6 ECTS credits
180 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4020158FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
In this course at the MA level, we will zoom in on the concept of language contact and language planning, mainly from a language sociological angle. During a series of introductory lectures, we will first refresh and deepen our understanding of basic concepts surrounding language planning and policy, language contact, minority languages and societal multilingualism, and language shift and maintenance. The most important themes and theories in the associated fields of study will be illustrated by means of several relevant case studies (from the Dutch language area, or beyond). We may also invite one or more guest lecturers on one of these subjects.
Next, students will work in small groups on setting up and carrying out a research project involving minority language and language planning or language contact. They elaborate one of more relevant research questions in the applicable domains, and chose a speech community of minority language users in or around the Brussels metropolitan area as the main focus of their research. Using their own survey questionnaires and/or qualitative data (e.g. interviews, focus group talks, etc.), they map out one or more relevant aspects of language planning, language contact or patterns of language use in an urban, multilingual context, for the specific community they have chosen to work on. They present their case study to their follow students in a series of interactive seminars, consisting of a midterm presentation and a final discussion seminar which they prepare and lead, bringing forward some applicable questions and points of debate. Students will then use the feedback they get on the seminar to elaborate their presentation into a full research paper on the chosen topic.
Relevant literature and assigned readings will be made available over the course of the semester. This collection of research articles and book chapters can, together with the slides and hand outs, serve as a starting point for a further study of the relevant literature on one of the case studies.
1. Students can recognize, situate and explain relevant theories, concepts and terms from the language contact literature, and they can apply this theoretical knowledge to the various case studies.
2. Students show that they have acquired the necessary scientific independence to carry out a thorough study of research literature on a specialized topic as well as an empirical research project on a related topic, and they are able to formulate critical and insightful questions on this topic.
3. Students are capable of making a critical synthesis of the research literature and their own empirical findings, achieving a good balance between theoretical and methodological insights on the one hand, and a thorough empirical description or analysis of a language planning or language contact phenomenon in a minority speech community of their choice.
4. Students are aware of the multilingual society in which they live, and can engage in a meaningful intercultural dialogue with members of a minority language community within Brussels, with respect for linguistic diversity and recognizing the complex relationship between language, culture and identity.
5. Students can report about their insights and findings by means of a seminar presentation, using fluent English and accurate linguistic terminology.
6. Students can furthermore report about their insights and findings of a critical literature review in the form of a scientific paper, written in an appropriate register of a standard variety of English and with an accurate and rich use of the acquired terminology.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 10% of the final mark.
LEC Paper determines 60% of the final mark.
PRAC Presentation determines 30% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the LEC Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the PRAC Presentation category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final grade is determined on the basis of:
-written paper (90% of the grade)
-oral discussion of paper (10% of the grade)(obligatory; non-participation leads to an 'absent' grade for the full course)
-participation in midterm presentation (obligatory; non-participation leads to an 'absent' grade for the full course)
If a student does not participate in all of the separate evaluation criteria of the course, he or she will be marked absent for the course as a whole.
Late submissions of assignments, papers or other tasks will *not* be accepted. All deadlines hold for both digital as well as paper copies.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Linguistics - 1 language (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Linguistics - 2 languages (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: profile Multilingualism and Foreign Language Acquisition - 1 language (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: profile Multilingualism and Foreign Language Acquisition - 2 languages (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Linguistics 1 Language
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Linguistics 2 Languages
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Multilingualism and Foreign Language Acquisition 1 Language
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Multilingualism and Foreign Language Acquisition 2 Languages
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Multilingual Mediation and Communication - 2 languages