ENGL3826: Language and Social Media (67461)

Kretzschmar, William

MWF 9:10 AM

Park Hall 0250

ENGL/LING 3826   Spring 2024  Kretzschmar  MWF 9:10-10, Park 250

 

Language and Social Media  

                               

Office: 317 Park.  Email: kretzsch@uga.edu. Office Hours: TTH 9-10am, and by appointment (email me to set one up).

 

Catalog:  Study of language used in social media, including variation, rhetoric, and style.

 

Texts:  Burkette and Kretzschmar, Exploring Linguistic Science (Cambridge: CUP, 2018); Fuchs, Social Media: A Critical Introduction, 3rd ed. (Los Angeles: Sage, 2021); Barabasi, Linked (New York: Basic Books, 2014).

 

Course Conduct: Lecture/discussion. There will be five in-class tests and no final exam ("continuous assessment").  There will be one short paper (5 pp) and a major paper due at the end of the term (c. 15 pp undergrad, c. 20 pp. grad). Papers will be argumentative essays prepared according to standard practices for academic papers, and include appropriate use of the scholarly literature. There will be a proposal (2-3 pp, a special format to be discussed in class) for the final paper due in late March. Grades will be based on class attendance (90 pts), the five in-class exams (250 pts), the short paper (100 pts), and the final paper (50 pts proposal, 150 pts final paper). 640 total points. Course info will be on the Web at the UGA eLC  (elc.uga.edu).

 

Goals and Topics:  Social media in all of its manifestations—from Facebook to X (Twitter) to the latest platform--has become an important contemporary resource for sharing information, entertainment, and commercial content. It is also controversial for many reasons, and raises important questions: What does it mean for posts to go viral? What are influencers? How do people make money with it or on it? Can social media affect elections? This course takes a critical view of many platforms and aspects of social media. Language is used differently in social media than in other circumstances and, after some coverage of basic ideas about language, the course will discuss methods to identify the special language of social media platforms. Social networking is another key factor in social media, so networking will be discussed in terms of complex systems. Finally, the course will treat the ramifications of what has been called Web 2.0, which some say has democratized the Web but others complain has led to fake news.

 

Schedule:


Jan 8, 10, 12    M: Course intro.         W: ELS 1, 2                 F: ELS 3         

Jan 15, 17, 19   M: MLK Day, no class W: B 1, 2                     F: B 6 

Jan 22, 24, 26 M: B 7                         W: F 1                          F: F 2

Jan 29, 31, F2  M: F 3                          W: F4                          F: EX1

Feb 5, 7, 9       M: ELS 4, 5                 W: ELS 6                    F: ELSD 7, 8

Feb 12, 14, 16  M: ELSD 9, 10            W: ELS 11                    F: how to write a paper, incl

authoritative info, citation,

structure, argument  

Feb 19, 21, 23  M: ELS 15, 16, 17         W: ELS 18                   F: EX2

Feb 26, 28, M1 M: B 3                         W: B 4                         F: B 5

Mar 4, 6, 8                              No class. Spring Break

Mar 11, 13, 15  M: B 8                         W: B 11                        F: B 12, short paper due

Mar 18, 20, 22 M: B 14                        W: How to write a proposal   F:EX3

Mar 25, 27, 29 M: AntConc                W: DIY corpora          F: Good Friday, no class

Apr 1, 3, 5         M: FireAnt                  W: Comparisons         F: no class, proposal due

Apr 8, 10, 12    M: F 5                          W: F 6                         F: EX4

Apr 15, 17, 19   M: F 7                          W: F 8                         F: F 9

Apr 22, 24, 26 M: F 10                        W: F 12                        F: F 13

Apr 29             M: F 14                        W: F 15                        F: EX5

May 1               No class; Final paper due by email.

 

 

UGA Student Honor Code: "I will be academically honest in all of my academic work and will not tolerate academic dishonesty of others." A Culture of Honesty, the University's policy and procedures for handling cases of suspected dishonesty, such as plagiarism (using the work of others without attribution), can be found at www.uga.edu/ovpi. In this course you are permitted to use AI tools in your research and writing. However, be warned that if you turn in a paper prepared by AI without modifications, you are unlikely to get a good grade.

The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Mental Health and Wellness Resources:

  • If you or someone you know needs assistance, you are encouraged to contact Student Care and Outreach in the Division of Student Affairs at 706-542-7774 or visit https://sco.uga.edu. They will help you navigate any difficult circumstances you may be facing by connecting you with the appropriate resources or services. 
  • UGA has several resources for a student seeking mental health services (https://www.uhs.uga.edu/bewelluga/bewelluga) or crisis support (https://www.uhs.uga.edu/info/emergencies). 
  • If you need help managing stress anxiety, relationships, etc., please visit BeWellUGA (https://www.uhs.uga.edu/bewelluga/bewelluga) for a list of FREE workshops, classes, mentoring, and health coaching led by licensed clinicians and health educators in the University Health Center. 
  • Additional resources can be accessed through the UGA App. 

What do I do if I have COVID-19 symptoms? 

Students showing COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and schedule an appointment with the University Health Center by calling 706-542-1162 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5p.m.). Please DO NOT walk-in. For emergencies and after-hours care, see, https://www.uhs.uga.edu/info/emergencies.