billig, Michael. 1995. Banal Nationalism. London:Sage, 197 Pp. ONLINE VERSION: https://thecharnelhouse1.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/michael-billig-banal-nationalism-sage-1995.pdf
Blommaert, Jan. 2003. Commentary: A sociolinguistics of globalization. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7/4: 607-623. ONLINE VERSION: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228040702_Commentary_A_Sociolinguistics_of_Globalization
Blommaert, Jan and Jef Verschueren. 1998. The “migrant” problem. In Jan Blommaert and Jef Verschueren Debating Diversity. London: Routledge. ONLINE VERSION: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300041832_1998_Debating_Diversity_Analysing_the_Discourse_of_Tolerance_London_Routledge_selected_32-38
Brutt-Griffler,Janina. 2002. World English. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 216 Pp.
Cameron, Deborah. 2000. Good to Talk? London: Sage Publications, 213Pp.
Cameron, Deborah. 2000. Styling the worker: Gender and the commodification of language in the globalized service economy. Journal of Sociolinguistics 4/3:323-347. ONLINE VERSION:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9481.00119
Coupland, Nikolas, Srikant Sarangi, & Cristopher Candlin (eds.). 2001. Sociolinguistics and Social Theory. London: Longman. ONLINE VERSION: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27650835_Sociolinguistics_and_Social_Theory
Gellner, E. 1983. Nations and Nationalism. Oxford:Blackwell.
Giddens, Anthony. 1991. Modernity and Self Identity. Stanford: Stanford University Press, Pp. 256 Pp.
Hill, Jane. Published on the web pages http://languageculture.binghamton.edu/symposia/2/part1/index.html and to see the pictures in the article consult the address below:http://www.deaflibrary.org/nakamura/courses/linguisticanthro/hill1995slides/
Hobsbawm, E. J. 1992. Nations and Nationalism since 1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hutchinson, John& Anthony D. Smith (eds.). 1994. Nationalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 378Pp.
Inda, Jonathan Xavier &Renato Rosaldo (eds.).2002. The Anthropology of Globalization. Oxford: Blackwell, 498 Pp. ONLINE VERSION: https://www.academia.edu/532925/The_Anthropology_of_Globalization_A_Reader
Joseph, John E. Language and Identity. National, Ethnic and Religious. 2004. London: Palgrave, 268 Pp. ONLINE VERSION: https://www.academia.edu/35232529/LANGUAGE_AND_IDENTITY_NATIONALISM_ETHNIC_RELIGION_John_E_Josep
Lippi Green, Rosina. 1997. English with an Accent. London: Routledge, 286 Pp.
Milroy, James. 1999. The Consequences of Standardization in Discriptive Linguistics. In Bex, Tony & Richard J. Watts (eds.). Standard English. The Widening Debate. London: Routledge, Pp. 13-39.
Moyer, Melissa & Luisa Martin Rojo. 2007. Language, Migration and Citizenship: New Challenges in the Regulation of Bilingualism. In Monica Heller (ed.) Bilingualism. Social Approaches. London: Palgrave, 36 Pp.
Muehlmann, Shaylih & Alexandre Duchêne. 2007. Beyond the nation-state: international agencies as new sites of discourses on bilingualism. n Monica Heller (ed.) Bilingualism. Social Approaches. London: Palgrave. ONLINE VERSION: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=661929
Pennycook, Alastair & Sinfree, Makoni. 2020. Innovations and Challenges in Applied Linguistics from the Global South. Loindon: Routledge. online version: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334663858_Innovations_and_Challenges_in_Applied_Linguistics_from_the_Global_SoutO
Pennycook, Alastair. 1998. English and the Discourses of Colonialism. London: Routledge, 239 Pp.
Pujolar, Joan. 2007. Bilingualism and the Nation-State in the Post-national Era. In Monica Heller (ed.) Bilingualism. Social Approaches. London: Palgrave,. ONLINE VERSION: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=661929
Stroud, Cristopher. 2007. Bilingualism: Colonialism and postcolonialism. In Monica n Monica Heller (ed.) Bilingualism. Social Approaches. London: Palgrave,. ONLINE VERSION: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=661929
Heller (ed.) Bilingualism. Social Approaches. London: Palgrave, 36 Pp. ONLINE VERSION: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=661929
Sutton, John. 2006. Globalization: A European perspective.In Anthony Giddens, PatrickDiamond and Roger Liddle (eds.) Global Europe, Social Europe.Cambridge: Polity Press, 37-51Pp..
Urciuoli, Bonnie. 1996. Exposing Prejudice. Puerto Rican Experiences of Language, Race and Class. Boulder, Co.: Westview Press, 222 Pp.ONLINE VERSION: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230428572_Exposing_Prejudice_Puerto_Rican_Experiences_of_Language_Race_and_Class
Woodward, Kath. 2002. Understanding Identity. London: Arnold, 182 Pp.
Woolard, Kathryn. Language ideology as a field of inquiry. In Schieffelin, Bambi, Kathryn Woolard & Paul Kroskrity (eds.). 1998. Language Ideologies. Practice and Theory. Oxford:Oxford University Press, Pp. 3-27.
Zentella, Ana Celia. 1997. Growing up Bilingual. Oxford: Blackwell, 322 Pp.
Software
A detailed syllabus will be distrubuted in class.