Discourse & Pragmatics

This subject is not offered in 2012.

3 contact hours/week, 5.5 additional hours/week. Total of 8.5 hours per week.

Formerly available as 175-202/302. Students who have completed 175-202 or 175-302 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject involves the study of language from pragmatic and discourse analytic perspectives. It will include topics such as: the collection and transcription of spoken language data. speech act theory, conversational implicature, deixis and perspective. conversation analysis and other approaches to discourse analysis such as interactional sociolinguistics, critical discourse analysis, and discourse and grammar. Students will learn how to design a small research project in discourse analysis and will have many opportunities to study samples of real-life language use from different perspectives.

• be able to understand and evaluate a range of theoretical concepts underlying the analysis of language from pragmatic and discourse analytic perspectives.
• be able to use a range of approaches to pragmatic and discourse analysis for examining language use in real life contexts.

An essay of 1500 words 40% (due mid-semester), and a written-up project of 2500 words 60% (due at the end of the semester).

This subject has the following hurdle requirements:

• Regular participation in tutorials is required with a minimum of 75% attendance.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day and in-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

• Working with spoken discourse (D Cameron) SAGE publications 2001

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• have developed research skills through collecting data and applying an analytic perspective.
• be able to integrate theory and data in a written account.