Language is a symbolic currency: mastery of the standard language can buy institutional power, mastery of urban teenage slang can buy street cred. This course introduces students to key issues in sociolinguistics and language sociology such as the political economy of language, language variation and change, and critical discourse analysis. Members of the class will undertake empirical research.

In today's globalised and multicultural societies, cross-cultural communication is common enough. Even so, it continues to be a challenge, both for people who engage in cross-cultural communication on a daily basis, and for researchers trying to describe and understand it. In this unit of study we will consider a variety of discourse-analytic approaches to studying cross-cultural communication, including conversation analysis, speech act theory, interactional sociolinguistics, the ethnography of communication, and critical discourse analysis. In our analyses of actual samples of cross-cultural communication we will pay particular attention to the social positioning of participants in an interaction, and the ways how social relationships (particularly of power and intimacy) between participants are reflected in their linguistic practices. The unit will end with exploring applied perspectives, particularly on cross-cultural communication in educational, courtroom and workplace interactions.

This unit will focus on a functional approach to language, including its words, structures and sounds. The course considers linguistic resources for mapping reality, enacting interpersonal relations and managing information flow, alongside the expression of grammar as sound (phonetics, phonology, rhythm and intonation) or script.

Learning to speak and write effectively across a wide range of social contexts is crucial to all our lives. This unit considers genre (the social purpose of texts), and moves on to consider the ways language varies in terms of what we are talking about, who we are talking to and the medium we are using to communicate (speaking, writing, texting, posting etc.).

The role of institutions, social contact and language attitudes in language maintenance and shift. Bilingual and multilingual proficiency: deficit and assets, social, educational and psychological aspects. Bilingual/multilingualism programs and the bilingual/multilingual classroom.

This unit is designed to support students in applying their knowledge of SFL and genre theory to develop educational and training material. Students will be guided in developing material for real classrooms. They will also be required to develop material for and teach an ESL class.

This unit examines the expression of social identities and relationships through language, including the connections between social group style-shifting and registers.

"Sexy, healthy and 100% Australian-owned!" This unit examines linguistic approaches to media discourse. The language of news texts and television series will form a special focus of the unit, along with how images are used to construe meaning. We will explore general aspects of media institutions (news and television), the ways in which social identities are constructed in the media, differences between the language of various types of media texts, the rhetoric of persuasion and the discourses of popular culture.

This unit considers the discourse of globalisation from the perspective of critical discourse analysis (CDA) as informed by functional linguistics and multimodal discourse analysis. Both discourses about globalisation and discourses enacting globalisation will be considered in relation to power and ideology, including case studies of virtual communities, language policy, discourses of war and terrorism, globalisation and the media, climate change, popular music, diplomacy, tourism and international business communication. Resistant discourse strategies promoting local identity will also be reviewed.

What role does language play in business communication? Corporations make use of a wide range of different communicative activities, from company websites, mission statements, and corporate reports to communication on social media sites. People use language to construct and enact corporate images, workplace cultures, and leadership styles. This unit introduces students to linguistic approaches to business language, and explores the role language plays in organizations. Students will gain new insights into the surprising power of workplace discourse.

Law cannot exist without language. We look at the central role of language in the law and in legal professions. Language is the medium through which norms and laws are established, from informal agreements to ironclad contracts. Human interaction in legal processes is conducted through language, from arrests to interrogations to courtroom cross-examination and sentencing. And language is a focus of forensic work, from verifying the identity of recorded voices to determining whether an apparent suicide note was in fact written by the deceased.

This unit explores the way language, body language and images interact in communication in medical discourse including consideration of doctor, nurse and patient interaction, mental health and speech disorders, print and web-based health advice and the regulatory procedures governing medical services.

How does it feel when your mother tongue is only spoken in your own village and not viewed as a 'proper' language? Are these communities justified in trying to revitalize their ancestral tongues? This unit will analyze the dilemmas faced by speakers of minority languages. We will address how to respectfully communicate and interact with these communities.

Language is a fundamental human right. However, it is a right that is often overlooked. One consequence of a failure to uphold linguistic rights is a loss of languages. This unit discusses issues of linguistic diversity in the context of social justice. The unit pays attention to the different ways in which language intersects with various forms of disadvantage, including exclusion, discrimination, and language loss. We consider the impact of this on individuals whose linguistic practices are overlooked or devalued and investigate ways in which we can advocate for social justice by supporting linguistic diversity.

Candidates research and write an Essay on an approved topic under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Asia is fast becoming the centre of new developments in the mass media. Focusing on East and Southeast Asia, this unit will introduce major regional trends in film and television, differences in media systems, and cross-cultural understandings of Asian media. Particular focus will be on the analysis of feature films and television from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and/or China, and on pan-Asian developments. These analyses will include discussions of the social, cultural and political roles of media.

This unit examines the development and challenges of media industries in East Asia; Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR, and China. It takes a broad comparative approach to identify political, economic, social, cultural and technological factors that affect the industries in this dynamic region. The unit covers various aspects of old and new media in the region, such as development and transformation of media industries, state regulation and policy, and the implications of the emergence of new communications technologies.

Development is an international and intercultural process that seeks to both implement projects with specific objectives, and change the way people live and think. Language, as communication both enables such projects and is a source of incomprehension, misunderstanding and exclusion within them. Education as the longer term attempt to change the thinking and values of people and communities also has language at its heart. This unit examines the nature and politics of language and education and their relationship within development.

In this unit, literacy and its relationship to English language teaching are examined from different perspectives. Reading, writing and the teaching of these in the English language classroom are examined in detail. However, the unit goes further than viewing literacy as only being about reading and writing. In an age of increasingly sophisticated information technologies and the spread of English as a global language, ideas about literacy have changed rapidly, and these changes have consequences for language teaching. The unit takes up-to-date ideas about what multilingual literacy involves and looks at how these ideas and issues are relevant to English language teaching. In particular, the unit has a focus on the
use of technology to develop English learners' literacy.

This unit introduces a range of approaches to research in the area of languate studies. The unit provides frameworks with which students can review and critique previous research as well as framework for writing a research proposal. This is a required unit of study for students who wish to include a Dissertation in their MEd TESOL degree.

This unit provides a broad overview of the major principles involved in second and foreign language testing and assessment. The focus of the unit is on both theoretical and practical issues in testing and assessment. The design of language tests and assessment appropriate to particular learning settings is addressed with reference to communicative language teaching and task-based methodology. Issues concerning the influence of testing on teaching and recent developments in research in testing and assessment will be considered.

This unit of study introduces key concepts in leadership communication. Students will explore various structures of organisations and how those structures affect the flow of communication within workplaces. Upon the completion of the unit, students will develop their understanding of key concepts in leadership communication and apply them to analyse communication problems. Students will also be able to offer well-grounded criticism on selected communication and decision-making issues.

This unit introduces key concepts in health communication. Students will explore micro- and macro-level theories of health (behaviour) communication that inform the design and implementation of health communication campaigns, planned and unplanned effects of communication campaigns, and the evaluation of such campaigns. It aims to give students a critical and practical understanding of theory and research concerning the role of communication in health promotion efforts.

This unit examines media representations of conflict and their influence on the behaviour of those involved. It introduces creative ways for journalists, media development workers and media activists to apply principles of conflict resolution. Students diagnose 'war journalism' and 'peace journalism', and analyse conflict in a journalism context. Theories of news and concepts of objectivity and responsibility are critically explored. Students gain practical skills in peace journalism and media activism as well as devising peace journalism interventions in conflict-affected areas.

This elective is designed for international postgraduates who are new to study in an English language university. It supports the development of study, research, and critical thinking abilities, spoken English and academic language. Knowledge acquired in this unit will strengthen written and spoken English to help meet the standards necessary for successful completion of FASS Masters by coursework degrees. It is recommended that this elective be taken during your first semester.

This elective supports development of skills in critical analysis, writing in different genres, research, presentation, and developing individual scholarly 'voice'. While valuable for all commencing postgraduates, it is of particular benefit to those returning to academia after an extended break, or for International students wishing to orient themselves to local standards of practice for academic communication. This unit is structured to have additional seminars and lectures early in the semester and fewer later in the semester so students have the opportunity to apply new skills to all their coursework. The unit is ideally taken in the first semester of study.

This unit introduces theories of professional writing with a specific focus on composing in the workplace. Students will develop abilities in analysing, writing, revising, and delivering workplace texts, both print and multimedia. By examining and discussing a range of actual workplace documents, from emails to websites, students will gain a broader understanding of the rhetorical principles and ethical responsibilities inherent in professional writing practice. They will improve their ability to negotiate the relationships, tensions, and politics that influence workplace writing contexts.

This unit introduces practical techniques for editing workplace documents for increased clarity and effectiveness. Applying theories and principles of visual rhetoric, students will learn how to improve the readability and reception of workplace texts according to audience conventions and expectations. By analysing actual workplace documents, students will develop their critical reading abilities and gain a better understanding of how to edit texts for word economy, improved design and layout, and inclusive language. Editing print texts for digital or oral presentation will also be emphasised.

Independent research and writing toward a dissertation of 12,000 words on an approved topic under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Completion and submission of a dissertation of 12,000 words on an approved topic, written under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

The field of Cross-Cultural Communication studies how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate. The Masters degree in Cross-Cultural Communication enables students to specialize in this field and through coursework students will gain a well-rounded approach to the required knowledge, concepts, and methods. This unit is the capstone experience for the degree, allowing students the chance to integrate and put into practice their previous learning.