Discourse & Pragmatics

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Total of 170 hours.

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Some prior study in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics of related disciplines is desirable.

Students who have completed the subject Grammar & Discourse 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.

Students who complete this subject will:

• Have an understanding of the main linguistic approaches to the study of Discourse and Pragmatics
• Confidently deploy discipline specific research and analysis in Discourse and Pragmatics using primary and secondary sources and empirical data collected by students with a strong sense of research ethics and intellectual integrity
• Draw on and critically evaluate theoretical approaches to the fields
• Position themselves within theoretical perspectives in Discourse Analysis and Pragmatic theory
• Proficiently employ learning and research technologies as well as field-specific technologies in transcription
• Attain advanced abilities in written and verbal argumentation in Discourse and Pragmatics
• Consolidate their understanding of social and cultural diversity in the university and wider community

• Data collection & transcription due throughout the semester [15%]
• Summary due throughout the semester [25%]
• Major project due at the end of the semester [60%]

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

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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.