Students

APPL8010 – Genre, Discourse and Multimodality

2022 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Philip Chappell
philip.chappell@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
12 Second Way Room 513
By appointment
Unit Convenor
Maria Herke
maria.herke@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
12 Second Way Level 5
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAppLing or MAppLingTESOL or MTransInterMAppLingTESOL or MAccComm
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
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.

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 knowledge and understanding of the notions of genre, discourse, and multimodality to a consideration of communicative practices in a specific social context
  • ULO2: analyse texts by applying knowledge of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts
  • ULO3: analyse patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts
  • ULO4: apply knowledge of social semiotic theory to identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse
  • ULO5: analyse the semiotic systems involved in specific acts of communication
  • ULO6: explain the relations between specific acts of communication and the contexts in which they occur

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Essay 45% No End second week of mid-session recess
Online discussions 5% No ongoing
Multimodal Analysis and Commentary 50% No Week 13

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: End second week of mid-session recess
Weighting: 45%

Essay on multimodality, genre and discourse with discussion of specific context
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply knowledge and understanding of the notions of genre, discourse, and multimodality to a consideration of communicative practices in a specific social context
  • analyse texts by applying knowledge of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts
  • analyse patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts
  • apply knowledge of social semiotic theory to identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse
  • 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

Online discussions

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: ongoing
Weighting: 5%

Participation in scheduled online discussions
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply knowledge and understanding of the notions of genre, discourse, and multimodality to a consideration of communicative practices in a specific social context
  • analyse texts by applying knowledge of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts
  • analyse patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts
  • apply knowledge of social semiotic theory to identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse
  • 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 Commentary

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 42 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 50%

Analysis a multimodal text and write a commentary, 2,500 words
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply knowledge and understanding of the notions of genre, discourse, and multimodality to a consideration of communicative practices in a specific social context
  • analyse texts by applying knowledge of commonly occurring genres in educational and other contexts
  • analyse patterns of meaning across different semiotic systems (e.g. language, image, layout) in specific communicative contexts
  • apply knowledge of social semiotic theory to identify systematic relationships between social context and discourse
  • 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

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

The unit is delivered face-to-face for internal students, with one weekly seminar. See timetables.mq.edu.au for more information. All resources are online apart from the required and recommended text books, which need to be bought. For external students, seminars are recorded and there are weekly learning tasks including online forum discussions to be carried out.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Requesting an extension to assignment due date

On occasion, you may be in a situation when you aren't able to submit an assessment task on time. Extensions are only given in special circumstances, by completing a Special Consideration request. For more information on Special Consideration, see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration  

Late submission of assignments

If you haven't been approved for an extension and you submit your assessment task late, penalties are applied. You should consult your unit convenor if you are in this position. Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. Weekends and public holidays are included. 

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook