Advanced Practical English: Discourse Analysis 4219-FL208
The course will familiarize students with the basic features of critical discourse analysis and will show how the English language functions in selected areas of social, cultural and political life. Students will have an opportunity to learn main methods of discourse analysis when it comes to both oral and written texts, with a special emphasis placed on a critical understanding of power relations and the ways language can be used to support, co-produce, contest and mold these relations. The course will include such elements as pairwork, group work, film and podcast screenings, workshops and individual work. Some of the primary materials analyzed by students will include: literary works, political debates, marketing campaigns, famous speeches, art manifestos etc. Importantly, the course emphasizes ways to apply discourse analysis and aims to elevate students’ Academic English writing and speaking skills.
Modules:
Introduction to discourse analysis
Foucault and power relations
Literary and poetic language
Social media discourses
Political discourses
Language in marketing and social communication
Language of cinema
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Term 2023L: | Term 2024L: |
Learning outcomes
Upon completing this course, the student:
KNOWLEDGE
- knows advanced terminology in the field of discourse analysis in the humanities and social sciences in English
- knows the basic tools and methods of critical discourse analysis
SKILLS
- can apply critical discourse analysis in spoken and written English at a level of at least B2+
- can participate in academic discussions on specialized academic topics using specialist terminology, formulate opinions, and take a clear and correct stance
- can prepare a range of written works in English based on discourse analysis
can recognize and name discursive elements in social and political life
- can use advanced information and communication techniques in English
SOCIAL COMPETENCIES
- is ready to use the acquired knowledge to formulate their own opinions
Assessment criteria
50% final test
20% participation
30% 3 responses
Bibliography
Berger, Arthur Asa. Applied Discourse Analysis: Popular Culture, Media, and Everyday Life. Palgrave, 2016.
Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984. Discipline and Punish : the Birth of the Prison. New York: Pantheon Books, 1977.
Lazar, Michelle M. (ed.) Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis: Studies in Gender, Power, and Ideology. Palgrave, 2008.
Litosseliti, Lia, and Jane Sunderland (eds.) Gender Identity and Discourse Analysis. John Benjamins, 2002.
Machin, David and Andrea Mayr. How to Do Critical Discourse Analysis: A Multimodal Introduction. Sage, 2012.
Sutherland, Sean. A Beginner’s Guide to Discourse Analysis. Macmillan International, 2016.
Taylor, Stephanie. What is Discourse Analysis? Bloomsbury, 2013.
Wildfeuer, Janina. Film Discourse Interpretation: Towards a New Paradigm for Multimodal Film Analysis. Routledge, 2014.
(Course materials might be changed at a later date.)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: