Students
APPL711 – Advanced Topics in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communication
2018 – S1 External
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Jill Murray
Contact via email
C5A 565
email for an appointment
Peter Roger
Margaret Wood
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| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores linguistic pragmatics, with a focus on intercultural communication. The unit equips participants with the tools for analysis of how meaning is constructed in context through spoken and written language. The content includes speech act theory; politeness and face; the co-operative principle and implicature; relevance theory; cultural scripts; and metaphor. There is an emphasis on how communication operates in different cultural contexts and on accessing and interpreting current research. Communication in social and institutional contexts, language in the media, and practical implications for learning and teaching and interpreting and translating are explored.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Understand the kinds of approaches to analysing language that are commonly used in pragmatics.
- Make judgements about the types of analysis that are most suitable for researching particular types of discourse
- Identify examples of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication and use pragmatic theories to explain them.
- Analyse examples of discourse using speech act theory, politeness theory and theories of implicature
- Reflect on how intercultural competence operates in their own personal ans/or professional contexts
- Understand the applications of linguistic pragmatics in real life
- Evaluate current research in pragmatics in an area of personal or professional interest
- Apply a critical approach to choices in linguistic pragmatics in a range of text types
- Design a research project using pragmatics
General Assessment Information
Late assignments
The policy regarding late assignments has now been standardised across postgraduate Linguistics units.
- Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 5% of the total mark available for the assignment per day
- Late submission of an assignment without an extension will not be permitted after marks have been released to the rest of the class.
- Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
- For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
- Assignments submitted after the deadline, regardless of the reason, will be marked and returned at a date determined by the unit convenor.
Extensions cannot continue beyond the start of the following semester, and students should be aware that long extensions may impact graduation dates.
Academic Honesty
As a good student, you are responsible for ensuring academic integrity practices are followed at all times. Your first step is to read the University's Academic Honesty Policy, and make sure you know what constitutes good practice. Then make sure you know how to reference and cite correctly. There are other practices we need to consider, and one of these is the potential for collusion.
Informal study groups are encouraged as a good way to assist your learning, but please remember that all your independently assessed assignments must be totally independently completed. Unless you are doing a group project where each member contributes to producing one piece of work, for which you get the one mark, using part or all of someone else's work constitutes collusion and breaches the University's Academic Honesty policy.
Do not collude with any other student by selling, giving, lending, explaining or showing all or parts of your independently assessed work/answers/past or current assignments, and do not ask to buy, borrow, see and use all or parts of the work of another student.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Text analysis | 40% | No | Mon 2 April |
| RESEARCH PLANNING | 60% | No | Friday Jun 1 2018 |
Assignment 1: Text analysis
Due: Mon 2 April
Weighting: 40%
Analysis of transcript, plus commentary.
You will be given a transcribed spoken text to analyse, applying what you have learnt about the elements of context, implicature, speech act theory and politeness theory.
The assignment will be assessed in relation to the following criteria
- Accuracy of identification of the features of context that must be understood in order to understand the speakers’ meanings in the text.
- Accuracy of analysis using the tools from each of the three areas of pragmatics covered in the course.
- Statement and justification of conclusions drawn: clarity of argument and relationship to results of analysis.
The text for analysis will be provided to you two weeks before the assignment is due.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Understand the kinds of approaches to analysing language that are commonly used in pragmatics.
- Identify examples of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication and use pragmatic theories to explain them.
- Analyse examples of discourse using speech act theory, politeness theory and theories of implicature
- Understand the applications of linguistic pragmatics in real life
RESEARCH PLANNING
Due: Friday Jun 1 2018
Weighting: 60%
RESEARCH PLANNING
Decide on area of pragmatics and a context in which you might like to undertake conduct research.
Some suggested theoretical areas are:
Politeness and face, Implicature and/or relevance theory, Discourse pragmatics, Metaphor, Critical discourse analysis
Using appropriate databases and library resources, build up an annotated bibliography of relevant recent publications in your area of interest, keeping your broad research question in mind. You will then use these to refine and focus your research question and propose a suitable research methodology.
The review will have the following sections:
1. Propose a broad question
2. Review and critique the literature in this area.
3. Create an annotated bibliography of 10 key sources.
4. Narrow the question down and be specific about the methodology choices and reasons.
The assignment will be assessed in relation to the your demonstrated ability to:
- identify the initial area of research and broad question
- identify and evaluating recent relevant work.
- provide a synthesis as well as a summary of the work, showing how the work is interrelated
- show insight and awareness of different approaches, findings and arguments.
- identify a gap in the existing research
- propose a more specific research question that could be investigated.
- write clearly and concisely in academic style.
- provide a reference list citing all and only those references cited in the body of your essay;
- use APA referencing style;
- observe the word limits.
The word limit for this assignment does not include references.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Make judgements about the types of analysis that are most suitable for researching particular types of discourse
- Reflect on how intercultural competence operates in their own personal ans/or professional contexts
- Understand the applications of linguistic pragmatics in real life
- Evaluate current research in pragmatics in an area of personal or professional interest
- Apply a critical approach to choices in linguistic pragmatics in a range of text types
- Design a research project using pragmatics
Delivery and Resources
There are no formal textbook requirements for this unit, but the following two books are useful for background reading.
Archer, D., Aijmer, K., & Wichmann, A. (2012). Pragmatics: An advanced resource book for students. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN:978-0415497879
Bowes, H. & Martin, K. (2007). Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reading material for this course also consists of book chapters and some journal articles that can be found on e-reserve, and other journal articles can be accessed directly through the library catalogue. Weekly reading lists will be available on the i-learn site, which you can access from the first day of the course. Reading guides and questions are provided for the key readings.
For copyright reasons, some of the items on e-reserve may not be available for the entire period of the course. This means that students must download them when they are available and also that it is no cause for concern if readings do not appear until shortly before the corresponding module is due to commence.
The APPL711 website has a range of resources, including course notes, tasks, and optional web tasks, etc.
There is a range of other resources available to Macquarie students, including:
- electronic access to a variety of book chapters and journal articles at http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/reserve/
- electronic access to journals at http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/journalfinder/
- electronic document delivery for journal articles and book chapters not available locally at http://www.lib.mq.edu.au/docsup/
See the following URL for more information:
http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/postresources.htm
Unit Schedule
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APPL711 attend the same lecture program as students who have enrolled in APPL911 |
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In addition to the lecture program, three tutorials are held for APPL711 students. These will be organised at a mutually convenient time and place in the weeks indicated with a (*) |
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For current updates, lecture times and classrooms, please consult the MQ Timetables website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au
Learning and Teaching Activities
HOW TO USE THE READINGS AND LECTURE MATERIALS - INTERNAL students
HOW TO USE THE READINGS AND LECTURE MATERIALS - EXTERNAL STUDENTS
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Identify examples of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication and use pragmatic theories to explain them.
- Reflect on how intercultural competence operates in their own personal ans/or professional contexts
- Understand the applications of linguistic pragmatics in real life
- Apply a critical approach to choices in linguistic pragmatics in a range of text types
PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Understand the kinds of approaches to analysing language that are commonly used in pragmatics.
- Make judgements about the types of analysis that are most suitable for researching particular types of discourse
- Analyse examples of discourse using speech act theory, politeness theory and theories of implicature
- Design a research project using pragmatics
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 1: Text analysis
- RESEARCH PLANNING
PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Make judgements about the types of analysis that are most suitable for researching particular types of discourse
- Evaluate current research in pragmatics in an area of personal or professional interest
- Apply a critical approach to choices in linguistic pragmatics in a range of text types
- Design a research project using pragmatics
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 1: Text analysis
- RESEARCH PLANNING
PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Make judgements about the types of analysis that are most suitable for researching particular types of discourse
- Analyse examples of discourse using speech act theory, politeness theory and theories of implicature
- Evaluate current research in pragmatics in an area of personal or professional interest
- Design a research project using pragmatics
Assessment task
- RESEARCH PLANNING
PG - Effective Communication
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Identify examples of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication and use pragmatic theories to explain them.
PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the relationship between pragmatics and culture
- Identify examples of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication and use pragmatic theories to explain them.
- Reflect on how intercultural competence operates in their own personal ans/or professional contexts
- Apply a critical approach to choices in linguistic pragmatics in a range of text types