EIU3210

English discourse: exploration and demonstration

Lorraine Bullock

8 points
* 4 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisites: EIU3110 or permission of the subject convener

Objectives By the end of the subject students should be able to apply some of the theoretical concepts from this and previous subjects in the course to the construction of detailed analyses of their own examples of authentic English discourse from a variety of written genres. In doing so, they should be able to recognise the influence of form, structure and culture on the way meaning is constructed in English.

Synopsis Through an extended analysis of English discourse students will examine the internal relationships which create textual coherence. The subject aims to develop students' insights into the way a text becomes a meaningful and unified unit of communication. Students will consider the full textual, social and psychological context required by the second language speaker to achieve successful communication and will investigate the problems and processes of second language development. Students will be required to participate formally and informally in close textual analysis of a variety of English language models. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the organisation of structure and content so it represents the message in the most appropriate form. Students will examine text through features such as the importance of the context, the chosen style as a guide to predicting content, the selection of internal textual characteristics and the influence of the reader on the construction of the text. Students will also examine the ways in which cognitive patterns of critical thought are reflected in the construction of text and the implication of this for the second language speaker.

Assessment Written (2000 words): 35%
* Examinations (3 hours): 30%
* Seminar participation: 5%
* Research report: 30%

Prescribed texts

Both set texts and supplementary references are provided in the course handbook available from the Department of English.