Teaching | mysite

COURSES

At Cambridge:

German: A Linguistic Introduction (2022–)

The course offers an overview of the history and varieties of the German language. In Michaelmas Term, I lecture on the historical varieties of German (Old High German, Middle High German, Early New High German). In Lent Term, I lecture on phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax and dialectology of German. Details here:

https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/ge7

Translation from German into English (2022–)

The courses aims at teaching students how to translate texts belonging to varied registers and methods and also the different approaches in translation. Details here: https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/geb2

Language, Brain and Society (2019-2020)

I lectured on the sociolinguistics part of the course (slides below), and offered an outline of history of sociolinguistics, elements of Labovian sociolinguistics, and current developments in this field such as language policy and planning.

History of Ideas on Language (2015-2016, 2017-2019)

The course offered an intellectual history of linguistics, and I supervised (tutorial teaching) on the German tradition of the history of ideas on language. Texts discussed included writings by Valentin Ickelsamer, Schottelius, Indo-European historical linguists, Neogrammarians and Ferdinand de Saussure. The main aim was to examine whether or to what extent the intellectual thought of one tradition was influenced by its predecessor and influenced its successor. Using this discussion, the course examined the concept of originality in research.

Language and Lexicography (2018-2019)

The module 'language and lexicography' was part of the course 'Introduction to German Studies'. Using examples from dictionaries by Brothers Grimm and Konrad Duden, my supervision work (tutorial teaching) focused on two main questions. First, it discussed whether dictionaries are neutral repositories of information or if they are ideologically underpinned. Second, it examined the concept of a 'good' dictionary in light of whether a 'good' dictionary reports the language as it is and not as its editors would want it to be.

At JNU:

Introduction to Linguistics (2019-22 )

The course offers an introduction to linguistics as a discipline, its history as well as its sub-disciplines such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. In addition to the texts central to these sub-disciplines, the students are also introduced to foundational texts in the history of ideas on language. An example would be Plato's Cratylus which is discussed to make sure that my students learn of the naturalism−conventionalism debate on names.

Academic Writing (2019-22)

The course, aimed at MA-I students, offers an outline of academic writing and its key components such as citations, referencing and various forms of style sheets. By the end of the course, students are expected to gain an understanding of how to write research articles and dissertations. Students learn the basics of doing research that addresses issues related to (i) developing research questions and locating research problems, (ii) research methodology, (iii) research ethics and integrity, (iv) conducting literature reviews, (v) understanding the difference between articles and dissertations, and (vi) preparing bibliographies among others. The course is strongly practice-based.

Advanced Textual Grammar (2019-2020)

The course, taught in Winter semester 2020 to BA-II students, was aimed at helping students gain a better understanding of the German grammar. Complex grammatical structures were introduced, and grammar studied in the previous semester was revised and consolidated. Besides intensive grammatical exercises, the course also consisted of examining fairy tales, newspaper articles and texts related to current socio-political issues in Germany so that students could gain an understanding of how grammatical structures are used in different kinds of texts. The overall aim of the course was to enable students to use grammatical structures and move from grammatical level to textual level.

Advanced Written and Oral Expressions (2020-2021)

The course, aimed at BA-II students, focuses on helping students developing better German-language skills. In terms of writing, I am teaching students how to write essays, summary of a given text, letters and CVs. In terms of oral skills, I am teaching students how to debate in an academic context.

RESOURCES

Slides of Sociolinguistics lectures at Cambridge

What is Sociolinguistics?

Language and Social Class

Age and Gender as Sociolinguistic Factors