Popular Culture phenomena (e.g. television, film, music, literature, gaming, media, advertising, etc.) are fascinating because they are both defined and are defined by societies. Likewise, the language of pop culture is influenced by those who engage with it, but influences the way that those same people think, feel, act, and speak. In this module, we will explore how language and popular culture interact, drawing on concepts from several disciplines, including linguistics, communications, stylistics, critical and cultural theories, sociology, and media studies. We will consider both how language is used in pop culture texts (e.g. linguistic creativity in memes) and how language is represented in pop culture texts (e.g. dialect and vernacular in gaming). Aspects of ‘popular’ and ‘legitimised’ culture will be presented, and students will critically compare features of language associated with ‘mainstream’, ‘high culture’, and ‘subversive’ texts. We will analyse the ways in which text producers echo or exploit cultural understandings, stereotypes, or ‘norms’ to make meanings in written, spoken, visual, and multi-modal texts.

• Assess notions of ‘culture’ from a critical perspective
• Discuss artefacts of popular culture as objects of scholarly inquiry
• Critically evaluate the social, historical and cultural contexts of the production and interpretation of popular culture texts
• Apply a range of theories of language and communication
• Analyse popular culture texts in a variety of modes

Timetabled sessions include 2 lectures and 1 seminar per week.

Lectures are usually supplemented with PowerPoint slides and hand-outs summarising content at a reasonable level of detail. These are usually made available on Learning Central no more than 24 hours after the session. During seminars, you may be required to make presentations and/or lead discussion. In this case you will be given sufficient time to prepare and practise your contribution, either before the class or in pair or group work in class.

Audio and video are likely to be used in this module. Students are encouraged to discuss any specific access needs with staff in advance of taking this module.

This module encourages students to assess theories of language and apply them to the analysis of a number of forms of popular culture. Students will enhance critical abilities in reflecting upon sociocultural ‘value’ and what determines ‘popular’ versus ‘legitimised’ culture. Using tools from language and communication studies, students will collect, archive, and analyse multimodal data in terms of language use and language representation. Assessment tasks will further students’ ability to: identify trends; critically integrate interdisciplinary theories; describe and analyse communicative themes; come to (scientific) conclusions regarding popular culture phenomena. Skills practised in this module will be transferrable to a range of professions such as: publishing, marketing, journalism, social media management, public relations, copywriting, archival science, and customer relations.

The module is assessed by coursework only.

Seminar preparation & participation (5%): Students will be required to complete set tasks in preparation for each weekly seminar, and to actively participate in these sessions.

Data analysis (960 words, 30%): This task will allow students to demonstrate their ability to analyse a number of (provided) examples of popular culture texts, using appropriate theories and concepts.

EITHER Essay OR Portfolio (2080 words, 65%): Students will construct research questions or hypotheses on an overarching theme of language and popular culture. They may choose to explore this either through a traditional essay, or through a portfolio of collected texts demonstrating distinctive features. Both routes will contain an aspect of data analysis, though the essay places more emphasis on theory, whereas the portfolio emphasises data collection and archiving.

The module is assessed according to the Assessment Criteria set out in the English Language Undergraduate Student Handbook. Otherwise, there are no academic or competence standards which limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments for students with disabilities.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

In common with University regulations, students are allowed two attempts at retrieval of any failed coursework or exam, for a maximum module mark of 40%. Resit assessments are held over the summer.

The module will include a selection of most of the following topics:

• Popular vs. legitimised culture
• Genres and tropes
• Folklore and urban legend
• Intertextuality/interdiscursivity
• Political satire
• Representation in literature and television
• Ideology in music lyrics
• Language of video games
• Recontextualisation in fandoms
• Appropriation/mainstreaming of vernacular
• Internet language and linguistic creativity
• Structure and language of memes
• Counterculture and subversion

An e-reader will be supplied for this module.

• Blommaert, J. (2005). Discourse: A critical introduction. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
• Gee, J. P. (2008). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses. New York: Routledge.
• Kramsch, C. Language and culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1998.
• Moody, A. (2010). The Englishes of popular cultures. In A. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of world Englishes (pp. 535–49). London, England: Routledge.
• Savan, L. (2006). Slam dunks and no-brainers: Pop language in your life, the media, and like . . . whatever. Vintage.
• Storey, J. (2009). Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction (Fifth.). New York: Pearson/Longman.