Skip to content The Open University

  1. Study at the OU
  2. Research degrees
  3. Research areas
  4. Languages and Applied Linguistics
  5. Discourse and social issues

Discourse and social issues

On this page

Discourse and social issues is a key topic in the Language and Literacies Research Cluster within the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET). Researchers are interested in the empirical study of language use across a range of social contexts, in the development of theory and methodology, and in contributing to policy debate and development. Examples of current research include metaphor, empathy and reconciliation; children’s language and literacy practices; English as a global language including critical appraisals of the role of English in language education; language and gender; and the discourse of reading groups.

Qualifications available:

PhD. See also our Master of Research (MRes) and our Doctorate in Education (EdD)

Fees:

For detailed information on current fees visit Fees and funding.

Entry requirements:

Minimum 2:1 (or equivalent)

Potential research projects

  • Language and identity
  • Language and globalisation
  • Language of advertising
  • Metaphor and empathy in discourse
  • Language and creativity
  • Literary reading and reception
  • Children’s construction of language and identity

Current / recent research projects

  • Playful language in a mixed business class of English language learners
  • Western influences on tertiary education in China
  • Chinese students understanding of humour in British university lectures
  • Language of print advertising in Ghana
  • First language use in primary school English classes in Cyprus
  • The interplay of metaphor and metonymy in discourse
  • The emergence of groups in YouTube video blogs
  • Empathy, metaphor and popular fiction

Further information

If you have an enquiry specific to this research area please contact:

Name:
Mrs Anne Foward
Email:
creet-student-enquiries@open.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0)1908 655364

For general enquiries please contact the Research Degrees Team via the link under ‘Your questions’ on the right of the page.

Links