Language/Anti-Language of Social Media: Analysis and Interpretation of Russian Media Discourse
In this course we will discuss and analyze social media discourse, the special forms of language generated by a kind of anti-society, which we will call “anti-languages” or антиязык. An anti-language serves to create and maintain social structure through communication; but the social structure is of a particular kind, in which certain elements are strongly presupposed. The study of anti-languages offers further insights into the relation between language and social structure, and into the way in which text functions in the realization of political agendas. Focusing on the development of critical media literacy in Russian, we will work with various media texts (‘text’ is here is understood broadly) and learn to unpack and interpret hidden meanings and discuss various forms of media communication in the Russian language. Counts as a course in language and linguistics, literature, or culture and civilization.