- Docente: Anthony Dion Mitzel
- Credits: 5
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Forli
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Intercultural and Linguistic Mediation (cod. 8059)
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to understand and produce a wide range of written texts and converse on issues, spontaneously and fluently in English. They will also gain an understanding both diachronically and synchronically of how humor is used in discourse ranging from the culture of the United States of America, politics, taboo subject matter, and human nature as well as existence.
Course contents
Language and Culture
The Language and Culture module will focus on Contemporary Issues in Humor Studies with regards to:
- Theories and history of Humor
- Memes and their effect on communication
- US political discourse
- Stand-up Comedy
The course consists of 2 weekly lessons spread over 10 weeks during the first semester.
Readings/Bibliography
It is advised that students familiarize themselves with these texts and authors. Most of these texts are open source and can be found for free online or in the library. Other materials will be handed out during class and/or uploaded to the course’s Moodle page.
Aaron, Debra. (2012). Jokes and the Linguistic Mind. Routledge: New York.
Attardo, Salvatore & Victor Raskin. 1991. "Script theory (re)visited: Joke similarity and joke representation model." Humor, International Journal of Humor Research. 4: 293— 347.
Blackmore, Susan. (2000). The Meme Machine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chandler, Daniel (2007) Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge.
http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/
Dawkins, Richard (2006). The Selfish Gene (30th anniversary ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hall, Stuart. (1980). Encoding/decoding. Culture, media, language, 128-138. Retrieved from: http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~jdslack/readings/CSReadings/Hall_Encoding-n-Decoding.pdf
McLuhan, Marshall (1964) Understanding Media. London: Routledge.
Miller, Toby. (2001) What it is and what it isn't: Introducing…Cultural Studies, in A Companion to Cultural Studies (ed T. Miller), Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Malden, Massachusetts, USA. (via Moodle)
Podcast: http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2012/12/toby-miller-on-cultural-studies/
Shifman, Limor. (2014). Memes in Digital Culture. MIT Press.
Tyler, Tim. (2011). Memetics: Memes and the Science of Cultural Evolution. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. http://memetics.timtyler.org
Teaching methods
The course will blend theory and praxis therefore one class a week will be dedicated to traditional lectures on past and current theortical concepts while the second class will be a more practical, "hands on" approach utilizing audiovisuals and group work with open class discussions/debates.
The module also provides a series of laboratory lessons (Dr. Roberts) to enhance listening and writing skills to prepare students for the written and oral exam.Assessment methods
Throughout the course students will be asked to write short essays (500 words each) as well as share image macros (internet memes) relevant to material discussed in class.
The end of semester Language and Culture exam comprises a written (50%) and oral (50%) test.
The written part will consist of a 1000-1200 word essay on a topic of humor of each student's choice (previously discussed and aggreed to by Prof. Mitzel). The oral part will be an PPT presentation discussing the relevant findings of the written essay.
The final mark for the Language and Mediation course will then be averaged out (at 50%) with the mark obtained in the Liaison/Dialogue Interpreting module.
Students are required to attend a minimun of 70% of total classes while those unable to attend due to Erasmus/study abroad must contact Prof. Mitzel ahead of time and keep up to date with material shared on the course's Moodle page if they intend to sit the L&C exam in the following semester.
Teaching tools
Course specific PPT presentations, documentaries, websites, and social media applications. Assignments and activities will be carried out both in class and at home with a focus on enriching students' grasp and mastering the relevance of modern digital age communication.
Most if not all printed and audiovisual material used in class, as well as resources for the specific topics tackled in class, will be made available on the Moodle e-learning site. (see Readings/Bibliography)
Office hours
See the website of Anthony Dion Mitzel