¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

In our everyday lives, texts and language are all around us and we regularly engage in formal and informal literacy practices. In this module, you will be exploring the kinds of work you engage in when you read and communicate and how your use of language and literacy practices changes depending on the settings and contexts you find yourself in. You will be introduced to key concepts and theories from linguistics, sociolinguistics, media, film and social media studies, sociology and philosophy. For example, you learn about Saussure’s and Chomsky’s approaches to understanding language, you consider Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus in relation to language use and you discuss and apply Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis to your use of social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp. The role of literacy practices and visual communication will be explored critically in the context of discourses around climate change and sustainability. The module assessment is via a presentation around an artefact and a critically reflective essay drawing on the concepts from one of the four major themes: multimodality and contemporary literacy practices; language histories; film and media education; and communicating and learning across mobile, portable and digital technologies.

Teaching Delivery: This module is taught in 10 weekly lectures and 10 weekly seminars.ÌýÌý

Indicative Topics:Ìýbased on module content in 2023/24, subject to possible changes.

The module is arranged in four themes:

• multimodality and contemporary literacy practices.
• language histories in the context of diverse linguistic and cultural education settings
• film and media in education
• digital mobility and collaborative knowledge building

Module Aims:

1. The module aims to provide students with the following:
2. Conceptual understanding of the collaborative and provisional nature of learning-related literacy practices in formal and informal educational settings, including digital environments
3. The ability to draw on different disciplinary perspectives to reflect on aspects of literacy and language studies as these pertain to education, both in the UK and in international contexts
4. Opportunities to devise arguments about the significance of digital forms of ‘composition’ as well as more traditional, print-based medium on cultural participation and knowledge construction, through critical reading, writing and practical projects
5. Opportunities to critically reflect on key concepts from the course as they relate to their own experiences – in their communities that are themselves structured by language and different approaches to communication, as well as their schooling trajectories which reinforce and/or challenge their everyday literacy practices