| Unit name | Language Variation and Change in German |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GERM30074 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Havinga |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of German |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
To what extent does language use in Austria and Germany differ? Are gender-neutral terms becoming more widely used in German? Do German speakers always put the finite verb at the end of a weil clause? This unit invites you to carry out a small-scale research project based on your own interests, using corpus-linguistic methods. In this unit you will have the opportunity to explore a topic of your choosing, so long as it deals with German language variation and change and as long as it can be answered by analysing a collection of text designed for linguistic analysis (a corpus). Any topic you choose will develop your German language skills and help you to become independent researchers.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit draws on your linguistic knowledge of German and engages your curiosity about language. It thus directly links to your mandatory German language units. It delves into a specific method used in linguistics that allows you to pursue your own interests, whether you have taken any other linguistics units or not. It will build on your existing skills (e.g. critical engagement with scholarly literature) and develop them further, so you become confident researchers.
An overview of content
This unit deals with language variation and change in German. We start with an introduction to sociolinguistic theories on this topic before exploring ways of studying language variation and change through corpus-linguistic methods. You will learn how to work with German corpora and how to use text-analytic tools to investigate an aspect of diachronic, regional, and/or social language variation that you are particularly interested in. You do not need to have any specialised linguistic or computing knowledge to take this unit.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit is designed to develop your research skills. It invites you to take responsibility for your own learning, to recognize your strengths, and to apply your German language skills to linguistic analyses. It also develops your communication skills and turns you into an expert in a specific subject matter.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
This unit is taught in weekly 2-hour seminars that are student-centred, interactive, and project-based. You will receive personalised guidance to develop your small-scale research project (e.g. how to formulate a research question that captures your own interests) and learn how to use corpora to analyse language.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
In addition to weekly reading, which will provide theoretical background and examples of case studies that use corpus-linguistic methods, you will be asked to submit a formative assessment to communicate your ideas for the research project.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assignment allows you to report the findings of your small-scale research project in a subject-specific, authentic format, following the guidance set out by the Journal of the Undergraduate Linguistics Association of Britain.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GERM30074).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
