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Professional Writing and Discussions: The Language of Profanity

7.140301

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Beschreibung

Professional Writing and Discussion classes are designed to allow students – under the guidance of their course instructors – to undertake a more active and independent development of their language skills by applying them to a specific topic area. Ultimately, the central aim of these courses, whatever topic area and skills focus you choose, is to facilitate your transition into a self-sufficient and proficient user of the English language. You will continue to train your productive and receptive language skills, you will further expand your lexico-grammatical knowledge in connection with the specialist language used in the course, and you will acquire supplementary cultural knowledge on English-speaking countries. You will be expected to attend class regularly and contribute actively and intelligently. Furthermore, you will need to complete oral and written tasks during the course of these classes, hold a graded session and submit a final written portfolio.

This particular course is for students who enjoy English-speaking humour and whose disposition is not so delicate as to be disturbed by frequent use of course language. In a nutshell, this course deals with swearing. We will examine the sociocultural significance of curse words and explore their uses in various situations, from the humourous to the hateful. We will consider the rhetorical and dramatic effects of a well-placed swear word (or, indeed, a larger number thereof) as well as the potential harm cursing can cause. The professional, psychological and even legal ramifications of swearing will form the basis of some of our class discussions, as will the question of whether swearing might fulfil additional or different functions from one English-speaking culture to another. Be ready for adult humour and come to class prepared and able to both listen to and use swear words - except, of course, racial, sexual, religious and and other forms of phobic slurs, about which we will speak without using the terms themselves.

Trigger warning: Swearing most frequently involves religious cursing and references to parts of the body as well as bodily functions. Swear words also include insults, which means that the vocabulary of profanity also contains prejudicial slurs, meaning that in places, there will be overlap with hate space. While a certain amount of discomfort is very natural with subject matter such as this, if you think yourself likely to be distressed or triggered by such terms, it may be worth reconsidering taking this class or consulting me before registering so that we can discuss any concerns you may have.

Up to seven spots in the course can be allocated in advance to students who come to one of my office hours on January 30th or February 6th, 13th or 17th (note: email is not an acceptable alternative to this!) and confirm that they (1) are prepared to commit to taking the course and (2) have identified a topic that they would like to investigate for their class session. All other registrations are provisional and will be allocated based on factors such as level of need and semester of study.

Weitere Angaben

Ort: nicht angegeben
Zeiten: Mo. 12:15 - 13:45 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Montag, 20.04.2020 12:15 - 13:45
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)

Studienbereiche

  • Veranstaltungen > Interdisziplinäre Studiengänge > Literatur und Kultur in Europa > Modul Sprachpraxis
  • Veranstaltungen > Anglistik; Englisch > Sprachpraxis > Master
  • Courses in English > Language and Literary Studies