Course: Trends in the Field of Discourse and Conversation Analysis

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Course title Trends in the Field of Discourse and Conversation Analysis
Course code KOL/VTREN
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction English
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Bennett Ľudmila, Mgr. Ph.D.
  • Krásová Kateřina, Mgr. et Mgr.
  • Vaculíková Petra, Mgr.
Course content
1) On Critical Discourse Analysis: linguistic methods in the service of sociological research (Kateřina Prokopová) ˘ Prolegomena to the Critical Discourse Analysis; its relationships to other disciplines and its (possible) inspirational sources. The roots of CDA: terminology, academic background, methods, research topics ˘ Concrete analyses based on CDA (dicoursive-historical approach) 2) Media discourse: domination, mediated information and the idea of propaganda (Kateřina Prokopová) ˘ Media and their influence on the reproduction of dominance; the media construction of reality, control of information flow, gate keeping, networking, genres and governance ˘ Case study of media utilization for propagandistic goals 3) Conversational Analysis (Petra Martinková) ˘ Basic terminology and questions in CA, various approaches to dialogues analysis, specifics of ethnomethodologic perspective, conversation analysis (CA) as (socio)linguistic discipline ˘ Umpteen ways of conversation, or the individuality of communication situation, role as interactive tool, staging of roles, members conception, conversation line as basic building stone, preferential organization, sequences - pair sequences, presequences, repairing sequences, rectifications 4) CA in different point of view ˘ Do thematic progressions (TP) occur also in dialogues? ˘ speech vs. writing, characteristics of spontaneous spoken utterances, monologue vs. dialogue ˘ analysis of particular texts - thematic analysis of conversation, segmentation of dialogues, content-pragmatic element, thematic chunk, modification of TP in spoken utterances

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to make students familiar with basic terms and concepts of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Conversation Analysis (CA). The course will also introduce important scholars of critical discourse and conversation analysis. Individual lessons will discuss differences and accents of particular approaches to discourse. The seminar will cover both the historical development of methodology and work with selected texts (analysis of chosen communicates). The seminar will be aimed practically; students will apply particular approaches during the analysis of the texts. The attention will be paid also to relationship between conversation analysis and speech acts theory and discourse analysis. The lecture is in English and it is determined for ERASMUS students!
Basic knowledge of issues, approaches and methods of CDA and CA Ability to evaluate media and other messages from the perspective of informative and persuasive communication Application of disourse analysis in case studies
Prerequisites
Knowledge of English

Assessment methods and criteria
Student performance, Dialog, Seminar Work

Regular attendance (min 80%) Regular preparation / reading of assigned literature Elaboration of an encyclopedia entry in English Oral exam
Recommended literature
  • Dijk, Teun van, Martin Pütz a Jo Anne Neff-van Aertselaer. (2004). Communicating Ideologies. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Language, Discourse and Social Practice. Frankfurt am Main.
  • Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing Discourse. Textual analysis for social research. London - New York: Routledge.
  • Heritage, John. (1984). Garfinkel and ethnomethodology. Cambridge.
  • Hutchby, I. And Wooffitt, R. Conversation Analysis: the Study of Talk in Interaction. Cambridge, Polity 1998.
  • Sacks, H. (1992). Lectures on Conversation. Oxford.
  • Sidnell, J., Stivers, T. (ed.). (2013). The Handbook of Conversation Analysis. Blackwell.
  • Ten Have, P. Doing conversation analysis. London 1999 .
  • Wodak, R. ; Meyer, M. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis..


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): General Lingvistics and Theory of Communication (2014) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -