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Course Title

SOCIOLINGUISTICS

Course Code

SOCI431338

Credit

3

Prerequisite

ADVANCED LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Coordinator

Tin T. Dang, PhD

Program Level

Bachelor’s

Applicable for TESOL Program

From 2018

Requirement in TESOL Program

Optional

Semester in TESOL Program

8

Overview

Language and society are interrelated and interdependent with one another as society is the environment for language to be initiated and developed. This course is to explore the nature of language and its relationship to societies. The relationships between sociolinguistics views, language teaching and learning are also investigated. Students are encouraged to demonstrate a research-based view of why and how language is used to inform educational practice that positively engages with multiple linguistics communities and varieties.

Investigations into some of the ways in which language is actually used in context in different cultures are explored. Issues such as dialect, variety, pidgin, code-switching, and identity are investigated. The emphasis is on understanding and describing how people actually make use of the language and how this impacts on communication and miscommunication. Some of the theoretical and practical issues in the investigation of authentic language use are tackled. The practical implications for teachers and language curriculum developers are also examined.

Objectives

Goals Goal description
G1

Engage in critical and reflexive thinking and action as academic professionals in sociolinguistics;
Engage with current issues in social, political, and economic context, especially as these pertain to students’ language learning
G2

Demonstrate an awareness of their world and the independence of local and global contexts and the environments in which they live and work
G3 Develop communication skills and effective teamwork collaboration
G4

Underpin practical skills with relevant theoretical concepts of language performance.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes Description
G1

Understand the relationships between language and society, language and culture;
Understand issues in society, politics, economy, especially in language learning;
Understand the basic relationships between language and social factors such as gender, ethnicity, age and socio-economic status.
G2

Distinguish the differences in using language in various social contexts;
Study the changes of language using according to social contexts, gender and social status
G3

Discuss and assign their work during teamwork collaboration
Search for learning materials and confidently make presentations in front of the crowd.
G4

Apply knowledge of sociolinguistics in language teaching and learning

Materials

Wardhaugh, R. & Fuller, J. (2015). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (7th ed.). United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Hornberger, N. H., & McKay, S. L. (Eds.). (2010). Sociolinguistics and Language Education. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Wodak, R., Johnstone, B., & Kerswill, P. E. (Eds.). (2011). The SAGE Handbook of Sociolinguistics. London: SAGE.

Assessment

Assignment Content Percentage
On-going assessment 50%
Reflective discussion Postings in the LMS 20%
Class presentation Presentation to the class on an issue or topic related to the course content. 30%
Major essay 50%
Project A mini research project 50%

 

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