Forensic Linguistics (Q1085)

15 credits, Level 6

Spring teaching

In this module we look at the interaction between linguistics and the law and you'll get hands on experience of the practical ways that linguistics can be applied.

Forensic linguistics covers a wide range of topics including:

• the use of language analysis in investigating disputed authorship and in identifying deception
• the analysis of comprehensibility of language used in the legal process
• identification of social justice issues in terms of how some people may be linguistically disadvantaged in the legal system
• understanding the ways in which the law is applied to language.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.