The Dynamics of Multilingualism: Encounters and Entanglements, 7,5 ECTS
This course is offered by the Department of English in collaboration with the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism, Centre for Research on Bilingualism, as a part of the Doctoral School in the Humanities. The course is offered during the autumn semester of 2024 and online.
Course content
The overarching aim of the course is to address the need for a multidisciplinary approach in relation to the global challenges of increased mobility and multilingualism. The course deals with language in motion and people’s ability (or lack thereof) to construct new identities and communities through language under current global conditions. Students will work with and apply different theoretical frameworks, including poststructuralist, postcolonial, and posthumanist approaches, discourse analysis, Bourdieu’s field theory, linguistic ethnography and linguistic landscapes in multilingual contexts.
‘Dynamics of Multilingualism: Encounters and Entanglements’ introduces participants to different theoretical and methodological frameworks in order to investigate the complexities regarding identity, corporeality, language, place, ethnicity and other differences in relation to the new global zones of contact. The course addresses how these issues can be discussed in terms of ‘turbulent ontologies’, that is, how different phenomena are constituted and evolving sometimes together but also discretely. Research questions include the emergence of global linguae francae, linguistic landscapes, multilingual education, as well as issues relating to the displacement and separation resulting from increased mobility.
Learning outcomes
In order to pass the course, students are expected to be able to:
- work scientifically in an interdisciplinary dialogue and peer review around the analysis of authentic language material
- critically examine existing theoretical frameworks within their respective disciplines in relation to the overarching theme of dynamics of multilingualism
- apply and critique the theoretical frameworks discussed in the course in order to relate meaningfully to specific research questions relating to language and globalisation in their respective disciplines
- propose an independent research project within a subject area related to the course content in a theoretically and methodologically insightful manner
Previous experience
The course generally attracts students from the language departments but also from Ethnology, Education, Sociology, Social Anthropology, and so on. In previous editions, it has attracted participants from other Scandinavian universities and our CIVIS network of 10 European universities. The international component of our previous courses has been highly appreciated and is essential for the type of research issues explored within the scope of the course.
What has been most positive about the course?
- "The structure of the lectures and the way of teaching offered the possibility to really grasp theories I had no knowledge of before, and to apply them to my research project."
- "The peer interaction and the feedback we were giving to each other."
- "Guest lectures were very informative and interesting."
- "I have appreciated the course literature and the opportunities to draw connections to my own thesis. The teachers are supportive and kind, making it easier to establish these connections. The preparations for the seminars are helpful in structuring one's reading."
- "It's been very enriching and inspiring to attend this course. Each of the seminars were interesting and relevant, and made me realize how much more there is to learn and how much more research needs to be done on different topics within the field. Furthermore, for me, the course served as a bridge to get more insight into what is going on in the research field of multilingualism and sociolinguistics at the moment, and also to establish contacts across universities in Scandinavia and across borders."
Would you recommend the course?
- Autumn 2023: 9/9
- "The course introduces a variety of theories and relevant literature, introduced by leading experts in the field of multilingualism. The personal approach by Caroline and Maria helps to discuss the theories and apply them to my research project."
- "It is a good course to get an overview about research and trends in multilingualism."
- "I would recommend this course to new PhD students looking to both get an overview and a deeper understanding of the more recent perspectives on multilingualism and sociolinguistics that are gaining more and more importance in today's research."
- "Taking the course allowed me to realize how multilayered multilingualism can be. It was an eye-opener to all the perspectives that there are."
Last time the course was offered: Autumn 2023
Number of participants: 9
Number of respondents on course evaluation: 9 (100 %)
Practical information
Mandatory elements
The following compulsory components will be included: completion of all oral and written tasks ahead of each seminar; a research presentation at a doctoral student conference at the end of term; seminar participation.
Examination
The course is examined through shorter written assignments for each seminar and presentation of empirical data analysis at the doctoral student conference at the end of term.
Instruction
Teaching activities include lectures, seminars, tutorials and a student conference.
NB. The course is offered online.
Period: Autumn semester 2024
Course dates and Schedule:
Schedule Encounters Entanglements HT24 (63 Kb)
Language of instruction: English
Course plan:
Course Syllabus EN1ETGL (493 Kb)
Apply to the course
Application
Applications for courses starting in the autumn semester 2024 are received between May 15 and June 15, 2024. Notifications of acceptance are sent out as soon as possible after the final date.
All applications are sent by the supervisor to: doctoralschool@hum.su.se. Official transcript of records, or certificate of registration, verifying the applicant's status as doctoral student should be enclosed with the application.
All courses are free of charge, and they are open to all who are admitted to studies on PhD-level, regardless of faculty or university. Prerequisites and special admittance requirements may apply for some courses.
How do I apply?
The application form (document link below) is used to apply for a place in a course. The supervisor (or equivalent) must support the doctoral student’s application with a motivation as to why the doctoral student should participate in the course. The supervisor also submits the proposal to the following address: doctoralschool@hum.su.se.
Application form for place in a joint faculty course (294 Kb)
Who can apply?
The Faculty of Humanities’ doctoral students have priority for places, and external doctoral students (from Stockholm University or another university) can be admitted to a course subject to availability. External doctoral students will be registered in Ladok in order to enable the Board to monitor all participants in a course.
Contact
Course director: Maria Kuteeva
Course title in Swedish: Flerspråkighetens dynamik: Encounters and Entanglements
The course is offered by the Department of English in collaboration with the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism, Centre for Research on Bilingualism.
Last updated: May 20, 2024
Source: Faculty of Humanities