1. To familiarise students with past and current theoretical and methodological approaches to language and gender.
2. To develop students' critical understanding of current theories of language and gender as well as their ability to apply these in real data and real-life situations.
3. To enhance students' awareness in the role of language in constructing gender.
4. To provide students with experience in conducting their own empirical study in an area of language and gender.

(LO1) Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the main schools of thought within the field of language and gender and the methodologies used in this line of research.

(LO2) Students will demonstrate the ability to comment critically on the major studies within the field.

(LO3) Students will demonstrate the ability to analyse data drawing upon the relevant theoretical concept and apply standards data analysis techniques and background concepts to new data.

(S1) Problem-solving skills: formulating problems (factual, empirical, theoretical) in precise terms, identifying key issues, developing the confidence to address challenging problems using a variety of different approaches

(S2) Investigative skills: searching out and synthesising information stored on paper, electronically or visually; developing skills of independent investigation, interacting with colleagues

(S3) Communication/ verbal: developing the ability to listen carefully, to present complex information in a clear, concise and sophisticated manner both in writing and by oral presentation, and to present a discussion based on information collected from various sources and coherently synthesised, using appropriate referencing conventions

(S4) Thinking/ intellectual skills: developing the ability to interpret and present data, critically address complex ideas, construct logical arguments, and use technical language correctly

(S5) Personal Organisation skills: developing the ability to undertake self-directed study and learning, manage their time efficiently, and to plan, design and accomplish a significant piece of research or an inquiry, either independently or as a member of a team

(S6) Self – development skills: developing the ability to work independently, to use their initiative, to organise their time properly and to interact constructively with others

(S7) Information Technology: developing the ability to use their computing and IT skills to help find, store and interpret information, to produce electronic documents and to use appropriate software confidently

The module will begin with a theoretical overview that will introduce key concepts and major studies in language and gender research. Then, the role of gender in a number of different contexts will be addressed. The following topics will be covered: Gender and sociolinguistic variation, Dominance and difference, Discourse and the construction of gender, Communities of practice, Context I: conversational talk, Context II: politics & the workplace, Context III: educational settings Context IV: written texts and children's fiction, Gender representations in media discourse and Language and sexuality.

Teaching Method 1 - Workshop
Description: Workshops are used to survey general approaches to linguistic analysis of gender or to consider some aspect of the field of language and gender in detail.
Attendance Recorded: No

Teaching Method 2 - Tutorial
Description: Tutorials are typically oriented towards group critical discussion and analytical tasks, drawing upon naturally occurring data, as a basis for exploring the issues raised in the lectures
Attendance Recorded: Yes

Teaching Method 3 - Field Work
Description: Students will be expected to collect and record naturally occurring language data as part of assessment.
Attendance Recorded: No

Self-Directed Learning Description: Independent study time should be spent reading around the subject matter (indicative reading lists will be provided), preparing for the seminars (directed reading) and working towards the assessment.

Self-Directed Learning Description: Independent study time shoul d be spent reading around the subject matter (indicative reading lists will be provided), preparing for the seminars (directed reading) and working towards the assessment.