Models of Discourse Analysis

obligatory courses

general knowledge of linguistics

The concept of discourse allows to study communication as a basic element of situated social practice. Discourse Analysis is an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to communicative processes and phenomena. It focuses on language and its contextual usage, on individuals and societies, as well as on cultures and their value systems. Models and priorities of linguistics and sociology are partially different, but in the field of Discourse Analysis they become complementary. Linguistics provides a methodological basis for analysis of text, especially in its written form, whereas discourse sociology inspects the social background of communication, especially in its spoken form. The structure of the course reflects these historical differences between the two disciplines in research on communication. However, it extends the scope of this research by the organization and functioning of multimodal texts, which today work as an important medium of social influence.

The concept of discourse allows to study communication as a basic element of situated social practice. Discourse Analysis is an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to communicative processes and phenomena. It focuses on language and its contextual usage, on individuals and societies, as well as on cultures and their value systems. Models and priorities of linguistics and sociology are partially different, but in the field of Discourse Analysis they become complementary. Linguistics provides a methodological basis for analysis of text, especially in its written form, whereas discourse sociology inspects the social background of communication, especially in its spoken form. The structure of the course reflects these historical differences between the two disciplines in research on communication. However, it extends the scope of this research by the organization and functioning of multimodal texts, which today work as an important medium of social influence. The course combines elements of a lecture, in that it provides an overview of different schools, concepts and methods, and practical illustrations of discourse phenomena, in that it subjects the latter to complex linguistic and social analysis.

More specific topics of the course include (the particular points may be covered at more than one meeting):

- discourse analysis in evolution of linguistics and in different language and cultural traditions;

- overview of basic concepts in linguistic studies of discourse (utterance, text, discourse, style, genre, context);

- critical discourse analysis;

- integrative discourse analysis;

- evolution of meaning and its conceptualizations in research on language: linguistic semantics and pragmatics as methods of discourse analysis;

- perspectivation in discourse: positive and negative ways of representing oneself and another in communication;

- proximization in discourse and the linguistic modeling of cultural worldviews.

Arendt, Hannah. 1998. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, chap. 5 (pp. 175-247)

Bush, Robert A. Baruch / Joseph P. Folger. 2005. The Promise of Mediation. The Transformative Approach to Conflict. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, chaps. 1-3 (pp. 7-130)

Chilton, Paul. 2004. Analysing Political Discourse. Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, chaps. 4, 9.

Dijk, Teun van (red.). 2001. Dyskurs jako struktura i proces (str. 9-44).

Fairclough, Norman. 1989. Language and Power. London and New York: Longman.

Grillo, Eric. (ed.). 2005. Power without Domination. Dialogism and the Empowering Property of Communication. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, Foreword (pp. vii-xvii), chap. 1 (pp. 3-41), chap. 7 (pp. 223-237).

Habermas, Jürgen. 1984. The Theory of Communicative Action. Vol. 1. Reason and the Rationalization of Society. Boston: Beacon Press, Part III (pp. 273-337).

Kalisz, Roman. 1993. Pragmatyka językowa. Gdańsk: WUG, roz. 2-3 (str. 28-111).

Reisigl, Martin. 2007. “Discrimination in discourse”, in: Helga Kotthoff and Helen Spencer-Oately (eds.) Handbook of Intercultural Communication. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter (pp. 365-394).

Thomas, Jenny. 1999. Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. London and New York: Longman, chaps. 3-5 (pp. 55-148).

Winslade, John / Gerald Monk. 2000. Narrative Mediation. A New Approach to Conflict Resolution. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, chap. 3 (pp. 57-93), chap. 6 (pp. 137-156).

Wodak, Ruth. 2003. “Populist discourses”. Document Design 4/2: 132-148.

Yule, George. 2000. The Study of Language. Cambridge: CUP, chap. 12 (pp. 127-138).

K_W01

Has a deep knowledge of the scope and methodology of linguistics, discourse analysis and social semiotics.

K_W03

Knows the terminology of linguistics, discourse analysis and social semiotics at the advanced level.

K_W05

Has a deep knowledge of relations between linguistics, linguistic discourse analysis and social semiotics.

K_W06

Has a detailed knowledge of selected research centres and schools in the area of linguistics, critical discourse analysis and social semiotics, as well as of their current achievements.

K_W07

Knows advanced methods worked out by linguistics, linguistic discourse analysis and social semiotics which allow to problematise, analyse and interpret phenomena taking place in culture, cross-cultural communication and social discourses.

K_W10

Has a broad knowledge of social sciences, especially of social discourse analysis and social communication research.

K_W17

Knows selected methods and tools of social discourse analysis and social communication research.

K_U02

Has deep scientific skills in linguistics, linguistic discourse analysis and social semiotics, including analysis and synthesis of theoretical positions, choice of methods and construction of research tools, interpretation and presentation of results.

K_U04

Has the ability to integrate outcomes of different paradigms of linguistics, linguistic discourse analysis and social semiotics, and can use this knowledge in professional situations that require cultural and linguistic mediation.

K_K09

Is ready to develop one’s own knowledge and skills individually and critically, linking the social and linguistic perspectives.

oral exam based on presentations of individual research projects (100% of the final grade)

The final grade is based on the coverage of the course material and students’ ability to express themselves orally.

The condition to approach the exam is participation in the course, with the maximum of 2 absences allowed.