• Offered by School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Classification Transitional
  • Course subject Linguistics
  • Areas of interest Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Mode of delivery In Person

This course will focus on the relationship between discourse, gender, power and identity. It will examine ways in which language can be actively varied by speakers according to social contexts, to express deference, solidarity, and identity. More specifically, the course will analyse ways in which gender is communicated and marked in language. How do people express identity through language? How is powerlessness revealed in talk? Is language inherently sexist? There are a number of different approaches to the analysis of discourse, such as Discourse Analysis, Conversation Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Analysis of Institutional Talk, Interactional Sociolinguistics. A major focus of the course will be to critically examine some of these different approaches to the analysis of discourse, with respect to the issues of gender, power and identity.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
  1. Explain, and argue for, the ways in which language expresses deference, power, solidarity and identity.
  2. Explain and argue for some of the different approaches to the analysis of discourse, including Discourse Analysis, Conversation Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Analysis of Institutional Talk, Interactional Sociolinguistics.
  3. Understand the different ways in which language can be analysed in terms of power, solidarity, identity, gender.
  4. Think about, write and present an argument related to the analysis of discourse.
  5. Conduct independent research in the field of Language, Power and Identity.

Other Information

This class is co-taught with undergraduate students LING2103. However, Graduate students have additional tutorials.

Indicative Assessment

Written Assignment, 1500 words (25%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Weekly tutorial exercises (20%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Group-led Tutorial, 30 min (15%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Research paper proposal, 1000 words (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Research paper 3000 words (30%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials, and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have successfully completed 24 units of courses including 6 units of Linguistics (LING) courses. Alternatively you may gain permission of the Course Convener to enrol in this course. Incompatible with LING2103.

Prescribed Texts

Thornborrow, J (2002) Power Talk. London: Pearson Education

Preliminary Reading

Students will be given a full reading list at the beginning of the semester.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $3180
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $4860
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

There are no current offerings for this course.

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