Language, Culture, and Meaning: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

ECTS: 5

This course provides students with a general introduction to the field of linguistic anthropology - the study of language as a key component of culture, and the study of culture as it is mediated by language.

Students who have completed the module will (1) understand how ‘language’ functions as a culturally-embedded system, and how it allows us to mean things; (2) become aware of how everyday linguistic habits construct and reinforce models of the world, including social differences and categories like race, gender, and nationality; and (3) apply these theoretical understandings of language and culture to major geopolitical problems of the day.