ATS3779 - Cultural linguistics - 2017

This unit introduces students to the newly developed field of Cultural Linguistics, a multidisciplinary field of research that examines the complex relationship between language and cultural conceptualisations. It encourages students to examine how language encodes culturally constructed conceptualisations of experience. Recent studies of Cultural Linguistics have revealed that this framework can be fruitfully applied to areas such as intercultural communication, World Englishes, and Teaching English as an International Language.

At the completion of the unit it is expected that students will be able to:

1. demonstrate a high level of understanding of the relationship between language and cultural conceptualisations;
2. appreciate the diversity of world views and cultural cognitions reflected in different languages and language varieties;
3. reflect critically on their own experiences of communication with people from diverse backgrounds;
4. demonstrate a critical understanding of the complexity of the language-culture relationship in today's globalised world.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Professor Farzad Sharifian

English as an international language

Global cultural literacies

Linguistics