Linguistics and Communication Science, Bachelor of Arts

Contact

Name

Björn Meißner

Advisor of the ISK for the bachelor program Linguistics and Communication Studies

Phone

work
+49 241 80 96078

Email

E-Mail
 

Key Info

Basic Information

Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Start of Studies:
Winter Semester
Standard Period of Studies:
6 semesters
ECTS Credits:
180Mehr Informationen

What does that mean?

ECTS are credit points that measure the workload of one's studies.

Language:
German

Admission Requirements

  • Abitur or equivalent HZB Mehr Informationen

    What does that mean?

    General higher education entrance qualification (Abitur), subject specific university entrance qualification, or an equally recognized university entrance qualification (HZB)

  • Proficiency in German --- Mehr Informationen ---

    What does that mean?

    You must provide documentation of your language skills for the language of instruction at the time of enrollment. The exam regulations stipulate the relevant requirements.

Admission to First Semester

restricted
NC for WS 2023

Admission to Higher Semesters

restricted
NC for the 2nd-6th Core Semester

Enrollment Requirements

  • SelfAssessment --- Mehr Informationen ---

    SelfAssessment

    RWTH Aachen self assessments are online advising processes for deciding what to study. Participation in one (rarely two) of these self assessments is mandatory. You can find which self assessment you need to take for this subject in the course of study description under "Prerequisites". You will need to show proof of participation in a subject specific self assessment in order to enroll (not to apply). You can print out the participation certificate yourself.

Dates and Deadlines

 

We use language every day. We speak, write, receive and communicate in everyday life, at work, in personal conversations, by e-mail, SMS and on the net – in the field of tension between oral and written language styles. Linguistics and communication science are concerned with the description and analysis of such communication phenomena.

How must a homepage be designed to be usable for different types of users? According to which rules does communication in personal conversations function?
Chat rooms or e-mails? Why do some technologies prevail and others not? Which arguments are dominant in public discussions and why? How can they be used convincingly in lectures and presentations? How can space be constructed with the help of language?

The degree programme in Linguistics and Communication Science deals with the description and analysis of communication phenomena. Particular attention is paid to the topics of language and thinking, Internet communication and public language use, technical culture and sociology of technology. The spectrum of topics ranges from socially relevant text types to questions of rhetorical communication and medical-ethical problem areas in media discourse.

Students work in two fields – linguistics and communication science.
In addition, studying at a technical university offers them the opportunity to discover perspectives of engineering and natural sciences from which they can understand the phenomena of language and communication
interdisciplinary view. Thus, three disciplinary approaches are linked together:
Linguistics describes the structure of language – from the smallest to the most complex linguistic units – with the sub-disciplines phonology, morphology and syntax. Semantics and pragmatics focus on aspects related to meaning and action. For example, the use of language is described in specific texts or in different contexts and domains, for example politics, business enterprises or advertising.

Communication science expands this linguistic approach with regard to language as a means of communication. Among other things, it takes into account interaction and communication with various media. Of particular interest are interactions between media and their users. Furthermore, the communicative possibilities and limits of different media and application contexts are examined.

The interdisciplinary perspectives open access to the phenomenon of language from the perspective of other disciplines. Neighbouring disciplines from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering offer a wide range of findings and methods that can enrich the repertoire of linguistics and communication studies.

 

Course of Studies

The following study plan serves as a first overview. A complete course plan - including information on credits and hours per week - can be found in the examination regulations at the bottom of the page.

Semester Study Contents
1-2 Introduction to linguistics, Introduction to communication studies
Oral communication: rhetoric of speech and conversation, linguistics
Acting with language I: grammar, phonetics/phonology
Propaedeutics of scientific work, interdisciplinary unit of study, foreign language
3-4 Acting with language II: Semantics and pragmatics
Methods of linguistics and communication science
Acting with media: communication and interaction

Practice, elective, and mobility windows:

  • Internship or study abroad program
  • Electives - courses from other departments - or study abroad program
5-6 Acting with texts: text linguistics
Oral Communication:
Communication practice orality, didactics and methodology of rhetorical communication teaching

Professional fields of application:

  • Medical Ethics in Media Discourse and Public Perception
  • Technology Sociology or Sociological Systems
  • Language and cognition or history of technological culture
Research Module:
  • Research colloquium, bachelor thesis research conference, bachelor thesis