Duration
20h SEM
Number of credits
| Master in linguistics, research focus | 5 crédits | |||
| Master in linguistics, professional focus in analysis of textual data | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Seminar sessions (presentations and discussion) centred on the study of a reading portfolio that broaches various major themes in contemporary linguistics
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the seminar, students will have mastered the contents and the challenges put forward by the reading portfolio. In particular, they will be able to:
- understand and critically assess the major challenges of the various domains of linguistics represented by the articles in the reading portfolio
- read, understand and present (orally and in writing) the contents of contemporary linguistic studies;
- discuss those contents with their peers
- develop (oral or written presentation) an idea of one of the domains tackled or in relation with their own personal interests in linguistics.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
General notions of linguistics.
Good understanding of French and English (spoken and written)
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course comprises interactive classes revolving around imposed readings. Students will report on their reading and engage in critical discussions about its topic. These classes (see Section 1) prepare students for their individual course work that they will have to present at the exam, which takes the form of a mini-conference (see Section 2).
1. Classes throughout the year
1.1 Organization. The course consists of five collective 3-hour classes in which methodological aspects of one or more scientific articles will be presented and discussed. These classes are organized as follows:
* The teacher in charge of the class introduces the topic.
* Each student takes the floor and reports on their reading for 10 to 15 minutes (see below).
* The student presentations are discussed collectively. The teacher in charge moderates the debate and presents the major conclusions.
The classes are open to ULiège and visiting scholars, who are invited to take part in the discussion.
After these collective sessions, students have to schedule two individual appointments with a teacher to discuss the course work that they will present at the exam (see below).
1.2 Preparation and output. Students are encouraged to work in group and to consult the teacher in charge of the class. Unless the teacher proposes a different approach, each student will have to prepare two types of output for every class: a written report and an oral presentation. Students must attend to all the classes and prepare all reports. Any duely justified absence or unsubmitted report may lead to an "Absence" grade.
The written report has to consist of:
* MA1 & MA2: a long summary, in the form of a continuous text of 3 to 5 pages, wich compares at least two of the texts studied during the session, highlighting how they complement each other or, on the contrary, how they differ.
* Optionally in MA1 and obligatorily in MA2: a critical reflection on the study which contextualizes the contribution of the study to the scholarly domain concerned, possibly guided by questions formulated by the teacher in charge (see above).
Students will present this written report in class through an oral presentation of 10 to 15 minutes, using an appropriate information carrier (handout, slideshow, etc).
The collective classes will end late March. The remainder of the semester is dedicated to individual course work, which students will report on at the exam.
2. Exam
2.1 Organisation. The exam will take the shape of a mini-conference, attended by all students and scheduled during the exam session. Students will report on their individual course work at this mini-conference through an oral presentation of 20 minutes (+ 10-minute discussion).
2.2 Preparation and output. After the five collective classes, students will choose a topic they want to work on and a teacher who will supervise their work. It is the students' responsibility to get in touch with a teacher. This teacher will offer supervision, including two individual appointments.
Students can work on a topic of their choice; their work can involve:
* a critical review of a set of articles covering a topic of their choice;
* critically establishing links between a topic addressed during one of the five collective classes on the one hand and their MA thesis on the other;
* any other issue relating to research methods in linguistics.
The work must highlight concrete data (at least for illustrative purposes) and take into account the knowledge acquired in the other courses of the master's program.
Prior to the mini-conference, students will work on a written version of their presentation (10 to 15 pages), taking into account the guidelines at their disposal on eCampus ("guide de redaction"). They need to be in touch with the teacher supervising their course work during the writing process, so that they can benefit from the latter's feedback on methodological issues and writing style.
The final version of the written report will have to be submitted on eCampus by the first day of the exam session. In the retake session, the deadline is also the first day of the exam session.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Classroom sessions
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Reading portfolio.
List with additional literature distributed during the year.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
- Remote
oral exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Permanent evaluation
See "learning activities" above.
Use of IA
Written work. - Unless a specific and explicit requirement from the supervisor (which would override this paragraph, if applicable) is given, the critical and reasoned use of AI is permitted, provided that it does not significantly replace the student's own production. If the student uses artificial intelligence, he or she must clearly indicate its use in a dedicated section of the work. In such cases, the student understands that the quality and relevance of their use of AI will be taken into account in the grading.
Oral presentation. - Unless expressly authorized for reasons linked to the nature of the work (with the supervisor's approval) or due to the granting of a special status (e.g., disability accommodations), students may not use AI during the oral presentation of their work - smartphones, smartwatches, and other similar devices may therefore not be used for this purpose.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The introduction to the seminar will be held in room A2/6/11, on 29th Sep, 2PM; Room A1/3/24.
Afterwards, the seminar is organized around five 3-hour sessions each, ideally each month from October until December and from February to April.
Q1
- Oct. P. Swennen
- Nov. A. Van linden
- Dec. M.G. Dondero
Q2
- Feb. N. Mazziotta/E. Zimont
- Mar. S. Polis
Following these sessions, there will be two individual appointments dedicated to the preparation of the mini-conference that will take place in the exam session (see "learning activities").
Contacts
Philippe Swennen -- Philippe.Swennen@ulg.ac.be
Nicolas Mazziotta -- nicolas.mazziotta@ulg.ac.be