Linguistics and Literature

Over the last few years we have expanded our range of undergraduate degree options to include Comparative, Contemporary and European Literature options joining the perennially popular English Literature and Society.

From 2012-13 we will be able to offer a further option of Society and Language: Linguistics for Social Scientists.

The literature courses are available for LSE undergraduates as outside options and focus on twentieth and twenty first century literature in the context of social and political change in the period. They will give you the opportunity to consider texts (prose fiction, poetry and drama) often in the light of your major subject at LSE. We look at literature as an index of social change. In addition to study of texts in class we also arrange frequent trips to related plays and exhibitions over the course of the year, while also using video and other media in teaching.

The new linguistics course, Society and Language, will introduce you to key (socio)linguistic concepts like semantic and pragmatic meaning, discourse, register, genre and dialect. You will be able to explore the reciprocal relationship between language and specific social contexts and structures (class, gender, ethnicity), and study the role that language plays in the creation, maintenance and change of social relations and institutions. Other aspects we will study include multilingualism, the possibilities and limits of translation and the use of language for academic purposes.The linguistic option gives students the opportunity to explore and apply (socio)linguistic theories and concepts developed to explore the links between social contexts and language use.

Assessment for all courses LN250, LN251, LN252, LN253 and LN270 is by examination (75%) and extended coursework essay/project work (25%).

The Literature Degree courses are taught by Dr Angus Wrenn and Dr OlgaSobolev whilst our Linguistics option is taught by Dr Peter Skrandies.

All these courses are very popular and thus capped so if you are interested make sure you register for your chosen options as early as possible.