Language and society

Language is central to people’s personal, social, political and professional lives and a powerful resource for communicating, learning and building knowledge. Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, our research takes language as a social practice as its point of departure, specifically linguistic practices in contexts of exclusion, marginalisation and disparities in access.

Our approach is interdisciplinary, critical and reflexive, grounded in the theoretical and methodological expertise of various social sciences and humanities disciplines. We are interested in questions such as:

• How do we communicate across linguistic and cultural boundaries under conditions of rapid social change worldwide?
• How can we account for social biases and discrimination in discourses and communication relating to race, gender, and class?
• How are linguistic practices intertwined with technologies?
• How can educational technologies contribute to addressing inequalities and help promote social justice in teaching and learning?

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.

Current/recent research projects

• English-Medium Education in Low and Middle Income Contexts: Enabler or Barrier to Gender Equality? (EMEGEN)
• International and intercultural online learning experiences for all students through Virtual Exchange (VE)
• Precarious lives in motion. Ambulant vending in three Global South cities

Potential supervisors

• Dr Mirjam Hauck
• Professor Rosina Marquez-Reiter

Fees and funding

PhD fees

Professional doctorate fees

Some of our research students are funded via The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

• Centre for the Study of Global Development