Language and Power in School and Society

Language has a central role in the construction of social differences and social inequality, both between individuals and groups. Different linguistic resources and practices are ascribed different value and give individuals and groups different access in school and society. Language is central in the construction of «the other» and thus in discrimination, suppression and exclusion. Moreover, language can be used to obscure, strengthen and manipulate political and ideological messages.

The course Language and power in school and society aims at providing theoretical knowledge and analytic skills, enabling the students to identify, describe and counteract the mechanisms involved when power is exercised in and through language. This competence is crucial in a increasingly globalized, diverse, digital and polarized society, and thus, in school.

Knowledge

The candidate

• has knowledge of central historical and contemporary expressions of the connection between linguistic and social relations.
• has knowledge of central questions and important theoretical perspectives on the relationship between language and power.
• has basic knowledge of methods used in the study of the relationship between language and power, with a focus on central linguistic methods.

Skills

The candidate

• is capable of doing and presenting independent analysis of how the relationship between language and power is expressed in selected linguistic and textual practices.
• can present relevant theoretical insights independently.
• can reflect on and evaluate her/his own and others’ linguistic practices, including didactic practices, as expressions of power relations.

The learning methods in the course comprise lectures, seminars and discussions, both in smaller and larger groups. The students will use language actively, both in written and oral communication with other students and the teachers. Moreover, the students are expected to engage in self-study outside organized classes.

Analyses of different linguistic and textual practices, and of representations of language, language use and language users, are central in the course. Examples relevant for school and teaching, such as students’ work, interaction excerpts, pedagogical resources and subject curricula, will be subject to analysis and reflection. Moreover, language use and representations of language in society outside school, for example in political discourse, literature, movies/TV and different popular cultural expressions will be subject to analysis.