Universität Wien

122053 PS PS Linguistics (2020W)

What do we do with words?

5.00 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. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

This proseminar will (if possible) be held via online and on-site sessions at the department. Depending on the number of students, only half the group will be present at the department. Please note the following dates as planned on-site, i.e. in physical presence at the department:
13.10 / 20.10 / 17.11. / 24.11. / 12.01. / 19.01. / 26.01.

Update Nov. 2: online teaching only

  • Tuesday 06.10. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 13.10. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 20.10. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 27.10. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 03.11. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 10.11. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 17.11. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 24.11. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 01.12. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 15.12. 08:15 - 09:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 12.01. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 19.01. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 26.01. 08:15 - 09:45 Hybride Lehre
    Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

“At the heart of language use is human action, people doing things with words” (Clark 1995: 371). The linguistic field of pragmatics investigates how language is used in social context and “how more gets communicated than is said” (Yule 1998: 3) and "about how people make sense of each other linguistically" (Yule 1998: 4). Taking the study of pragmatics as an example, this course provides students with insights into one area of linguistics research and prepares them for their first small-scale research project.

Throughout the course we will zoom in on key-concepts and theories in pragmatics (e.g. Speech Acts, Politeness, Co-operative Principle). Engaging with exemplary studies, data and their own research topics, students will acquire knowledge and develop skills required to understand and discuss the links between phenomena researched, study approaches, data collection and interpretation.

Some of the key questions we will address in the course of the term are:
- What is the role of context in meaning making?
- What do speakers do with words as they attempt to reach shared understanding?
- What can one do with words at all?
- What kind of data is needed for the study of pragmatics?
- What role does pragmatics play in the concept of 'communicative competence' and in language education?

In addition to exploring these questions and learning about lexical research, participants will also learn how to find relevant literature on a specific research topic/question, critically analyse and reflect on existing research in the field and collect first experience in planning, conducting and writing up a small-scale linguistic research project.

This course combines lecturer input, sample analyses of relevant material, on- and offline study phases and assignments, group work, discussions and student presentations.

In sum, students will ...
- become familiar with the basics of conducting and reporting linguistic research
- gain knowledge in selected areas of pragmatics
- carry out a small-scale empirical research project

Assessment and permitted materials

Student assessment is based on active participation in class, self-study and online assignments, regular readings, an oral poster presentation, and the PS paper.

For the paper each students will choose one aspect related to pragmatics, explore it in more detail and conduct a study. Further information will be provided in class.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance (max. 2 absences)
Part 1: Class participation, readings, smaller (online) assignments, discussions (f2f, online) etc. 10%
Part 2: Poster presentation in class: 25%
Part 3: Paper proposal: 20%
Part 4: PS paper (3,500 words +/-10%): 45%
All parts (1, 2, 3 and 4) must be completed and at least three out of four parts must be positive. The overall pass mark is 60%.

Grading scale: 1 (sehr gut) 100-90%; 2 (gut) 89-80%; 3 (befriedigend), 79-70%; 4 (genügend) 69-60%; 5 (nicht genügend) 59-0%.

Examination topics

Course evaluation is based on
- active participation, discussions/online activities, regular readings
- online poster presentation
- on-time submission of PS paper and paper proposal
Please note that your paper will be checked with anti-plagiarism software (TurnItIn).

Reading list

Readings will be made available on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

Studium: BEd 046 / 407
Code/Modul: BEd 09.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-2045

Last modified: Fr 12.05.2023 00:16