Studying at York
The Language of Turn & Sequence - LAN00034I
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The primary site of language use is conversation. In this module you will study the organization of conversation at the finest level of detail, both theoretically and empirically. You will be introduced to conversation analysis (CA), a data-driven method for the study of conversation and talk-in-interaction. You will learn about, and learn how to analyze, the basic mechanics of conversation, which includes
- turn-taking—how opportunities to speak are allocated;
- action-sequencing—how turns at talk by successive speakers form coherent courses of action;
- repair—how speakers resolve troubles of speaking, hearing, and understanding; and
- preference organization—biases in practices of speaking that favor social affiliation over disaffiliation.
The module combines lectures that cover the core theory and key findings of CA with hands-on practical sessions in which you will develop the skills necessary to do CA, including recording conversation, transcribing data, building collections of conversational phenomena, and writing up analyses.
Module learning outcomes
In this module you will
- learn about the basic organization of conversation;
- learn to apply the methods of CA to recorded conversations;
- learn to write about language use at the finest level of detail;
- record a conversation and use it for a research project; and
- analyze multiple conversations and build a collection of a phenomenon of interest.
Module content
The module is the first in a trio of modules on social interaction, the others being two final year modules, Multimodality: Language and the Body (E/L66H) and Language as Action (E/L64H).
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 80 |
| Essay/coursework | 10 |
| Essay/coursework | 10 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Formative work and feedback
Students will receive immediate feedback from the module convenor and peers as they present and discuss their analyses during practical sessions. In-class exercises may be submitted for additional written feedback.
Indicative reading
Required textbook:
Clift, R. (2016). Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.