Course Title: Language Policy and Language Services
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Language Policy and Language Services
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
LANG1226 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2017 |
LANG1260 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2017 |
Course Coordinator: Olga Garcia-Caro
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2328
Course Coordinator Email: olga.garcia-caro@rmit.edu.au
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
In this course you will examine the historical and contemporary development of language services for migrant, Indigenous, and Deaf communities in Australia and overseas. The policy and administrative environment that surrounds language services is the focus of the course. Some consideration will also be given to the impact of liberal and other ideologies on policymaking for language services. The course examines language service need, policy priorities, resources, service provision in the public and private sectors, and related issues such as professionalisation and training among language service providers.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to:
- Identify various sources of discourse meaning in a text or utterance, and apply knowledge of different approaches to translating and interpreting this meaning that are described in the scholarly literature.
- Creatively translate and interpret discourse meaning in a text or utterance, drawing on knowledge of pragmatics, genre analysis, and cross-cultural communication.
- Apply appropriate approaches to the translation and interpretation of discourse meaning in texts and utterances in specific genres categories that are discussed in the scholarly literature.
Overview of Learning Activities
Lectures and reading materials will address controversies in the politics and policymaking that surrounds language service provision. Examples of significant initiatives in language policy making will be discussed in their Australian and international contexts, and the historical background of these initiatives will also be canvassed. Lectures and reading materials will focus on the opinions and recommendations of different organisations and individuals with regard to language service provision, so that you can engage with the ideas that exist in the field in your assessable work.
Overview of Learning Resources
Teaching resources will be drawn from both Australian and international materials, including government and NGO reports, language service documents and analytical studies. Particular use will be made of material from topics.
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on the above learning outcomes. Assessment tasks may include an essay analysing a policy approach to language services in Australia or overseas, a parliamentary policy submission on a language service issue relevant to migrant, Indigenous, or Deaf communities in Australia, or a case study report on a language service organisation or agency in Australia or overseas., and/or an exam
Postgraduate students enrolled in this course will be assessed on 5000 words of written work, and undergraduate students 4000 words. Postgraduate students undertaking this course will be expected to demonstrate higher capacity for application, analysing, synthesis and evaluation of issues related to political and policymaking environment that surrounds language service provision in Australia and overseas.