Specialty Signs, Discourses and Society (SDS)

Supervisor of the SDS specialty: Cécile Canut

Focused on issues of discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and semiology, the SDS specialty gathers specialists in these three fields.

For French presentation

As the SDS specialty is research-oriented, many students will continue their doctoral studies, particularly in the fields of sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and semiology. However, this training also aims to prepare students for all professions dealing with language practices, oral, written or non-verbal: in addition to the communication professions, this training prepares students to understand discourse (analysis, advice and decision support) in the fields of media, regional, national and international institutions, education and teaching, psychology, medicine, expertise in the human and social sciences, non-governmental organizations and associations, "digital and social" departments of companies, etc. More specifically, in companies, the discursive, sociolinguistic and semiological expertise of researchers profits human resources management (combating discrimination in discourse, supporting parity and equality more generally, "critical incident research and management", etc.). In institutions, the knowledge and know-how acquired can be exploited in the context of language policy and planning studies, providing answers to questions related to school learning, language teaching, or the translation and interpretation of documents and linguistic and cultural mediation. This training can also lead to careers in documentation (working in documentation centers, documentary information).

This Master's degree therefore aims to train researchers in language sciences, linguists, experts or consultants in the field of language policy, teachers of French, interpreter-mediators, speech therapists, etc.

The Signs, Discourses and Society specialty offers:

  • A personalized pedagogical framework
  • A specialization in quantitative (discourse analysis) and qualitative (sociolinguistics) methodologies
  • Intensive training in writing (preparation of master theses in the first and second year of study)
  • Interdisciplinary bridges with the master Expertise in Semiology and Communication and the master Didactic of Languages.
  • A field training course in M2 supervised by a teacher and paid for by the university.
  • An internship in a professional field or research laboratory
  • International experience

  • Scientific research: researcher, engineer (CNRS, IRD, INED ...)
  • Teaching, training
  • Expert in language policy
  • Linguistic engineering
  • Communication consulting
  • Designers of educational tools (grammars, dictionaries, teaching software, etc.)
  • Print and online press professions: writers, designers, press correspondents, territorial/web journalists
  • Political Secretariat
  • Jobs in social action, culture, leadership of animation
  • Publishing and book trades, public reading, libraries / electronic documentation
  • Online editors, copywriters, archivist for online multimedia resource centers
  • Category A Public Service Jobs