The Many Faces of Language Learning

As many of you know, I love learning foreign languages. There is nothing quite as wonderful as grasping the meaning of new, exotic sounds and words, writing that very first sentence.

In the past couple of month I have come across another type of language learning. It has been a learning process because the field is completely new to me. Quite frankly, it has been a great eye-opener.

In my Master's thesis I did a critical discourse analysis (CDA) on parts of the constitutions of Slovakia, Poland and Russia. According to Wikipedia, "Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse that views language as a form of social practice and focuses on the ways social and political domination are reproduced in text and talk". 

The approach gave me a completely new view on language-learning. What do all those little words mean? What is their impact? What is the context of the whole story? Who is involved? 

When doing a critical discourse analysis, one may take one of several approaches. My work was inspired by the analysis process developed by Norman Fairclough. In essence my analysis focused on the relationship between language and norms within a complex and transformative context, including such factors as discursive events, meanings, representations and assumptions. 

I believe that a critical stance is needed in most aspects of life in order to understand the world around us - and a language nerd like me obviously loves it when language is thrown into the mix. 



Further reading; 

• Fairclough, Norman (1989). Language and Power. London: Longman.

• Teun A. Van Dijk. (2008). Discourse and Power. Houndsmills: Palgrave.

• Wodak Ruth (ed). Critical Discourse Analysis. Available at https://www.academia.edu/2544299/Wodak_Ruth_Ed_Critical_Discourse_Analysis._Four_Volumes

Ahoj! Stále žije!

Hi! I'm still alive.

I have survived computer crashes,
thesis writing, 
job interviews, 
spending too much time on a boat,
running a 5K-competition (that wasn't a competition!),
and getting a fringe. 

Today I'm celebrating with some Chilean wine and ice-hockey (Finland is playing against Belarus), I will be back with a lot of thoughts soon, so stay tuned.

aktuálne čítanie [SK: current reading]

Prague was pretty back in 2013. 

Now that I spend some of my time (not enough, it feels) reading articles for my thesis, I have come across a lot of interesting texts. There are two academics/writers that I would like to mention here.

Firstly, Jürgen Habermas. Anyone having anything to do with social sciences will have heard about this man, he's one of the most known scholars in Europe today. His theories on the public sphere, democracy and communicative action are fascinating. He also has a great deal to say about the European Union.

Habermas on post-democratic Europe ->
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/10/jurgen-habermas-europe-post-democratic

A comment on Habermas ->  http://www.thenation.com/article/168819/good-european-juergen-habermas

The second person, whose work I have been reading with great interest, is a Czech academic (hence the lovely photo from Prague) called Jiří Přibáň. His work includes topics such as the EU, the constitutional state, rule of law and post-communist Europe. 

An interview with Jiří Přibáň on the state of Europe -> http://www.radio.cz/en/section/books/jiri-priban-europe-needs-more-conflict

Dissertation: the Topic

Natalie wanted me to write a little bit more about my dissertation, so I have decided to dedicate a few posts to it.

I will start by introducing my topic.

Law and Society in Post-Communist Central Eastern Europe: Poland, Slovakia and Russia .

As you know, I’m studying sociology of law at the University of Lund in Sweden. Sociology of law deals with the relationship between law and other institutions and actors in society. I’m personally mostly interested in the interaction between people, law and politics.

When reading an article* written by one of my professors, I stumbled upon the following paragraph;

”The transition from a communist to a capitalist oriented industrial society in Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Republic represents the same kind of tensions between the old rules of the game and a new play with a new script. These countries might face a situation where the society, the horizontal dimension, has shifted while the legal logic in the vertical dimension has not undergone the same changes.” (p. 20).

And the little nerd in my head rejoiced. Eastern Europe – yay. Former Soviet Republic – yay. This was a way for me to combine the study of the societies I like the most with a nice mix of sociology, some law and some politics. Why keep it simple?

This is a complex topic because on the one hand I need to find out what the people think and on the one hand, I need to know what the law says. And none of these two is simple. But it is very, very fascinating.  Basically – what I want to find out is whether the law fulfills the expectations that society places upon it. The reason I picked these specific countries is that they all share a piece of common history even though they are very different.

Stay tuned for more

 

* Contributions in Sociology of Law: remarks from a Swedish Horizon. Lund Studies in Sociology of Law; 29. Lund: Sociology of Law, Lund University. 2008 – available here https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/publication/1177637

Dnes. Je sobota.

Today I have spent the afternoon reading constitutions. It is actually rather fascinating. I finally decided on a topic for my thesis (Law and Society in Post-Communist Central Eastern Europe: Poland, Slovakia and Russia) so now I’m conducting surveys and reading legal acts and constitutions and what not. In case you live in one of the countries in question and would like to respond to the survey, please let me know (susankaaa at yahoo dot co uk) and I’ll send you the link.

Apart from that we (the boyfriend) have been packing and tonight we are having a farewell party. So sad.

Wishing you all a cheerful Saturday!

My Reality Is Not Like Yours [SK: Moja realita je iné ako tá tvoja]

I was supposed to get up early to study today. Instead I started to look up on the possibility to go to Maribor for the weekend. We will see what happens. The topics for my final sociology assignment are ready though: Social Stratification in the Nordic Countries and The Role of European Citizenship at a Cultural and a Political Level. I have a good feeling about this, it will be fun to write those essays.

Something I have been thinking about a lot is our perception of reality and how it influences our decisions and behaviour. The general feeling I have is one of insecurity and hopelessness. People try to make it on a day-to-day basis.  At the same time we are given information about what success looks like and how to attain it. Without success, you are nothing.

I will keep thinking about this and tell you if I find an answer. Until then: enjoy your Tuesday!

Good Morning!

6.01. am. The coffee is ready. The computer is up and running. Uni started on Monday with an advanced course in Classical and Modern Sociology, so for the next month or so I will have Marx, Weber and Durkheim for breakfast. There is nothing quite as entertaining as Marx’s musings when your head is still slowly returning from the lands of dreams and blissful unawareness.

Good morning to you. Wishing you a nice Wednesday!

Final Module

You might notice that I have been absent the past few months. The reasons are many and I don’t feel that I need to explain myself further. However, I will tell you about something great that has been occupying me this year. My studies.

Now that there is only one module left, I can safely say that Sociology of law feels like the right thing for me. We have been studying a mix of European law, theories of social sciences, methodology and evaluation research. It’s all been a lot of fun even though it’s been tough at times.

A question people often ask me is: but what is sociology of law? I tried answering this question in the autumn, now I know more. Laws have implications and they are related to the society within which they are created, formed and implemented. It is this relationship that is interesting in the sociology of law. Today law is very multifaceted, the nation state (especially in Europe) has lost a lot of its traditional powers, it’s a very complex world we live in. And it’s an awfully interesting object to study.

I have one more year left. In the 2nd year we are free to choose our modules. I have applied for two modules; Social Sciences: Social Welfare in a Global Context and Sociology: Classic and Modern Theory. My backup plan is to do some Russian

23.58: Phew.

On  Saturday we walked so much in Budapest that we were a gang of really energetic people who arrived on the train to Bratislava tonight at 18.10 pm. Somehow I also managed to write a minor essay on philosophical research design AND discuss some potential work possibilities AND plan for my friend’s visit to Bratislava in the weekend AND talk to my mother on the phone.

Actually. Monday will probably feel like holiday.

What Is Sociology of Law?

This is a question I often encounter (and usually the most confused looks come from people who at some point have studied law), so why not enlighten the world a little bit on a sleepless Sunday night.

Law tends to think that it is independent and autonomous and whatnot. We disagree with Law and claim that there is a whole web of social relations related to law and that these need to be studied. A very minimalist understanding of the sociology of law is “ to sociologically conceive of law as a particular category of rules and the social practices associated therewith”1.

Sociology of law sometimes studies the relation between society and law, sometimes it shifts its focus and pokes its nose into other people’s business – the relationship between law and politics (and then ultimately, society. For goodness sake, don’t forget about society) is a great deal of fun. Sociology of law can boast and say it’s truly interdisciplinary – sometimes it flirts with economics, sometimes with (social) psychology, at other times it has a crush on social anthropology or criminology. The list is endless and life never gets boring. Mainstream sociology is always there for some entertainment in case everything else would fail.

So, what exactly does the sociology of law study?

• social development of legal institutions
• forms of social control
• legal regulation
• the interaction between legal cultures
• the social construction of legal issues
• the  legal profession
• the relation between law and social change

The Master’s I’m doing focuses on European law, so it looks slightly different. We occupy our pretty little heads with the following2:

• democratic and cultural preconditions and development directions of the European Union and European integration processes
• commonalities and differences in socio-legal cultures and traditions in Europe 
• impact of European legislation on Europe and its surroundings and how this relates to legal, cultural, religious and social differences within and among European states.

If this didn’t make you want to go to sleep, I don’t know what will. At least I tried. Goodnight world!

____
____
1) Mathieu Deflem: Sociology of Law: Visions of a Scholarly Tradition. Cambridge University Press, 2008. P. 5.
2) http://www.soclaw.lu.se/education/master-s-programme-in-sociology-of-law-european-law-se/about-the-programme

Where We Need To Be

These past few weeks I’ve meet some incredibly inspirational people and I’ve also found out lots of things about myself.
When I was 15 years old I told everyone that I wanted to become a diplomat. It’s not a professional path I’ve actively been pursuing because I always thought that I didn’t have the required interpersonal skills.
The people I’ve met have been members of the political and military elite of Finland. Noticing that I can function like a normal person in these situations has been a real boost. Interestingly enough, it’s not necessary to be super-social in this type of situations as long as one knows how to behave well and be interested in others

Before starting this internship I thought I might be taking a step backwards, but I was wrong. This is a huge leap forward that was supposed to happen now. A couple of years ago I would have been too insecure in myself to be able to deal with all this. 

Veggies And General Ponderings On A Saturday

First I must tell you all about an extremely delicious dish I threw together yesterday. All you need is a little bit of sweet potato, 1/2 carrot, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 pepper, chickpeas and spinach. Season with pepper, coriander and curry.’ (serves 2)


I was supposed to go to a yoga class today. It was a class I had really looking forward to because we were going to practice basic techniques. The buzzing and humming in my ears and the black spots in my eyes started 10 minutes after that class had started. In order to avoid fainting right there and then, I decided to pack my stuff and leave. What a pity! So, I’m spending this Saturday freezing and with a sore head in bed, reading this:

Why Would Anyone Need A Decision Analyst

"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be."

- Isaac Asimov -

When TT and I were talking about my career prospects, I mentioned that I would like to work as a decision and risk analyst (after all, that’s what I’m studying!). He was surprised: “why would anyone need a specialist to analyze his/her decisions? Doesn’t each person know what is the best decision for him/her?”.

This, my friends, is a valid question. Now, why would anyone pay lots of money, just so that some stranger would analyze their decisions?

First, keep in mind that we are not talking about the straightforward decision problems that people encounter in their daily lives. We are talking about decisions with consequences so costly or undesirable that it really is worth paying someone for their help. Some decision makers need to make such decisions, that can affect the whole society (or parts of it) negatively. Remember, all human activity springs from a decision – the decision to act or not to act.

So, why do we need help?

* In politics, many decision makers are elected by the people. There is no official requirement that they know how to make good decisions. If there were, many strange laws would have not come into existence. Many wars would not have been fought and our society would look very different now. Most decision makers are normal people, like you and me. And how do you and I make decisions? Sometimes we use our gut feeling. Other times we look at what’s best for us personally, not the society as a whole. Cognitive biases tend to affect us now and then, too. Often we don’t have the time, nor the energy, to carefully analyze all the aspects of a given decision problem. And what’s the result? Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. It’s rarely optimal.

* Decision making requires the ability to analyze alternatives and consequences, to assess uncertainties, to weigh costs, to work with different types of probabilities. It’s about identifying the problem, defining objectives and running risk analyses. How many of us do all those things when faced with a tough decision? How many of us KNOW how to do them?

* A good decision maker is also familiar with “psychological traps” – in many cases people use heuristics to make decisions. These normally function very well, but sometimes they can lead to unwanted cognitive biases that affect the solution negatively.

* Decision analysis is also about knowing how to use the correct tools.

 

  As with most things in life, a tool is only useful as long as one knows how to use it.

 

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, the cumulative experience of many masters of craftsmanship. Quality also marks the search for an ideal after necessity has been satisfied and mere usefulness achieved."

-John Ruskin-

A bit of sunshine in the rain…

 

…this kind of music makes me long for summer. It’s not much left now, six months is nothing.

Yesterday I had a great day in Stockholm. Among other things I found out that it will be possible to continue my master program at a more advanced level. In Sweden there are two types of Master’s programs: there’s the one-year option and the two-year option. Until now only the one-year option has been available for distance students, but now we can do the more advanced alternative as well. This is good news for me, not only because I’ve been fretting about my “academic career”. The subjects I study are very fascinating, and I can’t wait to gain more knowledge and experience.

Another good thing about Stockholm is the possibility to look for interesting magazines and journals. (the energy drink is optional).

Undercover Under The Covers

Saturday. Darkness and rain. Warming blankets. Fizzy diet coke. Books about decision, risks, values, ethics. Articles about immigration. A word-document that needs to be filled with words, ideas, suggestions.

60

60. Learn statistics. 

Yey, well done me! Mathematics, numbers and graphs have not been my thing since I was about 11 years old. That’s the reason I’m extra happy for passing the statistics exam (even though I generally think that “just passing” is a lousy goal). No more numbers until spring! This calls for a celebration!

Ready, Steady, Go….!

In about 30 minutes it’s time to start writing a statistics exam. The good thing about distance studies is that a lot of the studying (and test writing) can be done at home in a pajamas.

I also tried to make my study corner (the kitchen!) a bit cozier with candles and fun coffee mugs– just to make statistics a bit more fun!

Disaster Psychology

This weekend I was occupied with a course in disaster psychology, this specific module was focusing on catastrophes. We talked about a lot things that were interesting, horrifying and touching at the same time. Seeing all the terrible things that people go through, and survive, gives a certain feeling of amazement and hope: we are so much more stronger when we get the right kind of help. Disaster psychology is a field of psychology that concentrates on the survivors and how to help them. It was refreshing to get a more practical approach to psychology instead of all the theory that forms such a great part of psychology studies: the theory is interesting, but my wild guess is that most people study this specific subject in order to understand people, to help them. I definitely think I will study this field more.

The lecturer, a woman who is specialized in this kind of work, also gave us the “quote of the day” – a quote that does not only relate to disasters, but which can also be applied to most aspects in life:

If you want to see the world, and experience all it has to offer, you will need two things: humility and respect. If you lack these qualities, you’d better stay in your little village and gossip about your neighbours.

Dissertation

Today my mind has been devoting  a lot of time to think about the dissertation that I‘ll have to start writing soon. I want to combine several themes - immigration, government, and either decision or risk analysis – and that’s the tricky part. Anyhow, the topic is very fascinating and I’m so excited!

A (LOOOOOONG) Day In Stockholm

00.20 a.m. Time to go to the ferry. For the first time in history I see my mum driving over 100 km/h, she’s usually the one causing the traffic jams.

01.10 a.m. Ferry leaves, I find my cabin and jump into bed.

05.45 a.m. Time to get up, get dressed in the darkness, grab some breakfast and head to the duty free shop for some battery (which keeps you going).

06.30 a.m. Ferry arrives in Stockholm, I decide to walk to the city centre (takes about 30-40 minutes) even though it starts to rain.



7.10 a.m I order a big cup of green tea at a coffee shop in the train station and start preparing the presentation I’m going to give in the afternoon. The task is to present a classmate’s essay: the topic is actually quite interesting – the girl has analyzed Google’s decision to withdraw from China by using something called value focused thinking.

8.00 a.m. Stockholm is still rainy and grey but that doesn’t stop me from doing some window shopping. I also go to a super market to look for something that a lot of Swedish fitness bloggers have written about. I don’t find it, but instead I’m offered a date by some random guy on the street. I kindly decline and hop on the metro.



9.00 a.m. The university is almost empty at this early hour, so after spending three moments (or five) feeling very melancholic nf front of the boards at the Institution of Slavic Languages (they are offering a course on Czeslaw Milosz… AND lots of language courses), I eat my morning snack (not only battery – there was some cottage cheese with nuts as well) while reading the newspaper. Apparently they’ve caught Radko Mladic. A classmate lives in Belgrade so surely she will give me a more detailed account of the events in Serbia. And surely she does - and apparently Serbia needs money -> has to make the EU happy -> finds Mladic. (surely nobody had a clue where he had been hiding for the past x-years in a country like Serbia - just saying that it's not very big)



This is also when I realise that I look like a scary ghost – it’s time to beautify myself!




This is our last meeting (this spring), so the whole day will be dedicated to presentations. Mine is in the afternoon so I lean back and listen to some really fascinating discussions on how to apply decision analysis on various kinds of problems.

Noon: it’s time for lunch –  each time we meet, one of the professors book us a table at one of the fancier restaurants at campus. The food is always delicious, and there is an ample supply of veggies and dessert too. On the way to lunch I get lost (even though I’ve walked the path to the restaurant many, many times). During this little adventure I find my dream house and smell some flowers, too.




At lunch we discuss babies because one of the girls in my class is pregnant…
 
After lunch a guy called Andreas presenta my essay, and the feedback is good. (I’m especially flattered that he thought my essay was good – nevermind the teachers – because he is working as some kind of security specialist for the Swedish army- yes, Sweden has an army – so he knows quite a bit about international conflicts). I get a good grade, try to hide a wide smile and then it’s already time for me to give my presentation.

15.45 p.m. I leave a bit early because I will be returning to the island with my dad and his friends (they’ve been to Italy), and we have a ferry to catch.



16.30 p.m.  I run up a hill in Lidingö to make it on time. There have been a lot of problems with the metro and buses, but fortunately everyone is waiting for me. I get into the car, and everything is black until…

19.30 p.m. ...I wake up from my nap. Sleeping in a car is soo uncomfortable, but who cares when it's an emergency. We get onboard, eat dinner and go shopping in the duty free.

23.40 p.m. after dropping everyone off, we are finally home! And now the bed is calling!