School of English
Module manager: Mel Evans
Email: m.evans5@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
| ENGL2034 | Cursing and Courtesy: (im)politeness in English |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module provides students with a transhistorical perspective on a vital feature of human relationships and communication: (im)politeness. It explores the linguistic practices that have developed in English-speaking cultures and communities, which relate to power, persuasion, negotiation, abuse and affection. It builds on content offered in core modules, broadening the scope and application of sociolinguistic and pragmatic frameworks to look at a range of materials and texts from across history. It encourages critical thinking around habitual practices in interaction, engaging with a comparative approach, and introduces and develops key skills in data and text analysis from qualitative and quantitative perspectives. It emphasises the importance of intercultural awareness in communication. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The module introduces the key theoretical concepts and frameworks for understanding linguistic politeness and impoliteness, looking at how people have used language to build and destroy social relationships. Students will look at examples of language from across the history of English, and from a diverse range of written and spoken genres. They will develop analytical skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis, using digital tools to support their investigations. They will develop critical skills and greater awareness of the relationship between linguistic conventions, cultural norms and social structures, linked to power and identities (e.g. gender, ethnicity, status). The learning activities support the discussion, application and interpretation of theory of linguistic politeness, with a problem-based approach used to explore a mix of historical and present-day materials.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
LO1: Analyse key and complex features of linguistic politeness, their development over time, and the discourses and texts in which they appear
LO2: Apply theoretical frameworks and methods of data collection and analysis from within linguistics and other relevant disciplines to diverse evidence types of linguistic (im)politeness,
LO3: Evaluate complex evidence of linguistic (im)politeness, and critique its importance for our understanding of interaction in historical and present-day societies
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
SLO 4: Identify problems and develop strategies to address these using appropriate resources (work ready skills)
SLO 5: Apply appropriate information searching strategies for different kinds of media and evidence to source primary and secondary types of evidence (sustainability skills)
SLO 6: Select and use appropriate digital software to support specialist analysis and to communicate findings (digital skills)
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Practical | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will have preparatory tasks for each seminar, lecture and workshop, with formative feedback provided from staff and peers for each session. Students will get group feedback on their progress at key milestones on the module. Students will receive formative feedback from their tutor and peers on their assessment plans and preparation.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Data analysis exercise | 40 |
| Coursework | Investigative project | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 16/07/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team