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COURSE SYLLABUS

  • SCOPE OF COURSE SYLLABUS


    Intended for students enrolling in Discourse Analysis, this syllabus contains information specific to the course. It is a definitive record of the course's primary characteristics and the learning outcomes that a typical student can reasonably be expected to achieve if they take full advantage of the available learning opportunities. This document also serves as a reference for academic and support staff, internal and external examiners, and for future course monitoring and review.


    COURSE AT A GLANCE


    Course Title

    Discourse Analysis


    Subject Area

    English


    Course Code

    ENGL 50051


    Course Level

    Graduate


    Credits

    4.0


    Prerequisites

    None


    Methods of Delivery

    Face-to-face

    Online


    Expected Length

    5.0 Weeks


    Class Meetings

    Dependent on the choice made during enrollment


    Faculty

    Jean Bradberry

    Jean.Bradberry@TheAUS.us


    INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


    Computer Software: Any computer software that aids learning.


    TEXT(S)


    Text 1: DA

    Title: Discourse AnalysisPutting Our Worlds into Words

    Author(s): Susan Strauss and Parastou Feiz

    Edition: 1st

    ISBN: 9780415522199


  • SYNOPSIS


    This course introduces some major approaches to studying oral and written discourse, providing a forum for evaluating these approaches and the opportunity to utilize discourse analytic methods needed to develop a deeper understanding of written and spoken discourse that is particularly interesting to our students. These approaches will be applied to various contexts, including mass media, popular culture, everyday conversation, various institutional settings, classroom interaction, legal and policy documents, and texts of special interest to seminar participants.


    LEARNING OUTCOMES


    Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:


    • Describe and understand concepts central to discourse analysis, including genre, register, modality, deixis, indexicality, stance, conversation analysis, pragmatics, speech act theory, and critical discourse analysis.

    • Apply the theory and methodology of discourse analysis to various spoken and written texts.

    • Record, transcribe, and analyze natural spoken discourse.

    • Analyze language units beyond the clausal level, such as narratives, conversation, oral history, expository text, and internet discourse.

    • Identify primary and secondary sources relevant to a formal, written discourse analysis of the chosen text.

    • Produce a formal, written discourse analysis of a chosen text and present findings to the public.

    • Conduct basic grammatical and semantic analyses using corpora and concordance queries.

    • Understand the intricate relation between meaning, grammar, and discourse—the basic idea behind the usage-based language model.

    • Understand how language is socially contextualized and the complex relationship between discourse, society, and ideologies.

  • WEEK 1


    Module 1

    Discourse, Words, and the World

    Reference(s): DA Ch1


    Module 2

    Discourse Transcription

    Reference(s): Articles


    Module 3

    Genre, Register, Modality, and Participation Framework

    Reference(s): DA Ch3


    WEEK 2


    Module 4

    Discourse Frames & Registers

    Reference(s): Articles


    Module 5

    The Building Blocks of Language

    Reference(s): DA Ch2


    Module 6

    Discourse and Grammar

    Reference(s): Articles


    WEEK 3


    Module 7

    Meaning and Collocation

    Reference(s): Articles


    Module 8

    Reference, Deixis, and Stance

    Reference(s): DA Ch4


    Module 9

    Information Structure, Cohesion, and Intonation Units

    Reference(s): DA Ch5


    WEEK 4


    Module 10

    Discourse Markers

    Reference(s): Articles


    Module 11

    Conversation

    Reference(s): DA Ch6


    Module 12

    Formulaic Social Actions

    Reference(s): Articles


    WEEK 5


    Module 13

    Pragmatics – Implicature, Speech Act Theory, and Politeness

    Reference(s): DA Ch7


    Module 14

    Indexicality, Stance, Identity, and Agency

    Reference(s): DA Ch8


    Module 15

    Critical Discourse Analysis

    Reference(s): DA Ch9

  • PROFESSIONALISM


    WEIGHT: 10.0%
    DEADLINE: 23:59 (GMT+0) on Sunday of Week 6

    All students are expected to participate actively in discussions, class exercises, activities, simulations and group work. Regular attendance, preparation and participation in class discussions (online and in discussion forums) are required. Good attendance results in more opportunities to engage in quality participation and earn a higher participation grade.


    Class participation and discussion indicate that students have read the assigned readings. Grades will not be based on the number of posts submitted or comments made in a class, but rather the overall contribution to the discussion. Students are encouraged to exchange contact information and provide support to one another if a class is missed. They must contact the course instructor if concerned about attendance or in need of additional information on any assignment. If a student is unable to attend 3 or more classes, then they may be asked to complete additional assignments in order to complete a course.



    GROUP DISCUSSION


    WEIGHT: 30.0%
    DEADLINE: Sunday at 23:59 (GMT+0) of Week 4

    General Information

    Students will be assigned to teams of three or four students. Each team will be assigned one of the starred articles on the schedule and responsible for leading class discussions on that day. Discussion should take 30-40 minutes, briefly summarize the article's main points, address any methodological/practical difficulties raised, discuss the analytical and theoretical implications of the research, and facilitate class discussion of the blog posts for that day. We will work out the teams and articles during the first two weeks of the semester. Each team is welcome to meet with the instructor beforehand to discuss details and any questions.


    Evaluation Criteria

    To be found in the assignment section on the course website in Nebula.


    ANALYTICAL RESEARCH PAPER


    WEIGHT: 60.0%
    DEADLINE: Sunday at 23:59 (GMT+0) of Week 6

    General Information

    This must be eight pages (approximately two thousand words) not including references, title page, and appendix. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the level of comprehension and mastery of the material covered over five weeks, focusing on the practical aspects of the course. The deadline to submit this assessment is always on Sunday at 23:59 (GMT+0) of Week 6. The grade is stored in the online grade book. As only one attempt per piece of coursework is allowed, it is highly recommended that students review all course materials and complete some test preparation tasks before attempting the graded assessment.


    Description

    Students are expected to submit an original research paper related to the subject matter of this course. The paper should either be a macro-level analysis of a piece of discourse data, a close analysis of a social action pursued through talk, or a micro-level analysis of a grammatical phenomenon observed in discourse.


    Evaluation Criteria

    To be found in the assignment section on the course website in Nebula.


  • PARTICIPATION POLICY


    Please be sure to review the following important information about the University Policies and Procedures.


    All students must participate in all classroom activities, attend classes regularly, and prepare before classes for classroom activities that require advance preparation. Students need to fully appreciate that good attendance results in more opportunities to engage in quality participation, which, in turn, results in a more thorough acquisition of subject knowledge and higher participation grades.

    Participation in classroom discussions indicates that students have read the assigned readings. Grades will not be based on the number of posts submitted or comments made in the classroom but on the overall quality of contributions to discussions.

    If a student is unable to attend 3 or more classes, he/she may be asked to complete additional assignments to complete the course.


    Mode of Attendance


    For the portion of the course that takes place over Microsoft Teams:


    Students are required to arrive on time and engage appropriately with their fellow students, their teacher(s) and course materials. They must attend with a functional web camera and microphone, have the latest version of Microsoft Teams installed on their computers, avoid attending via a mobile phone or web browser, and have all necessary materials to hand. Also, their cameras must be always switched on, except for occasions when privacy becomes a necessity. In addition, they must be appropriately attired, attend in an environment that will not distract them, their fellow students or their teacher(s), especially avoiding attending while in a vehicle, whether moving or stationary.


    For the on-campus portion of the course:


    The mandatory on-campus session meets as per the AUS Campus schedule. Good attendance is required to earn credits and pass the course. Students cannot arrive late or leave early. Students traveling from afar must plan accordingly, giving themselves plenty of time to arrive by the start of class. No exceptions can be granted.


    Classroom Expectations


    Classes start and end on time, with late entry or reentry allowed only under exceptional circumstances. All phones and electronic devices must be turned off.


    GRADING


    The expectation is that students read assigned materials prior to class. Class discussions are based on their reading of these materials and their reflections on what they have learned and how these relate to their experiences. Assignments are intended to encourage students’ exploration, reflection on and synthesis of assigned topics and course discussions.

    Assessments are listed in the course syllabus and are due by the stipulated deadlines.

    No assessment will be accepted after the day following the day it is due. If an assessment submission is one day late late, it will receive an automatic reduction in grade of one letter, for example, from an A to a B. After that, no late work will be accepted, and the student will receive an F grade for the assessment.

    Submission of late papers must be approved in advance. Late final papers will not be accepted.


    ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY


    Students are responsible for understanding the University Policies and how to use sources responsibly. Violations of academic integrity are taken very seriously. Students are asked to visit the course RESM 50011: Fundamentals of Graduate Research Reading and Writing to review important information on academic citation and referencing rules.


    ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES POLICY


    The University is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The Disability Services (DS) is responsible for providing accommodations to students with disabilities. Students must request accommodations or adjustments through the DS. Instructors cannot grant accommodation requests without prior DS approval. It is imperative to be in touch with the DSS as soon as possible to avoid delays in the provision of an accommodation.

    The University takes student privacy seriously. Any medical documentation should be provided directly to the DS if a substantial accommodation is required. If a student misses any classes due to a short-term illness, he/she should notify his/her instructor but to avoid the inclusion of a doctor's note. Course staff will not request, accept, or review doctor's notes or other medical documentation. For more information, email DS@TheAUS.us


    PUBLISHING OR DISTRIBUTING COURSE MATERIALS POLICY


    Students may not post, publish, sell, or otherwise publicly distribute course materials without the written permission of the course instructor. Such materials include, but are not limited to, the following: lecture notes, lecture slides, video, or audio recordings, assignments, problem sets, examinations, other students’ work, and answer keys. Students who sell, post, publish, or distribute course materials without written permission, whether for the purposes of soliciting answers or otherwise, may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including a requirement to withdraw. Furthermore, students may not make video or audio recordings of class sessions for their own use without written permission from the instructor.


    ETHICS AND USE OF PRIOR MATERIALS


    It is never appropriate to use materials prepared for previous courses by students or faculty. Students should not use previously completed case write-ups, or summaries of readings.


    WEEKLY CLASS MEETING SCHEDULE


    Additional information can be found on the course website.

    Please note: the syllabus may be modified prior to and during a course, including updates to assignments and additional material.

OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS