2010/11 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL3276 Language, Identity and Community

20 creditsClass Size: 21

School of English

Module manager: Dr Fiona Douglas
Email: f.m.douglas@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2010/11

Pre-requisite qualifications

Students wishing to take this module must have passed an introduction to language study in the School of English or another department (such modules include 'Language, Text and Context', 'Foundations of Language Study', 'Language Methodologies and Research Methods', a Level 1 module in Linguistics and Phonetics, or similar modules in other departments in Modern Languages). Other students who have an A in English Language A-level and who wish to do this module should consult the module tutor, as should any student who is uncertain whether they meet the pre-requisite requirements.

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

Language is not merely a vehicle for communication; it is also a symbol. One of its most important symbolic functions is in the representation, construction and maintenance of a sense of identity: a sense of who we are; who or what we identify with; where we come from; our heritage, our past, our present; our community. This module introduces students to the ways in which language is linked to identity. It addresses the capacity for language to evoke a sense of place, a sense of history, a sense of continuity with the past, and to establish connections with and the boundaries of communities. For generations, researchers have collected and analysed the language of specific localities. The Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture (LAVC) is a significant and substantial cultural resource which grew out of precisely this sort of study. Housed in the University Library's Special Collections, to date its use has been mainly restricted to the academic community. One of the concerns of this module will be to consider how students can engage with these and related materials in ways which might benefit local museums and the public. The module is primarily concerned with matters lexical, but other aspects of language study will be introduced as appropriate.

Learning outcomes
Student engagement with issues of language, dialect and identity. Student engagement with primary research resources and catalogue for LAVC.
Student engagement with skills, methodologies and issues relating to public engagement activities.

Skills outcomes
- Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
- Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
- Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
- Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
- Critical reasoning.
- Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
- IT skills.
- Time management and organisational skills.
- Independent learning.

Syllabus

Language is not merely a vehicle for communication; it is also a symbol. One of its most important symbolic functions is in the representation, construction and maintenance of a sense of identity: a sense of who we are; who or what we identify with; where we come from; our heritage, our past, our present; our community. This module introduces students to the ways in which language is linked to identity. It addresses the capacity for language to evoke a sense of place, a sense of history, a sense of continuity with the past, and to establish connections with and the boundaries of communities.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	5	1.00	5.00
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			185.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Teaching will be through weekly seminars (10 x 1 hour) plus up to 5 additional hours (content to be determined by the module tutor). The 5 additional hours may include lectures, plenary sessions, film showings, or the return of unassessed/assessed essays.

Private Study: Seminar preparation, reading, assignment writing.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contribution to seminars and assessed written work.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1,700 words	33.30
Report	Project report - 2,750 words	66.70
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 07/03/2011

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