Language & Social Interaction Com 378R

Course Objectives

The purpose of this course is: (1) to increase your understanding of the role of language in interaction, (2) to explore the relationships between language use and gender, ethnicity, and culture, (3) to understand the differing bases of misunderstandings, and (4) to heighten your awareness of language choices and their consequences. In addition to providing a conceptual framework with which to think about language and interaction, this course will provide experience in observing and analyzing how verbal and nonverbal conduct are enacted and understood in social situations

Required Texts:

Giglioli, P. (1972) Language and Social Context. London: Penguin Books. Reading Packet available at Shipmates.

Course Procedures and Requirements

Journal. To heighten your abilities to focus on language use in context, you are expected to keep a journal in which you record and discuss incidents involving miscommunication. For each journal entry, first describe the event as it unfolded as accurately as you; then write commentary on the event, using course concepts when relevant. The commentary should pertain to some aspect of language use and/or social interaction. You should have at least one entry per week.

Term Paper. You are required to write a paper that explains and illustrates a selected set of course concepts as they apply to actual communication events that you have observed. The paper should be 7-10 double-spaced typed pages in length. The assignment will be distributed in class.

Exams. There will be a midterm and final examination. The exams will cover assigned readings, lecture material, and class discussions. The format will consist of short essay and multiple choice questions. No make up exams will be given after the scheduled test date unless a student has a documented medical excuse. Students with a schedule conflict are responsible for contacting the instructor for arrangements to take the exam early.

Attendance. Attendance is very important, as concepts not contained in the readings will be presented and discussed during class meetings. Also it is unlikely that students can produce a satisfactory term paper without attending class.

Plagiarism. Using someone else's work without attribution, such as failure to put quoted work in quotations or to cite sources, or copying from someone else's test or paper, will result in a failing grade in the course and will be referred to the office of Student Affairs for action.

Grading

Course grades will be determined on the following basis: Journal 25% Term Paper 25% Midterm Exam 20% Final Exam 30%

Class Schedule

UNIT I: APPROACHES TO STUDYING LANGUAGE
AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

Week 1 (Th 1/20) Introduction to Studying Language in Use

Assigned reading: Introduction to Language and Social Context

Week 2 (Tu 1/25, Th 1/27) Interactional Sociolinguistics and Ethnography of Communication

Assigned reading: Hymes (Ch1)

Week 3 (Tu 2/1, Th 2/3) Speech Act Theory, Conversation Analysis, Variation Analysis

Assigned reading: Fishman (Ch 2), Searle (Ch 7)

UNIT II: ANALYSIS OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION

Week 4 (Tu 2/8, Th 2/10) Situated Actions and Social Situations

Assigned reading: Goffman (Ch 3), Basso (Ch 4), Frake (Ch 5)

Week 5 (Tu 2/15, Th 2/17) Conversational Practices

Assigned reading: Schegloff (Ch 6) Thursday 2/17 Turn in Journal to Be Checked

Week 6 (Tu 2/22, Th 2/24) Achieving and Displaying Understanding

Assigned reading: Heyman (reading packet), Heritage (reading packet)

Week 7 (Tu 2/29, Th 3/2) Functions and Bases of Misunderstandings

Assigned reading: Eisenberg & Phillips (reading packet), Young (reading packet)
Pass out term paper assignment

SPRING BREAK

Week 8 (Tu 3/14, Th 3/16) 3/14 – Catch-up and Review 3/16 – Midterm Examination

UNIT III: LANGUAGE, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, AND CULTURE

Week 9 (Tu 3/21, Th 3/23) Language and Social Class

Assigned reading: Bernstein (Ch 8)

Week 10 (Tu 3/28, Th 3/30) Language and Ethnicity

Assigned reading: Labov (Ch 9)

Week 11 (Tu 4/4, Th 4/6) Language and Culture Assigned reading: Gumperz (Ch 10), Ferguson (Ch 11)

Week 12 (Tu 4/11, Th 4/13) The Language of Power and Solidarity

Assigned reading: Brown & Gilman (Ch 12)

LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION COM 378R

LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
COM 378R