Module overview
This module highlights and analyses the link between language structure and its situation of occurrence.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- describe how culture and context form understanding of language in use
- describe how information is structured in normal discourse
- apply theoretical models to language in use.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the importance of context to meaning and the nature of the context of situation
- the nature of coherence and interpretability
- social roles, deixis and power in discourse
- the nature of language use in social interaction
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- plan and organise your own learning schedule
- analyse the discourse organisation of texts
Syllabus
The module will take you through some of the ways in which language is organised above the level of the
sentence. It will deal with the explicit and implicit linking of sentences to form texts and the ways that texts
are anchored in their contexts of situation. It will examine how we use our knowledge of the world to
understand utterances and will explore the ways in which conversational principles and social roles constrain
our choice of utterance.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
seminars
workshops
Learning activities include
individual study
preparing presentations and discussions in small groups
conducting analyses and small research projects
Innovative or special features of this module
weekly practical tasks feed into sessions
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 126 |
| Teaching | 24 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Johnstone, B. (2008). Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell.
Jaworski, A. & N. Coupland (1999). The Discourse Reader. London: Routledge.
Schiffrin, D., D. Tannen, & H. E. Hamilton (2001). The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback
guidance on oral presentations
discussion of written assignments (in advance and after completion)
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Practical task | 50% |
| Essay | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 50% |
| Practical task | 50% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Practical task | 50% |
| Essay | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External