Department of English
Varieties of English: Epicentres (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
Epicentres in World Englishes are regional varieties of English that exhibit structural influences on neighbouring Englishes, i.e. it has – for instance – repeatedly been shown that Indian English can be regarded as influencing other varieties in South Asia such as Sri Lankan or Pakistani English. Epicentral configurations can consequently be found in South Asia, but also in Southeast Asia as well as in Australia and potentially in other parts of the world. The regional focus of this class is thus on Australasia and the notion of linguistic epicentres provides the framework against which the regional varieties are going to be presented.
In the course of this class, we will introduce central models describing the evolution of postcolonial/non-native varieties of English (e.g. Moag 1982; Kachru 1985; Schneider 2003, 2007) and discuss the notion of a linguistic epicentre in the World Englishes paradigm. Against this background and on the basis of structural and sociohistorical evidence, we will discuss the development and present-day structure-related as well as sociolinguistic profile of a selection of varieties in Australasia. Methodologically, we will explore different ways of a) empirically studying the structures and usage patterns that profile each of these Australasian Englishes in a unique way and b) trying to delineate epicentral configurations.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
English Department
Lecturer
Dr. Tobias Bernaisch
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Asynchronous (recorded)
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP, BigBlueButton
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor
Prerequisites
Englisch B2
Examination Format
Take-Home-Exam
ECTS
5
History of the English Language (Group B) (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
The study of the history of the English language offers highly relevant insights into how we ended up with the English language as it is structured and as it functions all around the world today. In this lecture, we will pay particular attention to the different periods in the history of the English language, i.e. Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, Late Modern English and Present-day English, in order to follow the structural changes on the levels of phonology, lexis, syntax and semantics that have led to the English language as we use it today. We will also consider various areas of linguistic study that include a historical component, e.g. historical text linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, historical corpus linguistics, etc.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
English Department
Lecturer
Dr. Barbara Ann Güldenring
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly on Thursday 3.15 -4.15 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP, ILIAS, BigBlueButton
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
English B2
Examination Format
Exam
ECTS
3
Introduction to English Linguistics (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
This course aims at familiarizing students with the systematic study of language with a focus on English. In this course, we will introduce the core areas of theoretical linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) and their respective concepts and analytic approaches. We will also take into consideration their relevance for studies in the applied linguistic field of sociolinguistics.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
English Department
Lecturer
Dr. Barbara Ann Güldenring
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous (live), time: weekly on Monday 10-12 am
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP, ILIAS, BigBlueButton
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor
Prerequisites
English B2
Examination Format
Exam
ECTS
5
Introduction to Gender and Sexuality, to Race and Anti-Racism, to Decolonial Thought, and Disability
Course Description
This interactive series of lectures seeks to introduce you to the concepts of and issues in gender, sexuality, and diversity studies. The aim is to make clear how gender, sexuality, LGBTQIA+ rights, race, class, nationhood, migration status, and ableism have to be thought in conjunction with each other in order to understand and to trouble existing social hierarchies. In each session, we will relate an issue such as racial politics or trans rights to the U.S. American and/or the German cultural political context, paying particular attention to contentious issues in this American election year. The goal is to heighten our sensibilities for how we think and talk about and react to social hierarchies based on categories of identity.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
English Department
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. Greta Olson
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: Tuesday 4-6 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
tba
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor / Master
Prerequisites
English B2
Examination Format
Essay/Term Paper
ECTS
3