Sociocultural Linguistics

Entry requirements

You should normally hold, or expect to hold, a first degree of at least upper second standard in a related field, but other qualifications of equivalent level are considered. We also strive to acknowledge relevant teaching or other professional experience. No prior knowledge of linguistics is required.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme looks at language from a sociocultural perspective. It's designed for anyone with an interest in the relationship between language, culture and society but also provides a solid understanding of English language and linguistics.

The MA develops your understanding of historical and contemporary debates in (socio)linguistics and discourse analysis and enhances your analytic and linguistic skills by introducing different approaches to the analysis of written and spoken language use from a range of everyday and institutional contexts.

Topics covered include:

• language and ideology
• linguistic performances of identity (particularly language and gender, sexuality, ethnicity and social class)
• language and the media
• talk at work
• English in a multilingual world
• intercultural communication
• multilingualism and code-switching
• varieties of English

You're encouraged to engage with these topics by drawing on your own social, cultural and occupational backgrounds in class discussions and in your written work.

You're also encouraged to collect your own samples of written and spoken language use and learn to subject those to in-depth critical analysis.

This MA will draw on findings, theories and methodologies from: sociolinguistics, semantics, pragmatics, spoken and written discourse analysis, ethnography, semiotics, feminist stylistics; multimodal analysis; interactional sociolinguistics, conversational analysis, membership categorisation analysis, performativity and narrative analysis.

The programme’s distinct interdisciplinary ethos is also reflected in your opportunity to choose from a selection of relevant option modules in other departments of the College.

Information for international students

If your first language is not English you need a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including 7.0 in the written element) or equivalent.

Assessment