MA seminar - linguistics - 1st year 3500-JIS-SEMMGR1-L-L
The aim of the first-year seminar is to present to the students possible thematic areas for their master's theses. The seminar focuses on the areas of linguistics relevant to the interdisciplinary middle-ground between linguistics and social sciences, such as discourse analysis, critical discourse analysis, multimodal discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, pragmatics, intercultural linguistics, corpus linguistics, and social semiotics. During the course, students learn about selected themes and topics in the above-mentioned disciplines, their methodologies, and tools. Seminar participants also develop their skills of critical reading and analysis of source texts, and improve competence in writing academic texts. They gradually focus their research interests in order to choose a topic for their master's thesis and begin working on it.
List of topics:
1. Regulations concerning MA thesis in the "Language and Society" programme.
2. Queries in traditional and online libraries and databases. Citation, paraphrasing, plagiarism.
3. Artificial intelligence tools in the research process: legal regulations, possibilities, and limitations.
4. An outline of selected research areas for an MA thesis with a linguistic profile.
5. Defining the research problem.
6. Formulating the research question and research hypothesis.
7. Selecting literature and preparing a literature overview.
8. Methodology: selected methods and tools for qualitative analysis.
9. Methodology: selected methods and tools for quantitative analysis, in particular corpus analysis (Sketch Engine).
10. Planned research projects for the master's thesis.
Student workload (6 ECTS):
Classes: 30 hours
Literature collection and compilation: 40 hours
Preparation of presentations on the progress of work : 20 hours
Preparation of updates on the progress of work (oral): 15 hours
Collection of the research material: 30 hours
Development of the research project: 15 hours
Formulating the thesis topic and planning the structure of the thesis: 15 hours
Total: 165 hours
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The graduate
K_W05 Has an in-depth knowledge of relations between linguistics, linguistics-related discourse analysis and social semiotics.
K_W18 Has an in-depth knowledge of social norms and rules in public, field-specific and intercultural communication.
K_W21 Knows and understands basic notions and principles concerning copyright.
K_U11 Can properly analyze the reasons for and progress of communication and discourse processes; can formulate his/her own opinions on these processes; can formulate and verify simple research hypotheses.
K_U14 Can diagnose specific problems related to interpersonal communication and suggest possible solutions.
K_U17 Can write their own texts, controlling their influence on the recipient.
K_U19 Can use any one computer programme for data analysis, and apply its advanced options.
K_U21 Abides by rules set forth in copyright legislation related to intellectual property protection.
K_K01 Understands the need for lifelong learning and is ready to apply for PhD studies.
K_K07 Is ready to participate in the preparation of projects related to communication and social discourses.
K_K08 Is ready to individually and critically develop his/her knowledge and skills, combining sociological and linguistic perspectives.
K_K09 Is ready to search for new methods and sources to supplement his/her knowledge and improve his/her professional skills.
K_K10 Is ready to independently set the direction of his/her own development and training.
K_K11 Is ready to fulfil social obligations and to inspire activities related to the social context.
Assessment criteria
Credit requirements:
1) class attendance and active participation in discussions, regular concise oral updates on the progress of work;
2) presentation: critical analysis of a selected scientific publication (article, chapter in a monograph) in the planned area of the thesis;
3) presentation: pilot analysis / case study on a sample of the planned research material using the planned method;
4) formulation of the thesis' topic and preparation of a detailed plan of the MA thesis (table of contents + brief description of the content of the chapters), presentation of the proposed bibliography (min. 10 items).
Absences:
Two unexcused absences are permitted. An absence may be excused upon presentation of a medical certificate or other document.
If a student(s) has more than two absences, the student(s) should ask the lecturer to assign a task covering the material in the class in which the student(s) was absent, and submit this work before the end of the semester. 50% or more absences results in not getting the credit for the course.
Credit requirements for the first (June/July) and second (September) terms are identical.
Practical placement
not applicable
Bibliography
References (sample selection)
Czachur, W., A. Rejter & M. Wójcicka (eds.) (2024) Lingwistyczne badania nad dyskursem. Kompendium, Kraków: Universitas.
Duszak, A. & N. Fairclough (eds.) (2008) Krytyczna analiza dyskursu. Interdyscyplinarne podejście do komunikacji społecznej, Kraków: Universitas.
Kress, G. & T. van Leeuwen (2020) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design 3rd ed., London: Routledge.
Machin, D. (2007) Introduction to multimodal analysis, London: Hodder Arnold.
Paltridge, B. (2021) Discourse analysis: An introduction 3rd ed., New York: Bloomsbury.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: