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8th Forensic Linguistics Short Course
Join us in Düsseldorf from 16 to 19 March 2027 for four days of intensive training at the intersection of language, law, and digital methods. The FLsc returns as a spring school, combining hands-on casework with the latest developments in forensic linguistics. This year’s programme introduces a particular focus on linguistic approaches to deception analysis and the construction of expert evidence, alongside disputed meanings and computationally assisted authorship analysis.
The 8th Forensic Linguistics Short Course will take place in person at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, offers a vibrant mix of historic architecture, a rich cultural scene, and one of Europe’s largest Japan towns – the perfect backdrop for an international spring school.
As in previous years, we invite students (Bachelor’s and Master’s), graduate students, postdocs, and senior researchers from Linguistics and its subfields, Phonetics and Phonology, Law/Legal Studies, and related disciplines to apply. Applicants should have more than a basic background in linguistics. Ideally, participants will have either completed an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject or attended a previous edition of the FLsc or GFL. The course is taught in English.
The 2027 programme builds on the course’s practical, case-based approach while exploring new questions about language and evidence. A full day will be devoted to deception analysis, examining the science of deception, theories of deception detection, and linguistic approaches to its analysis. A further half-day will explore how expert evidence is constructed through language: how findings are framed in expert reports and courtroom testimony, how their meaning can shift across legal settings, and how certainty and credibility are communicated and evaluated.
Other sessions will address recent developments in forensic linguistics, disputed meanings, including linguistic indeterminacy and threats, and computationally assisted approaches to authorship analysis. The programme also includes a poster session and a final day of practical case analysis, culminating in participants’ presentations of findings in the role of experts. Together, these activities will give participants opportunities to apply analytical methods to case material and critically examine how linguistic findings become evidence.
Application Process
Applications will be open from 12 October to 12 December 2026 (midnight, GMT −12; i.e. applications will remain open as long as it is 12 December anywhere in the world). Notifications of acceptance will be sent in late December 2026. Notifications of acceptance will be sent in early January 2026. Questions regarding applications can be directed to the coordinators via our contact form.
Participation Fee
The FLsc operates on a strict non-profit basis. All participation fees are used solely to cover costs such as lecturers, course rooms, catering, and website maintenance.
- Participation fee: 450 €
- Payment deadline: 16 February 2027
Payment is possible only via wire transfer. We provide formal invoices and receipts for all participation fees. If you cannot afford to pay the full fee at once, please contact the coordination team to arrange instalments.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Gesellschaft von Freunden und Förderern der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf e.V. (GFFU) for the 2027 edition of the FLsc.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend, you may cancel your participation free of charge until 16 February 2027. If the fee has already been paid, the full amount will be refunded. Cancellations after this date, or failure to attend without notice, require full payment of the participation fee.