Students
APPL901 – Genre, Discourse and Multimodality
2014 – S2 External
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
John Knox
C5A501
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MAppLing or PGDipAppLing or MTransInterMAppLing
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is concerned with the study of human communication from a social-semiotic perspective. It includes the study of the philosophical and practical differences between different schools of genre in applied linguistics; context-related patterns of communication in language and other semiotic systems (such as gesture, image, and layout); and the ways in which such patterns occur across semiotic systems and are systematically related. Multimodal communication in sites of practice such as educational, media, and professional contexts is explored and analysed from a coherent theoretical perspective.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Online discussion participatio | 5% | Weeks 2, 6, 12 |
| Critical Review | 15% | August 29 |
| Essay | 35% | October 17 |
| Multimodal analysis and commen | 45% | November 21 |
Online discussion participatio
Due: Weeks 2, 6, 12
Weighting: 5%
Participate in online discussions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Critical Review
Due: August 29
Weighting: 15%
Critically analyse one or more scholarly texts as provided.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Essay
Due: October 17
Weighting: 35%
Complete an essay on a set task.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Multimodal analysis and commen
Due: November 21
Weighting: 45%
Complete a multimodal analysis of a provided text and provide a commentary on the analysis.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Delivery and Resources
The learning and teaching strategies used in this Unit are face-to-face sessions (for on-campus students) and recordings of these sessions; interaction with materials on iLearn; discussion; and self-study of course readings. The course lecturer will be contactable through email to answer any queries that might arise.
It is expected that students in this unit will read all set readings, participate in group discussions and go beyond the required readings to follow the academic literature in specific areas of interest to them.
The reading material for this unit is challenging, and learners should expect to read each of the readings a number of times.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Critical Review
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen
PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Critical Review
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen
PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen
PG - Effective Communication
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Critical Review
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen
PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen
PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- At the end of the unit, students will be able to: • identify the three major schools of genre in Applied Linguistics, their underlying philosophies, analytical approaches, and typical applications; • recognise textual patterns associated with a number of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts; • identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse; • identify patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts; • analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication; • explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur.
Assessment tasks
- Online discussion participatio
- Critical Review
- Essay
- Multimodal analysis and commen