The aim of this course is to introduce students to the foundations of Critical Discourse Analysis and specifically the Fairclough method.
Instructor
Dr. April Biccum is co-convener of the Interpretive Methods Research Group (IMRG) at the Australian Political Studies Association. Previously, April was co-convener of the Interpretation Method Critique Research Cluster at the Australian National University. These groups have the aim of raising the profile of Interpretivist and Critical methodologies in Political Science. April’s research is framed by the Global Politics of Knowledge with a combined focus on how the categories Empire/Imperialism and Global Citizenship are used, theorised and understood in both the public and scholarly domain.
The aim of this course is to introduce students to Critical Discourse Analysis, (Fairclough method). The course will provide an introduction to the various analytical approaches to Discourse as well an overview of the foundations of CDA in critical social theory, hermeneutics, social constructivism, and socio-linguistics before introducing students to the conceptual framework and analytical tools of CDA drawn from the work of Norman Fairclough. The course will situate CDA within the interpretivist mode of inquiry and draw student attention to the differences between CDA and qualitative content analysis and corpus linguistics and quantitative text analysis. Students will be instructed in the advantages of a qualitative socio-linguistic approach and how to make and defend methodological choices when using text as data.
The course will be focused on training student observation on language, meaning and communication in your chosen field-site or object of study. It will provide applied training in Genre, Surface Text and Context Analysis as well as training in applying the concepts: intertextuality, interdiscursivity, recontextualization and multimodality. The course will also indicate to students the pathways for developing your analysis to a more advanced level.
This is an introductory course, no prior knowledge is expected. The course will orient students in how to conduct textual observation and analysis, including some basic socio-linguistic analysis.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course you will:
- Have an appreciation for the varieties of approach in the field of discourse studies;
- Have developed an understanding of the Fairclough method, conceptual framework and advantages of this approach;
- Developed skills in textual analysis;
- Have an appreciation for what can be achieved with discourse analysis and how it might be used in your research
This course is presented as part of the ANU Online Summer School in Political Analysis
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Day 1:
Will provide an introduction to:
- Hermeneutics versus content analysis and quantitative text analysis;
- Different frameworks for discourse analysis;
- Introduce socio linguistics and the Fairclough approach;
- Practice in textual observation
Reading:
Josselson “The Hermeneutics of Faith and the Hermeneutics of Suspicion”
Blomaert & Bulcaen “Critical Discourse Analysis”
Fairclough Introduction and Chapter 1 from Language and Power
Day 2
- an introduction to surface text analysis;
- sharpening your language observation skills;
- learning Fairclough's conceptual framework
- working with text samples
Reading:
Fairclough “CDA and the marketisation of public discourses: the universities”
Fairclough Chapter 5 & 6 from Language and Power (in folder 1)
Day 3
An introduction to relational text analysis and how to operationalise:
- Intertextuality;
- Interdiscursivity;
- Textual chains;
- Working with text samples
Reading:
Fairclough “Intertextuality in Critical Discourse Analysis”
Farelly “Re-Thinking Intertextuality in CDA”
Day 4
Language observation is often intimidating for non-linguists. Now that we have some familiarity with Fairclough’s framework, day four provide students with opportunities to assess and sharpen language observation skills and the social scientific inferences that can be made from socio-linguistic analysis. Day four will advance your understanding of genre and the importance of genre as a variable in discourse analysis.
- An introduction to genre analysis;
- Further hands-on practice and instruction on textual observation and analysis;
- Making methodological choices;
- How to construct a corpus
Reading:
Fairclough Chapters 4 & 6 from Analysing Discourse (chapter 5 is included but you might find it difficult)
Chang “Courtroom questioning as a culturally situated persuasive genre of talk”
Chiluwa et. al. “Deceptive transparency and masked discourses in Ponzi schemes: a CDA of MMM Nigeria”
Day 5
Advancing CDA
- An introduction to multimodal discourse analysis.
- When and how to make methodological choices between different approaches (qualitative or quantitative);
- Guidance on how to advance your skills
Reading:
Kress “Multimodal Discourse Analysis”
Livesy “To look for another thing, and in another way: revitalising criticality with multimodal methodologies”
Graham “Ethics in Critical Discourse Analysis”
This course will be run in one session per day running over over 5 days.
The course hours are 9.30am - 12.00pm each day
This course is being held online via Zoom and run on Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11)
This is an introductory course, no prior knowledge is expected. The course will orient students in how to conduct textual observation and analysis, including some basic socio-linguistic analysis.
Students will be given reading for each day which explains and demonstrates different aspects of Fairclough’s framework. Fairclough’s framework is designed to operationalize socio-linguistic analysis for non-linguists. Students will be given hands on instruction and practice in textual observation and socio-linguistic inference. Students will be supplied with several text samples to work with and are also invited to supply to the instructor texts that they are working with in their research.
- Introduction;
- Getting started with surface text analysis;
- Relational Text Analysis;
- Formal text analysis;
- Multimodal analysis and steps to advance your practice.
Angermuller, J., et al., Eds. (2014). The Discourse Studies Reader: Main currents in theory and analysis. Amsterdam & Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Fairclough (1992) “Intertextuality in Critical Discourse Analysis” Linguistics and Education
Fairclough & Fairclough (2012) Political Discourse Analysis: A method for advanced students. Routledge.
Fairclough, I. and N. Fairclough (2012). Political Discourse Analysis: A Method for Advanced Students. London, Routledge.
Fairclough, N (1993) “Critical Discourse Analysis and the marketisation of public discourse: the universities” Discourse and Society. 4(2): 133-168
Fairclough, N (2001) Language and Power.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge, Polity Press.
Fairclough, N. (2000). New Labour, New Language. London, Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2003) Analyzing Discourse.
Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing Discourse: Text Analysis for Social Research. London, Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2006). Language and Globalisation. London, Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2013). "Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Policy Studies." Critical Policy Studies 7(3): 177-197.
Jorgensen, M. and L. Phillips (2002). Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method. London, Sage.
Kress, G. & Van Leeuwen (2001) Multimodal Discourse: the modes of media and contemporary communication.
The course was a perfect blend of set readings (which were terrific!) I read nearly all of them before the classes and found it really helped me follow the material presented in class), slides, discussion and exercises. April was simply brilliant and very engaging.
The course has really given me the knowledge I need to push my work and research the next level.
It was a great introduction to a complex approach and methodology
There were very carefully chosen readings that were available ahead of time to allow me to read them before the class, the readings were absolutely relevant to the material in class, the material itself was well-paced and follow-able, and the lecture was incredibly knowledgeable and approachable, I can't see how the course could have been made better.