Ms Andrea Rodriguez
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Languages & Cultures School
SLAT7899 focuses on three crucial components of our daily social interaction: language, culture and communication, and explores the role that the use of language plays in social interaction and how meaning is created in our communication. More specifically, the course examines language as culture and the pragmatics of social interaction. It discusses aspects of language structure and use, interpersonal behaviour, communication patterns, multimodal aspects of communication, identity, (im)polilteness, and a range of associated topics.
Course requirements
Assumed background
The course makes no assumptions about previous training in linguistics, cultural studies or communication studies. Knowledge of one or more languages other than English is a major advantage, but is not essential.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
SLAT6899
Course staff
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Public holidays:
Alternative arrangements for affected students will be announced through the Blackboard site.
Class allocation:
In order to optimise the student experience, it may be necessary to reallocate students to a different class from their first choice.
Before this happens, every effort will be made to enable students to voluntarily change into an alternative class that is suitable.
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need
help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email hass.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ
student email account with the following details:
- Full name,
- Student ID, and
- the Course Code
Additional information and support can be found here .
Aims and outcomes
In SLAT7899, we willﾠ explore language, culture and social interaction in terms of theory and analysis. The course approaches various topics from a discourse analytical perspective, focussing on a micro-level analysis of what happens when people communicate, primarily how the meaning is created and what social actions are accomplished in interaction.
The course considers language as a cultural vehicle. It is designed to complement course offerings in language and linguistic studies, communication studies, culture studies, translation studies, and in other intellectual disciplines which involve the passage of information across cultural boundaries. Students are expected:
- ﾠﾠﾠ to bring their experience of communication and to participate actively in class, analysing ﾠthe datasets discussed in SLAT7899;
- ﾠ to show how data, description, the literature and theory can contribute to developing a better understanding of language, culture and communication.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Identify linguistic and discourse features in communication, including those contributing to cultural and societal diversity.
LO2.
Effectively apply the concepts and theories studied in the course to interaction analysis.
LO3.
Critically examine academic literature on the course content.
LO4.
Conduct a small research project.
LO5.
Effectively communicate the aspects of social interaction, both in writing and verbally.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Critical Analysis
|
45% (15% per analysis - your best 3 out of 4) |
Critical Analysis 1 1/04/2025 5:00 pm Critical Analysis 2 15/04/2025 5:00 pm Critical Analysis 3 6/05/2025 5:00 pm Critical Analysis 4 20/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation, Project |
Interaction Project Part A: Presentation
|
15% |
22/05/2025 - 30/05/2025
WEEK 12 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project |
Interaction project Part B: Written submission
|
40% |
10/06/2025 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1 |
Assessment details
Critical Analysis
- Online
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 45% (15% per analysis - your best 3 out of 4)
- Due date
Critical Analysis 1 1/04/2025 5:00 pm
Critical Analysis 2 15/04/2025 5:00 pm
Critical Analysis 3 6/05/2025 5:00 pm
Critical Analysis 4 20/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L05
Task description
Critical Analysis
Weight: 45% (15% per analysis; your best 3 analyses out of 4 will count towards the final mark)
Due: 5pm on Tuesday in Weeks 6, 8, 10 and 12.
Length: 500 words (excluding references) for written analyses; 5-7 min. for oral analyses
Mode:
- Critical Analysis 1 & 3 will be a written submission;
- Critical Analysis 2 & 4 will be an oral video submission.
In Weeks 2, 5, 8 & 10, you will have access to the interactional data in the Assessment folder on Blackboard that you will need to analyse in terms of what is covered in the weeks that correspond to the analysis:
Critical Analysis 1: Weeks 3, 4 & 5- written submission
Critical Analysis 2: Weeks 6 & 7 - video submission
Critical Analysis 3: Weeks 8 & 9 - written submission
Critical Analysis 4: Weeks 10 & 11 - video submission
In your analysis, you will need to
- identify linguistic and discourse features in the data relevant to the weeks indicated in the task;
- explain those features and what happens in the data in terms of the relevant course concepts;
- support your analysis with the relevant readings from the course ( from the reading list, plus those covered in lecture and contact; 3-5 references). Do not use outside-the-course additional readings.
Generative AI & MT Statement
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
TurnItIn or Blackboard submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
To provide timely feedback, including each analysis discussion in class prior to the following Critical Analyses in a sequence, the maximum extension length is 14 days.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Interaction Project Part A: Presentation
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation, Project
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
22/05/2025 - 30/05/2025
WEEK 12
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
Interaction Project consists of 2 parts:
Part A: Presentation (Week 13) - 15%;
Part B: Written submission (Week 15) - 40%.
In Week 4, you will have access to 3-5 phone conversations* in the Assessment folder on Blackboard that you will have to listen to in order to become familiar with the data. In Week 5, you will need to choose one of those phone conversations that you will use for your project. The choice of each phone conversation will be limited, i.e. all the students cannot select the same conversation. This means that you need to identify more than one phone conversation of your interest prior to Week 5. The final data allocation will be made on a first-come, first-served basis via a live document.
*Students who wish to use the conversational data that they audio (video) record themselves will need to collect it by Week 4 and share it with the course coordinator to obtain the approval to use it for the Interaction Project assessment.
Once your choice of the phone conversation has been finalised, you will need to
- listen to it many times in order to understand the context and identify the concept that is most salient in the data;
- choose 2 short extracts and transcribe them for your analysis;
- analyse the extracts in light of your chosen concept.
Project tasks timeline
Weeks 4-5: Data access and choice
Weeks 6-8: Data preparation (transcriptions)
Weeks 9-11: Project topic and extracts confirmation (COMPULSORY) - you have to make an appointment during these weeks to discuss what you are going to analyse
Weeks 12-13: Presentation due
Week 15: Project write-up due
IMPORTANT: Start working with the data early in the semester! Note that it is NOT a group project, which means that your extracts selection and transcriptions must reflect your own individual work.
Presentation (15%)
Deadline: Weeks 12-13 in class
Length: 10 minutes
In your presentation, you will need to:
- explain what your concept is (support your ideas with peer-reviewed publications, including from the course reading list);
- introduce your data (where it is from, what is known about the interactants, etc.);
- show a sample data and present a short sample analysis
Presentation sign-up:
In Week 8, during the lecture, you will be able to choose when you will give your Project presentation. It will be done on a first-come, first-served basis (through a live document).
Generative AI & MT Statement
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit your presentation pdf via Blackboard prior to your presentation in class.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
In order to receive timely feedback on the Project presentation that will need to be incorporated in the written submission of Project at the beginning of June, the extension period is limited to 7 days.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Interaction project Part B: Written submission
- Identity Verified
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
10/06/2025 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Interaction Project consists of 2 parts:
Part A: Presentation (Week 13) - 15%;
Part B: Written submission (Week 15) - 40%.
In Week 4, you will have access to 3-5 phone conversations* in the Assessment folder on Blackboard that you will have to listen to in order to become famliar with the data. In Week 5, you will need to choose one of those phone conversations that you will use for your project. The choice of each phone conversation will be limited, i.e. all the students cannot select the same conversation. This means that you need to identify more than one phone conversation of your interest prior to Week 5. The final data allocation will be made on a first-come, first-served basis via a live document.
*Students who wish to use the conversational data that they audio (video) record themselves will need to collect it by Week 4 and share it with the course coordinator to obtain the approval to use it for the Interaction Project assessment.
Once your choice of the phone conversation has been finalised, you will need to
- listen to it many times in order to understand the context and identify the concept that is most salient in the data;
- choose 2 short (approx. 30 seconds) extracts and transcribe them for your analysis;
- analyse the extacts in light of your chosen concept.
Project tasks timeline
Weeks 4-5: Data access and choice
Weeks 6-8: Data preparation (transcriptions)
Weeks 9-11: Project topic and extracts confirmation (COMPULSORY) - you have to make an appointment during these weeks to discuss what you are going to analyse
Weeks 13: Presentation due
Week 15: Project write-up due
IMPORTANT: Start working with the data early in the semester! Note that it is NOT a group project, which means that your extracts selection and transcriptions must reflect your own individual work.
IMPORTANT: If you do not make an appointment during Weeks 9-11 and/or do not receive the topic approval from the Course Coordinator, the maximum grade that you can receive for the written submission of Project is a 3, i.e. 18 marks out of 40.
Interaction Project - written submission (40%)
Deadline: Week 15
Length: 2000-2400 words (excluding extracts and references)
Your written submission must include the following sections and at least 10 references (for more information, see the template on Blackboard):
- Introduction (explanation of why it is important to research social interaction - provide examples from empirical studies);
- Literature review (research done in relation to the identified concept + aims of this project);
- Data description (source, participants, context, etc.);
- Analysis & discussion (here you need to focus on 1 concept from the course that became visible in the recorded interaction): provide in-depth analyses of 2 extracts.
- Conclusion (present a summary of your research project).
Generative AI & MT Statement
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit a Word file via TurnItIn.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Does not show understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Shows minimal understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Shows limited understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Shows functional understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Shows proficient understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Shows advanced understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in social interaction. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Shows exceptional understanding of interactional and pragmatics features in dsocial interaction. |
Additional course grading information
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lectures Lectures explore the core course content, including the theoretical explanation of the concepts. |
Tutorial |
Tutorials Tutorials provide a space for a detailed exploration of the data relevant to the theoretical concepts explored each week in the readings and lectures. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.