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Language, Communication, and Power

Module description

One of the most pervasive ways in which people communicate is through verbal language and other symbolic resources, such as visual signs, making language a powerful means not only to encode and communicate meanings, but also to shape perceptions, enact identities, and reinforce and contest hierarchies. This module will introduce you to the interplay between language and power dynamics in communication drawing from a wide range of verbal and visual texts. Through engaging with real communicative scenarios, you will develop a nuanced understanding of how language works in everyday life.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• develop your understanding of language as social practice
• enable you to critically engage with key concepts such as language variation and linguistic prejudice, language and identity, language and gender and language and ideology
• advance your understanding of how language is used in communication 
• explore language in action in a variety of social contexts and processes

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of language as social practice
• 2. Develop the capacity to analyse and reflect on language use

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Use recommended reference works and identify independently resources to support an original analysis and discussion
• 4. Present a sustained argument on topics relevant to the module content

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Demonstrate effective personal organisational skills
• 6. With guidance from the tutors, undertake independent study and research
• 7. Present cogent arguments orally or in writing where appropriate, in English, on a specified topic and following guidelines provided.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, the topics are likely to include:

• Parameters of language variation: regional and social variation
• Language attitudes and linguistic prejudice/ discrimination
• Language and identity
• Language and ideology
• Language and gender (in contexts such as the workplace)
• Language and race
• Language and social media
• Language and representation of climate crisis
• Language and power
• Language and globalisation
• Language and behaviour change

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Bonvillain, N (2020). Language, Culture and Communication. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Bourdieu, P., & Thompson, J. B. (2005). Language and symbolic power. Polity Press.
• Coupland, N. (Ed.). (2010). The handbook of language and globalization. John Wiley & Sons.
• Edwards, J. (2009). Language and identity: an introduction. Cambridge University Press.
• Holmes, J., & Wilson, N. (2017). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Taylor & Francis Group.
• Mayr, A., Simpson, P., and Statham, S. (2019). Language and Power: A resource book for students. Routledge
• Mooney, A., and Evans, B. (2018). Language, society and power: An introduction. Taylor & Francis Group.
• Quakenbush, S. J., & Simons, G. F. (2021). Language and Identity in a Multilingual, Migrating World. SIL International Publications.
• Schnurr, S., & Zayts, O. (2017). Language and Culture at Work (1st ed.). Routledge.
• Vine, B. (2017). The Routledge Handbook of Language in the Workplace (1st ed., Vol. 1). Routledge.

Key words search

Language, power, communication, language and identity, language and ideology