Relevance theory online course

Broadly, the course introduces modern pragmatics via Grice's work on meaning, then gives a detailed description of relevance theory, showing how it deals with several areas in pragmatics, including irony, metaphor and loose use.

Can I see a detailed syllabus or course outline?

Yes. A provisional syllabus for the course is here.

How is the course taught?

Here's how the course will work: a series of pages which cover one topic (effectively a lecture) will be released about every two weeks. Students are expected to work through the lectures, aided by interactive self-test questions which check that the basic concepts have been grasped, then post answers to discussion points that are raised by instructors on the course discussion board, within the two weeks before the next lecture is released. These posts cover the role of class discussion and of short written work that might be done during a normal (non-online) course.
There is also a final essay of around 4,000 words, which will be assessed. A list of suggested essay topics will be posted.

Who will the instructors be?

Members of the Relevance Research Group at UCL, including Tim Wharton (post-doc), Professor Wilson, and Alison Hall (postgrad).

What can I do to prepare for the course?

Why not have a look at the recoomended reading for the course? This is Sperber & Wilson (1986/95) 'Relevance: Communication and Cognition' and Carston (2002) 'Thoughts and Utterances: The Pragmatics of Explicit Communication'.

Do I need to have access to a library?

No. You will be expected to buy yourself a copy of the recommended reading, the two books: Sperber & Wilson (1986/95) 'Relevance: Communication and Cognition' and Carston (2002) 'Thoughts and Utterances: The Pragmatics of Explicit Communication'. Other essential reading for each lecture will be made available online with the lecture.

I do have access to a university library: will you give me other suggestions for reading?

Yes -- a list of background references will be supplied for each lecture for your further reading during or after the course.(You do not have to read these, and you will not have time to read all of them during the course.)

How is the course assessed?

The assessment will be at the end of the course. You will have to write an essay (of 4000-5000 words). We will also bear in mind your overall contribution to the discussion boards during the course when determining your overall mark.

This page says there will be "online discussion". What is this?

A discussion board is a way of allowing people to post comments to a central site. It's like a physical noticeboard. When you are there you can read it and stick up replies or a new notice. The discussion boards are for debate and sharing ideas -- the format is not like an exam, more like a class with an instructor asking a question or raising an issue so that discussion will happen between the students. Because it is on a discussion board, rather than face-to-face, it will be like a class in slow motion (and all in text rather than spoken, of course).

Will there be fixed times where all the students have to be online to discuss certain points?

No, you don't have to be there at any particular time -- just when it suits you, you come by and see what has been put up on the discussion board since the last time you were there. You will have to post something about every unit, so you need to log on a few times during every two week period. But when exactly is up to you.

Will there be an online exam at the end of each module?

No. There are interactive self-test questions (which are not assessed) in between pages of the 'lectures' to check that you have understood the basic concepts in the section you have just read.

I am planning to visit London before/during/after the course. Can I come to UCL to say hello?

Yes! It will be good to see you. Please email before you come to let us know, so that we can check that there will be someone at the department that day and arrange to meet you if possible.

How can I maximise my chances of being accepted for the course?

It is difficult to say anything about maximising your chances of getting a place on the course this year. Places are limited this year, but if you meet the requirements you should have a good chance and we encourage you to apply. The main thing is to make it clear on the application form why you are suitable for the course and why the course is suitable for you.
Also, don’t forget that this course will very probably be running in future as well, so if you don’t get a place on the course this year you can always reapply.

When will the course start?

In November 2005.

When will it end?

The lectures will end in May 2006. After that there will be a few weeks to finish the assessed essay.

There is no space for references or referees names on the application form. Is this a mistake?

No. We decided not to ask for references.

Is the course an undergraduate course or a postgraduate course or both?

It is a postgraduate course. At some time in the future we may also start running a separate undergraduate course. Exceptionally, we may be able to accept students on to the current course who have not finished their first degree if they have a strong background in the study of language

How many credits is this course worth?

How many credits your university will give you depends on negotiations between them and UCL. This is because there is no widely accepted worldwide standard for university credits yet.
To give you an idea of how many credits it is likely to be awarded, here are some details. In the terminology used by the University of London, this is a ‘half-unit’ course (equivalent to 7.5 ECTS points). To explain, that means that it is the equivalent of a one-term lecture course with ten one hour lectures -- one per week, plus (typically) ten one hour back-up classes (also one per week). So the equivalent number of teaching hours is twenty. On a normal half-unit course, at least as many hours again would be spent in self-study (and preferably quite a few more) and extra time would be expected for the writing of the assessed essay of 4-5,000 words.
Taking the course online will probably take longer, we anticipate, in terms of numbers of hours, as well as running over a longer overall duration of approximately two weeks per 'lecture' rather than one.