Course: German Philology - Linguistic Seminar

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Course title German Philology - Linguistic Seminar
Course code KGN/LGS20
Organizational form of instruction Seminar
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction German
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Course availability The course is available to visiting students
Lecturer(s)
  • Opletalová Veronika, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
The theoretical basis of the "Nonverbal Communication" seminar consists of texts from the fields of semiotics and social psychology. The works by Ekman and Friesen will provide basic insight. First, students will learn their classification of nonverbal behavior, which forms the basis for some later classifications of gestures. Furthermore, students will be introduced (through specific exercises and video recordings) to their system of facial expression analysis (FACS, Facial Action Coding System); specifically, we will focus on distinguishing between different types of smiles (especially so-called fake smiles, where the subject only pretends to be happy or cheerful). Lessons on gestures and postures will be based mainly on German semiotic works (e.g., by Posner and Schöps). Basic classifications of signs Traditional categorisation of non-verbal signs Typology of gestures Kendon's continuum Gestures as a result of ritualisation Gestural lexicons Posturics - general criteria for description Non-verbal rhetoric Facial expressions Ekman's FACS system Smiles and laughter The depiction of laughter in literature

Learning activities and teaching methods
Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
Learning outcomes
The "Nonverbal Communication" seminar will introduce participants to methods of describing nonverbal signs in the narrower sense, i.e., the expressive potential of the human body. These include gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and posture. Nonverbal signs often functionally accompany verbal statements, but they can also contradict the content of verbal statements and function independently of them: the most striking example of autonomous nonverbal signs are so-called emblematic gestures, which have fixed meanings. In this seminar, we will attempt to explore various modes of coexistence between nonverbal signs and spoken language. We will then attempt to shed light on the function and expressive potential of nonverbal communication by comparing it with verbal communication.
Students will gain an insight into the subject of non-verbal cues, familiarise themselves with the current literature, and also learn the basics of non-verbal rhetoric.
Prerequisites
Intended for all UP students. However, a background in philology is a big plus as well as a knowledge of German (at least B2 level).

Assessment methods and criteria
Analysis of Creative works (Music, Pictorial,Literary), Seminar Work

Attendance at classes (max. 3 absences), a successful oral presentation + a short written seminar paper or quiz or activity in the field of popular science.
Recommended literature
  • Bühler, Karl. (1965). Die Darstellungsfunktion der Sprache. Stuttgart.
  • Fricke, Ellen; Jana Bressem. Gesten - gestern, heute, übermorgen. Vom Forschungsprojekt zur Ausstellung.. Chemnitz.
  • Fricke, Ellen. (2007). Origo, Geste und Raum. Lokaldeixis im Deutschen. Berlin ? New York.
  • Glück, Helmut (Hrsg.). (1993). Metzler Lexikon Sprache. Stuttgart/Weimar.
  • Jakobson, Roman. (1992). Suche nach dem Wesen der Sprache. In: ders.: Semiotik. Ausgewählte Texte 1919 - 1982. Hg. v. Elmar Hollenstein. S. 77 - 98.. Frankfurt am Main.
  • Müller, Cornelia - Cienki, Alan - Fricke, Ellen - Ladewig, Silva H. - McNeill, David - Bressem, Jana (eds.). (2014). Body - Language - Communication. An International Handbook on Multimodality in Human Interaction. Sv. 2.. Berlin.
  • Nöth, Winfried. (2000). Handbuch der Semiotik. Tübingen.
  • Posner, Roland. (2018). Sémiotické studie. Olomouc.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2022) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019_24) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -