LS3LMG-Language and Migration

Module Provider: English Language and Applied Linguistics
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: LS1SG Sounds, Grammar and Meaning LS1ELS English Language and Society
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2020/1

Module Convenor: Dr Tony Capstick

Email: tony.capstick@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

In this module students will explore the role of language in migration by focusing on the multiple and complex ways that migration has been sustained and constrained through language use for centuries.

Students will be introduced to a range of theories from sociolinguistics, sociology and education studies and learn to apply these theories to different contexts of migration across the world.

Among the topics covered in the module are multilingualism and mobility, globalization and language policy etc.

Aims:

This module aims to equip students with the theoretical and analytical tools to analyse the role of language in different forms of migration. It enables students to reflect critically on language and power in economic migration and forced migration and encourages students to identify the role of language in broader debates about the impact of migration on national and international policies such as international development, global security and education. Students will learn how to apply their findings to the way language is used to construct migrants in the media and how this effects our understandings of asylum, immigration and social cohesion. They will explore these issues through a case study of a local language centre and carry out research related to that centre.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

• describe and explain key theories of sociolinguistics, education studies and discourse analysis relevant to the analysis of migration. These include linguistic ethnography, New Literacy Studies and Critical Discourse Analysis;


• analyse authentic texts, conversations and social practices in order to identify how migrants use language in their migration trajectories as well as how migrants are c onstructed in a range of settings such as in the media, in international agencies such as the EU and the UN, and on social media;


• conduct research on language and new migration using a variety of text based and ethnographic approaches to the ethical collection, selection and analysis of data from naturally occurring language use;


• apply the findings from research on language and migration to discussions and debates about the effects of migration on education and li teracy, immigration and integration policy, globalisation, and social and economic equality. 

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

1.    Multilingualism and migration

2.    Empires and colonial language policy

3.    Globalisation and translanguaging

4.    Home languages and multicultural identities

5.    Li teracy, power and immigration in-class test

6.    No lecture

7.    Forced migration and social cohesion

 8.   Higher education and international language testing

9.    Case study workshop

10 .  World Englishes and transnationalism

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Interactive lectures, small group discussions, online discussions, project work.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		20
Guided independent study:		180
Total hours by term		200
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	50
Set exercise	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

1) Students will write one paper of around 3000 words on a set topic. 50%

2) Students will take a multiple choice set exercise as a test. 50%

One piece of assessment worth no more than 50% of the module mark can be replaced by a report produced after an academic placement. The placement must be agreed in advance by the module convenor; the length of the report is to be equivalent to standard departmental practice for coursework.

Formative assessment methods:
Students will receive on-going feedback from the instructor and from other students in the form of comments on their reflective blog posts.

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
Relative percentage of coursework:100%

Requirements for a pass: A mark of 40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:

Resubmission of coursework by 12 noon on the third Friday in August in the year the course is taken.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):
1) Required text books:
2) Specialist equipment or materials:
3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear:
4) Printing and binding:
5) Computers and devices with a particular specification:
6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence:

Last updated: 4 April 2020