Course Catalogue

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This course will explore the theory and practice of language policy and planning, from the perspective of recent attempts to revitalise minority languages in contemporary European contexts. The course will cover areas such as: the legal status of languages and language rights; the relationship between linguistic culture, language attitudes and ideologies and language policy; linguistic ecology; language in education; multilingualism as a problem or resource; language minoritisation and endangerment; status planning (including acquisition planning and usage planning); and corpus planning (including standardisation and modernisation).The course will focus on a range of minority language contexts e.g. Scottish Gaelic, Scots (Scotland), Irish (Ireland), Galician, Catalan, Basque (Spain), Breton (France) and Sorbian (Germany).

10 x 1-hour lectures and 10 x 1-hour seminars over both semesters as scheduled in MyCampus.

This is one of the honours options in SMLC and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling the requirements for Honours entry into Gaelic, Celtic Studies, Celtic Civilisation, one of the SMLC Honours programmes, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Single Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

GAELIC4040

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (2000 words) - 50%

■ Group Project: Poster (group mark 15%);

■ Presentation (each student will talk for 5 minutes) (individual mark 15%).

■ Reflective report (1000 words) - 20%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There is no alternative to the essay and report, but flexible deadlines may be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions).

■ Recorded presentation or reduced audience as alternative to presentation.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor. 

The course will provide the opportunity to:

■ examine language policy and planning in minority language contexts;

■ introduce the complex factors that go into language planning decisions at local, national and international levels;

■ introduce theoretical and methodological frameworks relating to language policy and planning;

■ examine sociological, psychological, economic and political causes of language decline;

■ examine minority language planning in the context of international best practice;

■ critically assess the arguments for and against reversing the process of language decline in the context of the changing sociolinguistic situations of different European minority languages.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ evaluate the complex factors that go into language planning decisions at local, national and international levels;

■ analyse and synthesise theoretical and methodological frameworks relating to language policy and planning;

■ engage in research on language planning and policy, including data collection, analysis and presentation;

■ assess the current state of minority language planning in the context of international best practice;

■ evaluate the sociological, psychological, economic and political causes of language decline, and critically assess the arguments for and against reversing the process, in the context of the changing sociolinguistic situations of different European minority languages.