Outline

Overview

Language looks different when you look at a lot of it at once. This unit of study introduces you to the use of computer software to look at a lot of language at once. Do we refer to men and women equally often What are the five most frequent words in the English language What is the difference between pure and sheer How does television dialogue differ from real-world dialogue And how does a computer help us to answer these and similar questions

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Linguistics
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	LNGS1001 and LNGS1002 and LNGS2624
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Monika Bednarek, monika.bednarek@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written work	Research report written research report based on own analysis	60%	Formal exam period Due date: 17 Nov 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 27 Nov 2025	2500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Corpus design and building The presentation will be delivered in person in class. See Canvas and await further instructions from the unit of study coordinator.	20%	Week 06	1000 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Corpus analysis written report based on own corpus analysis	20%	Week 09 Due date: 08 Oct 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 17 Oct 2025	1000 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Corpus design and building: students will design and build their own corpus and present it to the class in an oral presentation. Students will also submit the corpus (a week beforehand) and the presentation slides. Each student in a group is required to fully participate in this assessment.
Corpus analysis: students will analyse the linguistic phenomenon of collocation in their corpus and discuss results in a report.
Research report: students will analyse their corpus using the techniques of keywords analysis and concordance analysis. The report will discuss the results.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

As per relevant policy

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Corpus design 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Corpora and corpus design	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Corpus design 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Tagging, Sinclair's principles, A1	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Frequency 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Frequency; encoding; A1	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Frequency 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Lemma lists; A1	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Student presentations (A1)	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	TBD	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Collocation 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Collocation	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Collocation 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Collocation: A2	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Corpus talk	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Concordances 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Concordances	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Concordances 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Concordances	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Keywords 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	A2 feedback; keywords analysis	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	Keywords 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	A3 (advice and prep)	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Participation: You must attend both lectures and tutorials and undertake all activities associated with these classes (including online activities)
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, assessment preparation, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed via Canvas. This includes the textbook and additional required readings.

Textbook: Baker, P. (2023). Using Corpora in Discourse Analysis (2nd ed.). London; New York: Continuum

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the major corpus linguistic concepts
LO2. demonstrate analytical and practical competence in designing and evaluating corpora
LO3. demonstrate the capacity to undertake corpus linguistic analysis
LO4. demonstrate the ability to combine quantitative (statistical) and qualitative analysis
LO5. demonstrate understanding of the ethical and legal issues involved in collecting and using data from corpora
LO6. demonstrate an understanding of how corpus linguistic methods can be applied in related disciplines in linguistics and beyond.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit has been re-designed to be similar to how it was back in 2019 due to the return to in-person learning. It has been updated to include new information on GenAI/LLMs and corpus linguistics.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

LNGS3608: Computers, Discourse, Language

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links