WINTER 2008 MEETING TIME AND PLACE
TR 2-3:15, 3519 South Hall
DESCRIPTION
This course offers an introduction to the methods of sociocultural linguistic research from an ethnographic perspective. Complementing related courses on linguistic and social theory and on techniques of data analysis, the concern of the course is to demystify the most fundamental yet least discussed dimension of the research process: the methods whereby researchers obtain their data. Students will gain firsthand experience with ethnographic linguistic data collection practices by conducting their own fieldwork in a local setting of their choice. The course will prepare students to make use of key data collection techniques, including ethnographic fieldnotes, visual documentation, interviews, and videorecording of interaction. In addition, it will address issues of research ethics and politics, the relationship between theory and method, and the dialectic of data collection and analysis. The course will prepare students to carry out original ethnographic research on language, culture, and society as the basis for a master's thesis, dissertation, or research publication.
Linguistics 230 can serve as either an elective or a methods course for the LISO interdisciplinary Ph.D. emphasis (Language, Interaction, and Social Organization). It also counts toward the interdisciplinary Ph.D. emphasis in Applied Linguistics.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in linguistics, education, sociology, anthropology, modern languages, or related field.