General provisions

The course is given as a free-standing course. It is also an optional module in Linguistics B, C or D.

Entry requirements

30 credits in a language subject

Learning outcomes

For the grade Pass, after completing the course the student should be able to

• describe common and distinctive features of the world's languages, with a focus on the relationship between language and culture
• highlight the close relationship between language and culture from different perspectives, such as language structure, conversation patterns, language development, translation and literature
• explain the main theories of the relationship between language and thought, and between language and culture
• reason about the relationship between language and identity using relevant linguistic terms and illustrate their reasoning with their own examples
• describe the differences between written and unwritten culture
• illustrate with concrete examples the connections between some metaphors and their culture-specific features
• apply theoretical knowledge in analyzing given linguistic materials
• present their analysis in a scientific way

Content

The course will provide an overview of language and culture encounters through a presentation of linguistic research in these areas, including cross-cultural semantics and pragmatics; cross-linguistic styles of discourse; language and thought; language, culture and literature; cultural aspects of translation and interpretation; language use in multilingual settings; and discussion of a number of concrete case studies.

Instruction

The teaching consists of lectures, exercises and assessment. The student's own learning activities are of crucial importance for the work on the course.

Assessment

Students demonstrate the results of their learning through oral and written assignments. Information on the content and format of the oral and written assignments, the date of completion/submission and re-examination is given at the start of the course.  

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Other regulations

The course may not be included in the degree as a freestanding course if equivalent materials have been studied in another course included in the degree.