Language and international relations 3201-JSM-OG

https://uw.academia.edu/PiotrTwardzisz

The course focuses on the percolation of language and foreign policy theory. Foreign policy is (mainly) conducted by means of language. Complex international relations are carried out by numerous stakeholders: politicians, policy makers, pundits, advisers, scholars, journalists, famous personas and others. Infrequently, one person holds a few functions. Additionally, there are also representatives of important institutions, governments, organizations, churches and influential individuals. All these stakeholders use language in its various aspects.

Given its international character, the English language will undergo a thorough analysis regarding its use in the theory and practice of international relations.

The course covers (though is not limited to) the following areas:
- mechanisms of meaning construal and interpretation generation
- rhetorical tools, such as metaphor and metonymy
- special role of personification
- polysemy
- intertextuality
- simple and complex concepts and expressions
- specialist phraseology
- terminology
- etymology

The student’s time involvement:
30 hrs. – class attendance
45 hrs. – individual work:
i.e. ongoing revision of class content (15hrs.); written homework (5 hrs.); oral presentation in class (5 hrs.); written end-of-semester paper (20 hrs.)

If classroom instruction is impossible, the meeting will be conducted by means of distance communication tools, most probably Google Meet and others recommended by the University.

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Blended learning

Prerequisites (description)

An interdisciplinary study of the use of the English language in the discourse of international relations. The goal of the course is to increase or to reinforce the student's skills of creating a high-quality academic text in English in the field of international relations.

Course coordinators

Piotr Twardzisz

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student:
- enriches his/her specialist lexicon
- expands the phraseological range
- masters a list of metaphorical expressions
- understands the use of metonymy
- uses personifications with reference to abstract concepts
- recognizes polysemous expressions
- constructs morphologically complex words and expressions
- improves the repertoire of linguistic tools indispensable for creating high-quality academic texts in the area of international relations

Assessment criteria

Class attendance
(two absences per semester allowed)

Course requirements for a grade (1st round):

1. written homework: 25% of final grade (exercise or elaboration of a selected topic covered during the course, case study); timely submission
2. oral presentation in class: 25% of final grade (exercise or elaboration of a selected topic, case study); time slot assigned
3. written end-of-semester paper: 50% of final grade
(concerns extended treatment of a topic of choice, detailed analysis of specialist text in English, selecting relevant literature); timely submission

Course requirements (2nd round):
The same as in the 1st round

Practical placement

Not applicable

Bibliography

Suggested references:

Chilton, Paul. 1996. Security Metaphors: Cold War Discourse from Containment to Common House. New York: Peter Lang.
Griffiths, Martin, Terry O’Callaghan, Terry and Steven C. Roach. 2008. International Relations. The Key Concepts, 2nd edition. London and New York: Routledge.
Marks, Michael P. 2011. Metaphors in International Relations Theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Twardzisz, Piotr. 2013. The Language of Interstate Relations. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Twardzisz, Piotr. 2018. Defining 'Eastern Europe'. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3201-JSM-OG in USOSweb