Unit information: Language Variation and Change in German in 2023/24

Unit name	Language Variation and Change in German
Unit code	GERM30074
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
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

Unit Information

This unit focuses on language variation and change in German. After an introduction to sociolinguistic theories on this topic, ways of studying language variation and change will be explored, focusing on corpus linguistics. Students will learn how to compile their own data, how to work with existing German corpora, and how to use text analytic software (AntConc and SketchEngine) to investigate the data for diachronic, regional, and/or social variation.

Starting from examples of language change from canonical textbook literature, students will learn to carry out their own linguistic analyses, encouraging them to challenge common language ideologies. No specialised computing knowledge is required for students of this unit.

Aims:

• To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level.
• To further skills of linguistic analysis and research and build on the students’ existing knowledge of varieties of German.
• To engage students in quantitative methods and corpus linguistic tools for text analytical research.
• To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills developed at Level I.
• To equip students with knowledge and skills that will transfer to other working environments, including postgraduate study.

Your learning on this unit

By the end of the unit, successful students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate sophisticated knowledge of German varieties and language change;
2. Develop and deploy advanced topic-specific skills: quantitative methods and text analytic tools for linguistic analysis;
3. Articulate an advanced understanding of processes involved in language change;
4. Illustrate advanced skill in the selection, synthesis, evaluation and analysis of relevant topic-based material, appropriate to level H/5;
5. Formulate independent judgements in a range of written forms in an appropriate style and at a high level of complexity;
6. Develop presentation and collaborative skills.

How you will learn

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous sessions and asynchronous activities, including seminars, lectures, and collaborative as well as self-directed learning opportunities supported by tutor consultation.

How you will be assessed

1 x 2,500-word project proposal and literature review (40%); Testing ILOs 1-5.

1 x project poster presentation (60%) Testing ILOs 1-6.

Resources

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 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.