Linguistic Anthropology is an area within social anthropology with a special focus on the connections between language and culture, cultural and social dimensions of language use. It readily adopts and adjusts to anthropological agenda methods from other disciplines that help to enhance our understanding of language and communication as social and cultural practice (such as conversation analysis or discourse analysis). This course is designed specifically for historians in their senior BA-years. It aims to introduce students to the main ideas and methods of linguistic anthropology and to give them tools from its store useful for their analysis of different written and oral historical sources. The course gives general overview of the main problems of Linguistic Anthropology, such as linguistic relativity, and the key notions and concepts of the discipline. Yet the main focus is on the particular ways of understanding oral and written interaction elaborated by linguistic anthropologists. Practical exercises should help students to master particular techniques of oral and written communication analysis.
Learning Objectives
To introduce students to the key concepts and notions of Linguistic Anthropology
To familiarize students with the Linguistic Anthropology approach to oral and written interaction
To teach students to apply some practical methods of oral and written communication analysis
Expected Learning Outcomes
Students are able to read and understand scholarly texts in Linguistic Anthropology
Students know the key notions and ideas of Linguistic Anthropology
Students are familiar with various methods of anthropological analysis of oral and written communication
Students are able to select and apply a method of anthropological analysis of oral and written communication suitable for their particular goals
Course Contents
Introduction: What is linguistic anthropology?
Language and culture
Semiotics and the theory of sign
Speech situations and models
Performative
Language as social activity
Social rituals
Meaning in the context
Participation
Oral and written
Narrative analysis
Discourse analysis
Language ideologies
Assessment Elements
Written assignment 1. Conversation analysis
To be done in the week between modules, to be graded in the 2nd module. Take-home assignment: Please, take any piece of oral interaction 3 minute long, transcribe it in the Jefferson system and indicate as many features of oral communication as you can. Comment your findings in a small essay (1000 words): comment the turn-taking and anything else that caught your eye.
If you plagiarize you fail. If AI is detected by the Antiplagiat.ru, you fail. If AI is not detected, but your work looks suspicious to me, you are invited for personal discussion of the work in question.
Later submissions are downgraded: 1 point per day after the deadline
Exam research essay
Research essay written at home. Please, take any source, oral or written, and apply any of the methods and theories from the course to analyze it. You can use: discourse analysis, narrative analysis, semiotics of bureaucratic documents, theory of face and politeness, footing, dialogical approach, performative theory or semiotic ideology.
If you plagiarize you fail. If AI is detected by the Antiplagiat.ru, you fail. If AI is not detected, but your work looks suspicious to me, you are invited for personal discussion of the work in question.
Later submissions are downgraded: 1 point per day after the deadline
Seminar activity
Interim Assessment
2024/2025 2nd module
0.2 * Seminar activity + 0.3 * Written assignment 1. Conversation analysis + 0.5 * Exam research essay
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
Ahearn, L. M. (2017). Living Language : An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1367895
Recommended Additional Bibliography
The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Anthropology. (2014). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsnar&AN=edsnar.oai.repository.ubn.ru.nl.2066.132105
Преподаватель
Касаткина Александра Константиновна
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Learning Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes
Course Contents
Assessment Elements
Interim Assessment
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
Recommended Additional Bibliography
Authors