Review: Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis and Interpretation (Massive Open Online Course). FutureLearn: Lancaster University

Abstract

Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis and Interpretation is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), offered by Lancaster University and delivered on the free-to-access FutureLearn MOOC platform. The course is an eight-week theoretical and practical introduction to corpus linguistics (CL) methodology, for aspiring and practising corpus linguists and social scientists. It builds on, and significantly expands, a previous web-based practical CL course run by Lancaster University, but one which was primarily intended for participants on the Lancaster campus. This new course, accessible for free to anyone anywhere in the world who has Internet access, was first run in early 2014 with annual re-runs planned to begin every September. This review is of the second run of the course. Two tracks of content run in parallel: a core that involves preliminary lectures, ‘how-to’ videos and readings; and a supplementary track that focusses on ‘in-conversation’ videos with leading scholars, and advancedlevel audio recordings of lectures given at Lancaster University’s CL summer schools. The topics for each week are various and inter-connected. Beginning with an overview of CL methods, the course moves on weekby-week to look at corpus-based discourse analysis, how to build a corpus, an investigation of social issues with corpora, textbook and dictionary construction, language learning and learner corpora, and corpus-based investigations of swearing. As a result of this breadth of content, the course as a whole is an intriguing and engaging exploration of how language in society can be investigated through the construction and analysis of computer-based corpora. Common threads throughout the eight weeks are introductory video lectures focussed on a specific aspect of CL; the ‘how-to’ videos immerse the participant in some of the widely available corpora and analysis software; a range of practical activities, quizzes, and