HNRS: (Im)politeness Theory
Fall 2021 Courses
Intensive study of selected topics; may emphasize interdisciplinary themes.
Notes:
This course looks at the main theories of linguistic politeness that have been proposed over the last forty years, including the influential Brown and Levinson (1987) theoretical framework that theorizes politeness in terms of a sociological notion of "face" and the more pragmatically oriented theory of Leech (1983) that appeals to maxims of politeness. We will look at the challenges to these frameworks, especially from scholars who challenge the universality of these theories or who study politeness in intercultural settings. We will also look at more recent developments of these frameworks to investigate impoliteness, which has become especially pressing in the age of computer-mediated discourse and the rise of cyber-bullying, and the promulgation of hate speech online.