COMS 936: Seminar in Language and Discourse Analysis
 Communication Studies, University of Kansas
Fall 2009

Instructor

Dr. Nancy Baym                          
Course Overview and Goals

This course is a theory/method course designed to simultaneously:

          acquaint you with major theoretical approaches to language and discourse, including those theories key concepts, core assumptions, and relationships to one another over time

       provide practical methodological experience in how to design, carry out, and write up discourse analytic research projects.

       promote critical thinking regarding the quality of research in language and discourse.

       encourage research leading to conference presentations and publication.

Readings

There is a small supplemental reading packet to accompany the course.

There are five required books:

A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.).(2006).  The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction. Sage.

B. Danet & S. Herring. (2007). The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Carbaugh, D. (2005). Cultures in conversation. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Lindquist, J. (2002) A place to stand: Politics and persuasion in a working-class bar. Oxford: Oxford University.

 

Assignments

15% Reading Notes

I would like you to come out of this class with a really good set of notes on the readings that can both provide good fodder for class discussion and serve as a resource for future research and teaching. For each class period you should prepare 1-2 pages of notes on the readings and post them to the course Blackboard by 5 pm on the Sunday before class. Notes should do things such as:

          Select 1-3 passages in each reading that you think merit close reading and further discussion. Why? Are they confusing? Insightful? Contradictory? Applicable?

          Identify key conceptual terms and define them. How do they relate to other concepts and theories we have discussed thus far or to your own research?

          You might sometimes use notes to analyse how an example of discourse in your own data demonstrates phenomena discussed in the readings.

We will compile everyones notes into a set of shared digital resources. We will discuss the details of how to do this in class. Everyone is expected to participate in building this class project.

45% Three Short Papers/Presentations

You should come out of this class with either a discourse analytic project that is one draft away from submission to a conference or journal or a pilot study and proposal for such a project. All of the papers work together to build this project, and some class time will be spent working on the methodological issues you all encounter.

Paper 1: Identify a research topic and research question(s) you will study for your project. Include a literature review. As part of this paper, you should identify an exemplary articles that use discourse analytic strategies to address your topic or a very closely related one and summarize and critique it. Come to class prepared to walk everyone through that article as well as through your project idea. Due October 5.

Paper 2: What kinds of data will you use to answer your research question(s)? How will you collect, sample and save it? How will you transcribe it? What information is inevitably lost in the transcription/saving method(s) you use? Due November 2.

Paper 3: How will you analyze your collected data? Demonstrate your analytic strategy using some examples from your data. Due November 16.

40% Final Paper. Write it all up to make a coherent and grounded article about the phenomena you have identified in your data. 

 


Course Schedule

Monday August 24: Course overview

Monday August 31: Language as practical activity

Jaworski, A. & Coupland, N. (2006) Introduction. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Austin, J. L. (1962/2006) How To Do Things With Words In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Grice, P. (1975/2006) Logic and Conversation. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Goodwin, C., & Duranti, A. (1992). Rethinking context: an introduction. In A. Duranti, & C. Goodwin (Eds.), Rethinking context: language as an interactive phenomenon, (pp. 1-42). Cambridge: Cambridge University.

Ortner, S. B. (1984). Theory in anthropology since the sixties. Comparative studies in society and history. 26 (1), 126-166.

 

Monday September 7: Labor day, no class.

Monday September 14: Discourse Analysis as a mode of qualitative research

A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (2006). Editors Introduction. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Silverman Chapter 2 Methods, 8 Credible Qualitative Research, 11 The Relevance of Qualitative Research, & 12 The Potential of Qualitative Research

Cameron, D., Frazer, E., Harvey, P., Rampton B. & Richardson, K. (1992/2006) Power/Knowledge: The politics of social science. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Monday September 21: Modes of discourse

Silverman Chapters 5 Texts, 6 Naturally Occurring Talk & 7 Visual Images

Danet, B. & Herring, S. (2007). Introduction: Welcome to the multilingual internet. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Van Leuwen, T. (1999/2006) Sound in Perspective. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Graddol, D. (2006) The semiotic construction of a wine label. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Lee, C. K. M. (2007). Linguistic features of Email and ICQ instant messaging in Hong Kong. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday September 28: Conversation Analysis and Sequencing

Atkinson, J. M. & Heritage, J. (2006). Jeffersons transcription notation. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge. / JC 10)

Ochs, E.(1979/2006) Transcription as theory. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Pomerantz, A. (1985/2006) Preference in conversation: Agreeing and disagreeing with assessments. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Schegloff, E. & Sacks, H. (1973/2006) Opening up closings. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Schiffrin, D. (1988/2006) Oh as a marker of information management. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Panyametheekul, S. & Herring, S. (2007). Gender and turn allocation in a Thai chat room. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday October 5: Participation and Conversational Structures

          PAPER 1 DUE

Goffman, E. (1981). Footing. In E. Goffman, Forms of talk, (pp. 124-159). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

Tannen, D. & Wallat, (1987/2006). Interactive frames and knowledge schemas in interaction: Examples from a medical examination/interview. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Coupland, N. & Ylnne, V. (2006) Relational frames in weather talk. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Hanks, W. F. (1996). Beyond the speaker and the text. Chapter 9 in Language and communicative practices. Boulder, Co: Westview.

Bauman, R., & Briggs, C. L. (1990). Poetics and performance as critical perspectives on language and social life. Annual review of anthropology , 19, 59-88.

Monday October 12: Genre & Creativity

Bakhtin, M. (1986/2006) The problem of speech genres. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Su, H-Y (2007). The multilingual and multiorthographic Taiwan-based internet: Creative uses of writing systems on college-affiliated BBSs. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Anis, J. (2007) Neography: Unconventional spelling in French SMS text messages In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Langellier, K. (1989). Personal narratives: Perspectives on theory and research. Text and Performance Quarterly, 9, 243-276.

Labov, W. (1972/2006) The transformation of experience in narrative. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Young, K. (1998/2006) Narrative embodiments: enclaves of the self in the realm of medicine. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Monday October  19: Possible Guest Visit/TBA

Monday October 26: Face and politeness

Gumperz, J. J. (1977/2006) Sociocultural knowledge in conversational inference. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Malinowski, B. (1946/2006) On phatic communion. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Goffman, E. (1967/2006) On face-work An analysis of ritual elements in social interaction. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Brown, P. & Levinson, S. C. (1987/2006) Politeness: Some universals in language usage. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Nishimura, Y. (2007). Linguistic innovations and interactional features in Japanese BBS communication. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Holmes, J. (1995/2006). Women, men and politeness: Agreeable and disagreeable responses. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

De Oliveira, S. M. (2007). Breaking conversational norms on a Portuguese users network: Men as adjudicators of politeness? In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday November 2: Social Identity

          PAPER 2 DUE

Sacks, H.(1992/2006) The baby cried, the mommy picked it up In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Hall, S. (1981/2006) The whites of their eyes, In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Cameron, D. (1997/2006) Performing gender identity: Young mens talk and the construction of heterosexual masculinity. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Cameron, D. (2000/2006/) Styling the worker: Gender and the commodification of language in the globalized service economy. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Tannen, D. (1981/2006) New York Jewish conversational style. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Palfreyman, D. & Al Khalil, M. (2007). A Funky language for teenzz to use Representing Gulf Arabic in  instant messaging. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday November 9: Language Choice and Code Switching

Tseliga, T. (2007) Its All Greeklish To Me! Linguistic and sociocultural perspectives on Roman-Alphabeted Greek in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Koutsogiania, D. & Mitsikopoulou, B. (2007). Greeklish and Greekness: Trends and discourses of glocalness. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Warschauer, M., El Said, G. R., & Zohry, A. (2007). Language choice online: Globalization and identity in Egypt.n B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Durham, M. (2007). Language choice on a Swiss mailing list. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Androutsopoulis, J. (2007). Language choice and code switching in German-based diasporic web forums. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Axelsson, A-S., Abeline, ., & Schroeder, R. (2007). Anyone speak Swedish? Tolerance for language shifting in graphical multiuser virtual environments. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday November 16: Culture and (Mis)Understanding

          PAPER 3 DUE

Carbaugh, D. (2005). Cultures in conversation. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Philipsen, G. (1990). Speaking "Like a Man" in Teamsterville: Culture patterns of role enactment in an urban neighborhood. Reflections on Speaking "Like a Man" in Teamsterville.  In D. Carbaugh (Ed.), Cultural communication and intercultural contact, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum (pp. 11-26).

Monday November 23: Subculture

Lindquist, J. (2002) A place to stand: Politics and persuasion in a working-class bar. Oxford: Oxford University.

Monday November 30: Critical Discourse Analysis

Fairclough, N. (1999/2006). Global capitalism and critical awarenss of language. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Bourdieu, P. (2001/2006) Language and symbolic power.  In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Foucault, M. (1976/2006) The incitement to discourse. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Butler, J. (1997/2006) Burning acts, injurious speech. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Van Dijk, T. (1992/2006) Discourse and the denial of racism. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Hutchby, I. (1996/2006) Power in discourse: The case of arguments on a British talk radio show. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Mehan, H. (1990/2006) Oracular reasoning in a psychiatric exam: the resolution of conflict in language. In A. Jaworski & N. Coupland (Eds.). The Discourse Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge.

Wodak, R. & Wright, W. (2007). The European Union in cyberspace: Democratic participation via online multilingual discussion boards. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Paolillo, J. C. (2007) How much multilngualism? Linguistic diversity on the internet. In B. Danet & S. Herring. The Multilingual Internet: Language, culture and communication online. Oxford.

Monday December 7: Paper Presentations

Monday December 14: Final Papers Due