School of English
Module manager: Professor Tony Crowley
Email: t.crowley@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
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 ‘English Structure and Style’, ‘Analysing English’, ‘English: Context, Culture & Style’, a Level 1 module in Linguistics and Phonetics, or similar modules in other departments in Modern Languages.) If you do not meet this requirement, but do have a Grade A in English Language A-level, and you wish to take this module, you must consult the module tutor, as should any student who is uncertain whether they meet the pre-requisite requirements.
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module will introduce students to major thinkers on the politics of language in the twentieth century and will consider critical, theoretical and cultural texts. The aim will be to cover a wide range of debates about the role of language in history in relation to a variety of social and cultural topics. These will include the ways in which language is used to include and exclude; the relation between language and forms of identity; the social stratification of language; language in a colonial and post-colonial world; language and education; linguistic creativity (individual and social).
The aim of this module is to introduce students to a number of twentieth-century ways of conceiving of the politics of language (broadly construed as the relations between language, history and culture). We will consider the work of linguists, literary artists, philosophers, political thinkers and educationalists in a range of reading that will include both theoretical essays and cultural texts.
Students will have developed:
- the ability to write clearly and to engage in disscussion in an articulate manner
- the capacity to think analytically and critically
- the ability to make a reasoned argument
- the capacity to form independent judgement
- research skills, including the retrieval, organisation, and evaluation of materials
- efficient time management skills
This module will consider the work of a number of modern writers and thinkers in order to introduce students to a variety of twentieth-century ways of conceiving of the politics of language (broadly construed as the relations between language, history and culture). The topics covered may include: the role of language in history and in the transmission of culture; language as a site of social struggle and political conflict; language, power and the politics of discourse; language in relation to social class, ethnicity and gender; feminism and language; language, colonialism and postcolonialism; language in education; language and creativity. The goal of the course will be to encourage critical reflexivity with regard to language use and policy and to provide an opportunity for independent research in this area.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 190 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 10 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Reading, seminar preparation, preparation of assessed work.
- Attendance at seminars
- Feedback on assessed essay
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2,000 words | 50 |
| Essay | 2,000 words | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 8/2/2024
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team