ATS2683 - The analysis of discourse: Texts, narrative and society - 2018

The unit equips students with skills to look in detail at language above the level of the sentence. Discourse analysis is widely used in fields as diverse as medicine, education and management to solve real-world communication problems. In this unit, students are introduced to a range of different approaches to doing discourse analysis, including Conversation Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics. Students apply a range of techniques in order to discover the underlying logic and ideologies structuring texts and interactions, and develop skills in critically reading texts that they encounter in everyday life.

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. explain and apply key terms and concepts used in discourse analysis;
2. discuss the linguistic features that define different types of texts;
3. articulate key differences between two or more approaches to discourse analysis;
4. analyse the way that ideologies and world-view can manifest themselves in textual choices;
5. apply their knowledge in an extended analysis of a text of their own choosing.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Linguistics