Course Overview

The purpose of this course is to understand the role language plays in
our day to day lives, how it shapes our world views and social relations,
ultimately influencing our human experiences. The relationship between
language and society is discussed through different theoretical means,
including but not limited to: anthropology, culture studies, philosophy
of mind, and social theory. We will draw upon structural aspects of
speech (such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
pragmatics, and discourse) and observe these in relation to language in
its social context.

I will teach the first 7 weeks of class core concepts in the study of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. The following weeks will cover case studies based on current topics of interest in sociolinguistics. These weeks will be covered by the students (details in found under “Assessment Descriptions”). Grading is based on preparation
and participation in class discussions.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first week of Topics in Sociolinguistics 🙂

Our WordPress site is just one of the many tools we’ll be using to get acquainted with class materials. Here you will find links to useful/interesting articles, class news, instructions on assignments, updates on deadlines, and – finally – course material (slides, articles, photocopies of select chapters). On the menu above you will find a link to our course syllabus. It is your responsibility to keep updated and complete the weekly readings. You are expected to take an active role in class, particularly in group discussions.

Weekly Reflections

Each week I will upload a discussion topic here, where you will be expected to contribute your opinion and additional findings (or interesting information) related to that topic (300 – 500 words long). You may talk about: (1) what you found interesting in the material covered that week and why, (2) what you found challenging, (3) how it ties to your research interests, (4) whether you’ve read related material, (5) whether it reminds you of real life situations and which, (6) whether you can think of quantitative or anecdotal data relevant to class material, etc.

Happy blogging!