Universität Wien

120225 SE MA Seminar - Focus: Applied Linguistics / Linguistics Seminar (2022W)

Language and Gender

10.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 18 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Please note that the final session of this module is on 12/01/2023!

  • Thursday 13.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 20.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 27.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 03.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 10.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 17.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 24.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 01.12. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 15.12. 12:00 - 14:30 Besprechungsraum Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O2-07
  • Thursday 12.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 19.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 26.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This module aims to give a comprehensive introduction to the study of language and gender. We will examine how gender is reflected and constituted in language, focusing both on the way we speak (style) and the (gender) ideologies/discourses which shape our language use and identity. Students will become familiar with research investigating a wide range of authentic language use, including classroom interaction, couples talk, gossip among friends, frat talk, and parliamentary debate. The module encourages a critical engagement with past and present approaches to the study of language and gender and draws on a range of different theoretical and methodological frameworks to show how gender and identity can be analysed in language. Whereas some feminist approaches foreground issues such as (male) dominance and (female) collaboration, more recent studies describe how language constitutes a resource to construct a wide range of gender identities, including tough hegemonic masculinities in Scottish schools, uncool nerd femininities in the US highschool, Hindi ‘boy’ identities in a New Dheli NGO, and on-stage performances of African American drag queens.

Questions which will be addressed on this module include: In what way does language constitute a resource for the construction of gender and sexual identities? What are some of the issues with terms such as ‘women’s language’ and ‘men’s language’? How does gender interact with ethnicity, class, and age? How does (gender) identity construction vary depending on the context we find ourselves in? What is the relationship between (gendered, sexist…) language use and (sexist, gendered) ideologies?

Learning outcomes
By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of a range of empirical research as well as theoretical and methodological frameworks in the field of language and gender
• Show critical awareness of different conceptualisations of gender
• Contrast folklinguistic and stereotypical notions of gender with empirical findings generated in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and feminist stylistics
• Investigate the role that language plays in constructing gender identities
• Display knowledge and skills to carry out independent empirical investigations in the field of language and gender
• Analyse the language/discourse features of a transcript of spoken interaction
• Illustrate how language constitutes a resource for speakers to construct gender identities
• Show critical awareness of how gender interacts with situational and sociocultural contexts and factors in language/discourse

Assessment and permitted materials

Course evaluation is based on:

• Oral pair/group presentation of published paper (worth 10%): throughout entire term – as agreed
• Project proposal, 1000 words (worth 15%) and Data Transcription (worth 15%): due 9.00 am Monday 28th November via Moodle
• Project seminar paper, 6500-7000 words (worth 60%): due Tuesday 3rd January 2023 January 9.00 am via Moodle

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The minimum requirements for passing the course are:

(a) regular class attendance (max. 2 missed sessions)
(b) preparing weekly reading/exercises and submitting all assignments (on time)
(c) active engagement in all classwork, project work and presentations
(d) attaining an overall pass mark for the module (cut off point 60% on average of combined assessment components)

Examination topics

Reading list

Main text
- Coates, Jennifer and Pichler, Pia (ed.) (2011) Language and Gender: a Reader. Second Edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell -- please purchase this as most of our reading is from this book. There will also be one copy in the Semesterhandapparat and I also managed to provide alternative (online) access to some (but not all) of the readings throughout.

Some other books you may want to get hold of:
- Coates, Jennifer (2004) Women, Men and Language. Third edition. Longman.
- Eckert, Penelope and McConnell-Ginet (2013) Language and Gender. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press. Also available online.
-Talbot, Mary (2020) Language and Gender. 3rd Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press.
-Ehrlich, Susan, Meyerhoff, Miriam, Holmes, Janet (eds) (2017) The Handbook of Language, Gender, and Sexuality. 2nd edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Association in the course directory

Studium: MA 812 [2];
Code/Modul: MA 4, MA 5;
Lehrinhalt: 12-0496

Last modified: Mo 05.12.2022 12:49