Unit name | Discourse Analysis: Research Methods for Politics and International Relations |
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Unit code | POLIM3024 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Professor. Carver |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will look at the theory and methods of discourse analysis. It will survey the theoretical development of discourse theory, examine the main arguments and concepts in discourse theory and methods, and introduce students to a range of examples of the ways in which discourse theory and methods have been applied to studies in Politics and International Relations. Particular attention will be paid to the identification of different discourse theories and consideration of the various discourse methods that derive from these theoretical frameworks. Students will be required to apply discourse theory and methods to their own research project during the unit. They will be given the opportunity to analyse a variety of texts (visual and written) in collaboration with other students, and to discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of their analyses.
Aims:
The following methods will be used:
Formative assessment: Group analysis of a text (visual or written) Summative assessment: a 2,500 to 3,500 word piece of discourse analysis (students will be required to select and apply discourse theory and methods to a text relevant to their own research project).
These formative and summative assessments represent components of a wider context of appraisal in which relevant intellectual skills and attributes are assessed by means of the study skills diagnostic exercise, contributions to seminar discussions, seminar presentations, group activities in seminars, the essays, dissertation workshop presentations, and the dissertation. All modes of assessment require critical thinking, the application of concepts to empirical data, an ability to link argument and evidence and the application of formal presentational techniques.
Political Analysis. Manchester University Press