Workshop with assistant professor of sociolinguistics Roula Kitsiou, Department for Language and Intercultural Studies, as part of the INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH course.
Wednesday, 11th November 2016, 14:15, room Z
Toward a Sociolinguistic Architecture of Space: Exploring the Linguistic Landscape
The workshop aims to introduce students of architecture to sociolinguistic thinking and approaches to space. Through experiential activities involving the collection and analysis of data from the linguistic landscape, we will reflect together on the role of words, colors, sizes, and other semiotic resources that collectively create the meaning of these “texts.” We will attempt to answer the following questions from an interdisciplinary perspective: What is language? What is a text? What is a map? And finally, we will jointly formulate a definition of the concept of the linguistic landscape, following a path from practice to theory. We will then explore contemporary approaches to the study of the linguistic landscape that dominate the field of Linguistic Landscape Studies. Furthermore, through mapping practices and narratives, participants will experiment with recording elements of the linguistic landscape, putting their spatial thinking, cartographic literacy, and sociolinguistic imagination into action. The ultimate goal is to engage students in an interdisciplinary discussion on the relationship between language, space, and ideology.
CV
Roula Kitsiou is an Assistant Professor of Sociolinguistics in the Department of Language and Intercultural Studies at the University of Thessaly. She is passionate about research and engaging with her students' perspectives. For the past 15 years, she has been working on the sociolinguistic and educational inclusion of marginalized groups (immigrants, refugees, unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors, young Roma, and youths in detention). Since 2021, she has been coordinating the Volos Linguistic Landscape Research Group (VLLRG). Her research interests include linguistic landscape studies, critical discourse analysis, sociolinguistic repertoires, and rhizomatic approaches to literacies. She is the Principal Investigator of the Rhizo-Eduscapes research project: “A rhizomatic mapping of non-formal education for refugees” (2025–2028, ELIDEK, https://rhizoeduscapes.gdia.uth.gr/, Instagram: becoming.researchers) and the InViS project (for the Greek side), “Investigating visual language in public and educational spaces” (IKYDA 2015, 2026–2027).
Photos: Lang@Work, 9.6.2022