Students
LING3392 – Discourse Analysis
2020 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Annabelle Lukin
Margaret Wood
Convenor
David Butt
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
50cp at 2000 level or above and (LING1120 or LING120 or LING2218 or LING218)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
The central aim of this unit is to establish the skills required for making reliable, practical analyses of texts and of the social variables which were instrumental in the construction of those texts. The course will build on the grammatical training established in earlier units, on the additional study of cohesion, as well as on the observations associated with the re-development of Pragmatics in linguistics. Analytical tools will be applied both to the wording and to the social context of meaning making so that students will be prepared to engage with 'problem-solving' research in a wide spectrum of specialized fields, with each field exemplified by work carried out by the teachers themselves - work in literature; politics; courtrooms and legal contexts; surgical and psychiatric training as well as related health sciences; financial domains; and theoretical tracts from physics, economics, and social sciences. While other courses share interest in some of these professional domains, this course is centrally concerned with students learning to select and apply linguistic tools of analysis. Course participants will design a mini project in an area of their own interest, collecting natural language data and analysing it to explain its patterns in relation to the demands of its social/institutional context. |
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:
- ULO1: Apply theoretical and technical knowledge to explain the relationship between language, society and culture in a range of real-world contexts.
- ULO2: Critically evaluate discourse analysis research with respect overall research question, kind and extent of data used, choice of analysis, and interpretation of findings.
- ULO3: Relate linguistic analysis of meaning in social context to real-world problems and domains of application.
- ULO4: Understand what makes some kinds of linguistic data sensitive and subject to ethics approval.
- ULO5: Communicate linguistic findings in standard written and/or spoken English within and beyond the academy.
Assessment Tasks
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
General Assessment Information
Late Assignment Submission
- Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and the student is two days late their mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)
- Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class. Any student with unsubmitted work at this date will receive a mark of 0 for the assessment task.
- Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
- Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.
- For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration\
- If a student fails the unit due to non-submission of an assignment or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.
- Unit convenors have the discretion to determine whether or not students should fail a unit on the basis of lateness penalties alone if other learning outcomes of the unit have been met.
Extensions cannot continue beyond the start of the following semester, and students should be aware that long extensions may impact graduation dates.
Moderation of assessment
All assessment is marked by tutors and is moderated using pre-marking forms of standardisation such as the use of marking rubrics, and post-marking moderation such as sample checking and statistical analysis of the spread of marks to ensure fairness and consistency across the unit. Final marks are subject to ratification at the Faculty of Human Sciences exam meeting at the end of semester.
Delivery and Resources
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
The unit will be delivered via a one hour lecture, and a two hour seminar.
Unit Schedule
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
DRAFT UNIT SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Topic |
|
1 |
What is a text? What is discourse? Why the two terms? How does such investigation ‘make a difference’? |
|
2 |
What are registers? Discourse variation shaped by the immediate situation of meaning making. |
|
3 |
Register compared to other concepts of language variation – from situation to the noises we make. Why a register is not a dialect. |
|
4 |
What is the relationship between a register and the systems of grammar it draws upon? |
|
5 |
Case studies and texts as evidence 1: discourses and political persuasion |
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6 |
Case study 2: the role of discourse in mental well-being and in re-establishing mental health |
|
7 |
Case study 3: Discourses and texts revered or valued in religions |
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8 |
Discourses in “literature” or verbal art |
|
9 |
Discourse, Texts, and Fictions |
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10 |
From book to film; from textbook to iconic visualization |
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11 |
The relationship between wording and diagrams and graphs: the science of representing science. |
|
12 |
Text, Discourse and the human brain |
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13 |
Reading Week |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
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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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
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