Semiotic Landscapes in Times of the Pandemic: Reflections on Merging Sociolinguistic and Health Communication Curricula in Summer Semester 2021

Background Linguistic or semiotic landscapes can be defined as spatial representations of language in particular multilingualism – for example in the form of public signs, posters, advertising billboards, graffiti, stickers or flyers. Since the beginning of the pandemic health communication has gained increasing importance in public space. In the summer semester of 2021 in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Vienna, a seminar was offered in which students were introduced to the concepts of health communication, public health and health literacy. Students conducted empirical research in whi…