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Vorheriges Semester
Professional Writing and Discussions: The Language of Songs
DozentIn: Andrew Jones, B.A., M.Phil.
Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar
Ort: 41/102
Zeiten: Do. 12:00 - 14:00 (wöchentlich)
Beschreibung: Professional Writing and Discussions courses are advanced language courses designed for B.A. students who are in or have completed their 5th semester of studies and for M.A. students. Under the guidance of their course instructors, the course participants will undertake a more active and independent development of their language skills by applying them to a specific topic area. They will continue to train their productive and receptive language skills, further expand their lexico-grammatical knowledge in connection with the specialist language used in the course, and acquire supplementary cultural knowledge on English-speaking countries. Ultimately, the central aim of these courses, whatever topic area and skills focus a student chooses, is to facilitate their transition into a self-sufficient and proficient user of the English language. Students who elect to take this course will be expected to attend class regularly and contribute actively and intelligently. Furthermore, they will need to complete a portfolio of written and/or oral tasks during the course of the semester.
In this particular seminar, we will turn our attention to the analysis of song lyrics and how they interact with music. We will select examples of songs written by native English speakers from various countries over the course of the last century. You do not need to be musically active in order to take this course. We will be analysing lyrics dealing with various subject matters, from the romantic to the political, and from the specific to the obscure. There will be some flexibility on the genres of the songs to which we attend based on the musical tastes of the course members, though efforts will be made to accord attention to as wide a spectrum as possible. You will need to lead part of a session and compile a 2500-word portfolio of lyrical analyses for this course.
Up to ten spots in the course can be allocated in advance to students who come to my office hour and confirm that they are prepared to commit to taking the course and have identified specific songs that they would like to analyse during the course. Please note that the Stud.IP registration procedure is not binding and that the remaining spots in the course will be allocated during the first class session.
