Faculty of Translation and Interpreting Course syllabus Year 2015­2016 Course: Language, Community and Ideology (21515) Degree/studies: ​
Bacherlor's Degree in Applied Languages Year: ​
third Term: ​
first ECTS credits: ​
4 ECTS Student dedication time: ​
100 hours Course type: ​
Elective Teacher: ​
Vicent Climent Language of instruction: ​
Catalan 1. Course presentation In this course we will work and reflect on the production, distribution and reception of speeches and knowledge. We will pay special attention to the interrelation between social practices, verbal interactions, dominant speeches and ideology. The main goal is to analyse the speech mechanisms used by the different social, politic, media and economic actors to socially build and represent the reality. The course is based on dominant speeches and ideologies. Its goal is to provide the students with analyzing tools that promote their critical capacity. We will review the main branches of Discourse Analysis (DA) such as the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) or Political Discourse Analysis (PDA). We will also see the different approaches for discourse analysis, focusing in both the semantic and discursive macro strategies and the lexical­semantic and rhetorical­argumentative micro strategies. The course is practical and cross­disciplined. Once the different theoretical approaches on DA are presented, the students will be able to apply these concepts into an specific case of their interest (economy, immigration, education, linguistic politics, etc.) and work on discourse analysis by way of a student report authorised by the teacher, whom will explain the different techniques and methodologies of data collection. 2. Competencies to be attained Upon completing the degree programme a host of skills should be attained and this subject addresses the following skills defined in the form of learning outcomes: 2.1. General skills: 1.1. We will also see the different approaches for discourse analysis, focusing in both the semantic and discursive macro strategies and the lexical­semantic and rhetorical­argumentative micro strategies. Formulating and delimiting the speeches and ideologies of what needs to be analysed. Choosing the most appropriate methodology for the analysis of a specific discursive situation. Drawing the appropriate conclusions regarding the concepts seen in class in a holistic manner. 1.2. Critical reasoning (G.3) Evaluating the contents taking into account the diversity of the theoretical approaches. Explaining the decisions made. Building discursive ways alternative to the dominant ideologies. 1.3. Recognising and understanding the importance of speech in the social building of society. Observing the social and cultural effects of the dominant ideologies. Differentiating and identifying the discursive elements through which the dominant ideologies are built. 2.2 Specific competencies: 2.2.1. Ability to analyse communicative acts (with its complexity and necessary level of detail) (S.18) Describing communicative interaction processes at a "macro" and "micro" approach. Establishing a link of social interactions that build the dominant ideologies. 2.2.2 Ability to reflect on the discourses and their importance in the understanding of the social reality (S.20) Managing the communicative difficulties emerging from linguistic diversity. Elaborating exhaustive analysis on the building of dominant ideologies. 3. Contents ▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
Discourse analysis and different subfields: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Discourse Analysis (DA), Political Discourse Analysis (PDA), etc. Discursive micro and macro strategies Formation of dominant ideologies Construction processes of cognitive frames Social theory, social representation and ​
frames Thematic and macro positioning analysis Empirical data analysis Corpus creation, systematization and analysis Corpus analysing tools 4. Evaluation and reassessment Evaluation Final mark Requirements Evaluation activity Percentage of the final mark ABP1 25 % ABP2 25 % ABP3 25 % ABP4 25 % group group group Individual Assessment criteria: 1. Systematic knowledge of the several orientations of applied languages. 2. Posing a question on sociolinguistic aspects, linguistic policies or linguistic management and planning. 3. Knowledge of the existing methods of data collection as well as its application (collecting data, designing research projects). 4. Critical analysis of data. 5. Ability to compare linguistic politics and planning phenomena and multilingualism in different contexts, while using several approaches on incomplete and abstract information. 6. Ability to analyse the sociolinguistic, glotto­political and linguistic politics and planning issues. 7. Ability to come up with solutions to sociolinguistic problems. 8. Ability to innovate from the knowledge gained through the design of solutions to sociolinguistic problems. 9. Ability to learn in a proactive way through both practice and the available information sources. 10. Ability to pose questions and answer them self­sufficiently and ability to synthesise (knowing what to look for, how and where). This competency will be especially useful for the final paper of the course. 5. Methodology: training activities Problem­based learning methodology (ABP for its initials in Catalan: “aprenentatge basat en problemes”) The course will follow the 7 steps of ABP: 1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Terms and concepts explanation. Definition of the problem. Suggestion of explanations (brainstorming). Structuring the explanations suggested. Drawing up learning goals (work plan). Research of learning resources (established in the work plan). ​
[autonomous study] Pooling of ideas, group discussion, knowledge abstraction and evaluation of the knowledge acquired. The contents of the programme will be developed by way of the following activities: ▪
Theoretical explanations, enlightened with practical cases, to help the students structure the readings ▪
▪
▪
Discussions about the readings (dossier) and the tasks carried out previously Short oral presentation (in group); Presentation and discussion of research papers The course will be organised in two modules: a first theoretical module, focused on the main concepts on AD and another practical module in which we will apply the concepts to a specific social reality. 6. Course bibliography General Van Dijk, T (ed.). (1985) A Handbook on Discourse ed. 4 vols. London: Academic Press. Fairclough, N., Mulderrig, J. & Wodak, R. (2011) ​
Discourse Studies. A multidisciplinary Introduction. ​
van Dijk, T. A. (ed.). London: Sage, p. 357­378 22 p. Fairclough, N., and R. Wodak. (1997) "Critical Discourse Analysis." In ​
Discourse as Social Interaction. ​
Ed. T. A. van Dijk. London: Sage. Van Dijk,T. (2006) Ideology and Discourse Analysis, ​
Journal of Political Ideologies​
, Routledge 11(2), 115­140. Blommaert, J. (ed.). (1999) ​
Language Ideological Debates​
. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin/New York. Empiric Wodak, R., De Cillia R., Reisigl, M. (2009) ​
The discursive construction of national Identities, Discourse and Society ​
Vol 10(2): 149–173 Climent­Ferrando, V. (2015) ​
The Language Debates on Immigrant Integration in France. Immigrant Integration or Immigrant Control?​
In: Journal of Language & Law ​
num 63. Rubio Carbonero, Gema. (2010) Los Discursos Políticos del Partido Popular sobre Immigración. Tesis, UPF Barcelona. Milani, T. (2008) “Language testing and citizenship: A language ideological debate in Sweden” in: ​
Language in Society ​
37, 27–59. Millar, J. (2012) “An interdiscursive analysis of language and immigrant integration policy discourse in Canada”. ​
Critical Discourse Studies, ​
10(1), 18–31.