Discourse Analysis
- Arts
- 300 level
- 3 credit units
- 124 pages
- 19 units
This course introduces students to the linguistic analysis of connected writing and speech, focusing on language use in social contexts. Students will explore the origins, theories, and methods of Discourse Analysis, including Ethnomethodology and Conversational Analysis. The course also examines written discourse analysis, covering information and thematic structures, thematic progression, cohesion, and coherence. Additionally, students will learn about Pragmatics principles, recent approaches to Discourse Analysis, and its applications in various fields.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 208 hours
- Maths
- None
- Content
- Theoretical
- Practical work
- Yes
- Assignments
- Tutor marked assessments
- Final examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of ENG352, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
ENG352 · Unit 3: Kinds of Discourse
Spoken discourse takes place in different forms. We have face-to-face discourse in which the speakers are together physically. Apart from this, we have distance communication, in which though the speakers are not necessarily together physically, they are still able to transmit their voice through some other media like: radio, telephone, and so forth.
What you should be able to do
- Describe the structure of spoken discourse
- Identify the structure of written text
- State the resources that signify connectedness in texts
- Demonstrate the relationship between language and ideology
- Explain how discourse relates with other disciplines
What it prepares you for
- Media Analyst
- Communication Specialist
- Linguistic Researcher
- Content Creator
- Editor
- Media
- Education
- Linguistics
- Communication
- Research
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- MODULE THREE: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS I
Unit 1: Information Structure / Thematic Structure
Requires understanding of how information is organized in clauses and how to identify marked and unmarked themes.
- MODULE FOUR: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II
Unit 2: Grammatical Cohesion
Requires understanding of the different types of grammatical cohesion and how they function to create text connectedness.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 52 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1MODULE ONE: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: INTRODUCTORY ASPECTS
Unit 1: Discourse Analysis: An Introduction · 4 hours
Define discourse and discourse analysis.. Explain the origin of discourse analysis.. Identify the earliest practices in discourse analysis..
- Week 2MODULE ONE: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: INTRODUCTORY ASPECTS
Unit 2: Some Major Concepts in Discourse Analysis · 4 hours
Define text and context.. Explain the role of context in constructing a text.. Differentiate between speech and writing..
- Week 3MODULE ONE: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: INTRODUCTORY ASPECTS
Unit 3: Kinds of Discourse · 4 hours
Identify different kinds of discourse.. Explain the peculiarities of each type of discourse.. Discuss how spoken discourse differs from written discourse..
- Week 4MODULE TWO APPROCAHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Unit 1: Ethnomethodology · 4 hours
Explain ethnomethodology.. Describe how language functions in the social world.. Describe how to conduct research using ethnomethodological approach..
- Week 5MODULE TWO APPROCAHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Unit 2: Conversational Analysis · 4 hours
Define terms used in conversational analysis.. Identify how conversationalists allocate and take turns in discourse.. Explain insertion sequences and adjacency pairs..
- Week 6MODULE TWO APPROCAHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Unit 3: Linguistic Anthropology · 4 hours
Explain linguistic anthropology.. Define speech community.. Use ethnography of speaking to describe a speech situation..
- Week 7MODULE THREE: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS I
Unit 1: Information Structure / Thematic Structure · 4 hours
Explain information structure and thematic structure.. Differentiate between Given/New and Theme/Rheme.. Analyze texts for information structure and thematic structure..
- Week 8MODULE THREE: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS I
Unit 2: Thematic Progression · 4 hours
Explain thematic progression.. Illustrate different thematic progression patterns.. Identify thematic progression patterns in a text..
- Week 9MODULE THREE: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS I
Unit 3: The Birmingham School Approach · 4 hours
Explain the Birmingham School Approach to Discourse Analysis.. Use the Birmingham School Approach to analyze instances of discourse.. Differentiate between units of discourse..
- Week 10MODULE FOUR: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II
Unit 1: Text Linguistics · 4 hours
Define text.. Explain sentence connection.. Discuss cohesion and coherence in written texts.. Identify coherent texts and resources used for coherence..
- Week 11MODULE FOUR: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II
Unit 2: Grammatical Cohesion · 4 hours
Define grammatical cohesion.. Analyze a text and identify elements that signal grammatical cohesion.. Differentiate between substitution, ellipsis, and identification..
- Week 12MODULE FOUR: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II
Unit 3: Lexical Cohesion · 4 hours
Explain lexical cohesion.. Differentiate between grammatical and lexical cohesion.. Analyze a text to identify and explain lexical cohesive devices..
- Week 13MODULE FIVE: APPROACHES TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS III
Unit 1: Pragmatics: An Introduction · 4 hours
Explain pragmatics.. Identify basic principles of pragmatics in conversation.. Show how utterances can be explained with reference to context..
Preparing for the exam
- Create concept maps linking key discourse analysis theories (Units 2-6)
- Practice identifying cohesive devices in sample texts (Units 11-13)
- Review speech act classifications and felicity conditions (Units 14-15)
- Study Grice's maxims and politeness principles with examples (Units 16-17)
- Analyze media articles for ideological perspectives (Units 18-20)
Questions students ask about this course
What is ENG352 about?
This course introduces students to the linguistic analysis of connected writing and speech, focusing on language use in social contexts. Students will explore the origins, theories, and methods of Discourse Analysis, including Ethnomethodology and Conversational Analysis. The course also examines written discourse analysis, covering information and thematic structures, thematic progression, cohesion, and coherence. Additionally, students will learn about Pragmatics principles, recent approaches to Discourse Analysis, and its applications in various fields.
How many units does ENG352 have?
ENG352, Discourse Analysis, has 19 units across 6 modules, over 124 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is ENG352?
ENG352 carries 3 credit units, at 300 level in Arts.
Is ENG352 hard?
ENG352 is rated intermediate level, with no mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical work, and it has a practical component.
How long does ENG352 take to study?
About 208 hours of study, spread across its 19 units.
How is ENG352 assessed?
ENG352 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.
What can I do with ENG352?
Media Analyst, Communication Specialist, Linguistic Researcher, Content Creator and Editor.