EL6052 - Forensic Linguistics

You will be taught through 12 weeks of classes. Each week you will have a one-hour class introducing you to a topic, followed by a separate two-hour workshop in which you undertake practical analysis, discussion, and/or other activities in relation to this topic.

Class breakdown
Week 1: 1 ½ hour class
Weeks 2-11: 1 hour class + 2 hour seminar
Week 12: 1 ½ hour class

The module tutor will discuss the assessment in class, providing class-based practice of the ideas that underpin the assessment, and meeting with students on a one-to-one basis to give feedback on their assignment plan before they write and submit their final assignment.
The module handbook provides details of weekly seminars, reading lists and assessment criteria. The module tutor will be available in each class, as well as in office hours and on email/phone, to discuss any queries or concerns you have about how to excel academically on the module. There will also be a Blackboard site devoted to the module.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Enhanced appreciation of interface between language and the law
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Enhanced ability to engage in self-managed research
3. Enhanced ability to conduct detailed linguistic analysis
4. Skills in presenting research

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Curiosity and awareness of relevance of linguistic analysis in a multitude of legal contexts.

1. Formative assessment: 500 words outlining plans for summative assessment.
Feedback will come in the form of class discussion with tutor and peers.
MLO 1, 5
2. Summative assessment:
3500 word case study chosen from a
list of topics provided by the tutor
(100%)
Feedback will be generated in the form of notes on the script and a detailed summary provided on the standard feedback sheet, which you are then most welcome to discuss in person during feedback and consultation hours.
MLO 1,2,3,4,5

N/A

N/A

Forensic linguistics as it is broadly defined encompasses (i) the study of the language of legal texts, such as statutes and contracts, (ii) the study of the language of spoken legal processes such as police interviews and courtroom trials, and (iii) the use of linguistic analysis as evidence or to provide assistance to criminal investigations. In this module, students are led through these core areas, focusing on the nature of language used in a variety of legal contexts, from the caution delivered at the point of arrest, through police interviews to examination and cross-examination in court and instructions issued to juries prior to deliberation. Students conduct their own analyses of texts taken from genuine cases. The module encourages students to think critically about legal language, and familiarises them with the diversity of possibilities for applying their critical and analytical skills in the world of work.