EN-454 Research Methods for Language, Linguistics and Translation (Autumn 2025)
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Humanities and Education
- Course Leader:
- Jean Nitzke
- Lecture Semester:
- Autumn
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- ½ year
Table of contents
The course is connected to the following study programs
- Advanced Teacher Education level 8-13, 5-year Master's Programme
- Translation and Professional Communication, Master's programme
- Master's Programme in English
Teaching language
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students have
- knowledge of the basic features of different approaches to research (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) and of the rationales and different quality criteria that pertain to these
- knowledge of some of the basic data types and analysis methods used in linguistics and translation studies
- detailed knowledge of common concerns and issues in research ethics and of the regulating bodies, policies, and guidelines that pertain at national and international levels
Upon successful completion of the course, students are able to
- critically assess the methodology used in linguistics and translation studies research
- critique an AI-generated summary of a research article
- articulate appropriate research questions for both quantitative and qualitative research approaches
Competence
Upon successful completion of the course, students can
- think and communicate critically on issues related to research ethics and methodology in general and to research methods and ethics in Translation Studies, educational research or linguistics in particular
Contents
This course is a key preparatory course for independent work on master's theses in all three programmes. Topics to be covered include general approaches to research, e.g. quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research, the role of research methodology in a research project, criteria for research quality, ethical issues, and the specifics of a selection of common methods related to the study of language and translation. Specific topics include experimental methods, corpus analysis, survey methods, and statistics.
The course covers broader issues and a selection of methods relevant for translation, educational and linguistic research as well as questions and issues of more specific interest. Three compulsory assignments train students in the kind of reading, writing, and critical thinking involved in doing research and provide practice in a selection of techniques for data analysis.
Teaching and learning methods
Examination requirements
The first task involves applying research methods used in linguistics and translation studies research. The second involves critiquing and further developing an AI-generated summary of a research article. The third assignment requires students to evaluate a research proposal and generate their own proposal.