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Professor Mary Bucholtz
Office: 3509 South Hall Phone: (805) 893-5415 E-mail: bucholtz@linguistics.ucsb.edu Office Hours (Fall 2003): W 1-3 p.m., or by appointment |
Grader: Jennifer Garland
Office: 4431V South Hall (Graduate Tower) E-mail: jng@umail.ucsb.edu Office Hours (Fall 2003): Th 2-3 p.m. |
If you would like to print a hard copy of the course policies distributed on the first day of class, click here. Note that the online version below may contain more up-to-date information.
Course description
Discourse--the use of language in social contexts--forms the very foundation of society. The most basic form of discourse, conversation, is also the most significant in its social effects. Although conversation is often believed to be unstructured, discourse analysis reveals that it is in fact carefully designed by speakers in response to ongoing changes in the interactional situation. As speakers and hearers orient to each other's discourse, they also position themselves within the social world. In this course, we will look closely at how discourse structures and social structures emerge as interaction unfolds. Because understanding discourse is not a theoretical pursuit, throughout the course we will focus on analyzing recordings of conversational data collected by students. Students will gain intensive training in research methods in sociocultural discourse analysis as well as a deeper understanding of the structure of talk and its social consequences. This course fulfills GE requirements in Area D and Writing.
| Data sample | 10%
| Transcript | 20%
| Assignments (5 @ 6%) | 30%
| Take-home exam | 20%
| Final paper | 20%
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Detailed information about all requirements will be distributed separately. Brief descriptions of each requirement appear below.
Course reader, available from AS Notes (University Center, Room 1531)
Attendance and participationRegular attendance and participation are a crucial part of this course; you are expected to be present and intellectually engaged at every class meeting. Class lectures and discussions provide valuable information you need to complete your assignments and exam. If it is unavoidable for you to miss a class, let me know in advance.
Assigned readings
This course does not have a heavy reading load because you are expected to spend most of your class
preparation time working with discourse data. However, in order to carry out your data analyses
successfully, you will need to read and understand the assigned research articles.
To be fully prepared, you should read each article on or before the assigned date.
NB: Social science articles can be difficult to read if you are unfamiliar with their conventions.
For tips on how to read them, see the link
"How to Read Research Articles".
The course's central focus is the collection and analysis of conversational data by students. Before each class meeting, several students will submit small data samples to me which will form the basis for discussion and analysis by the class as a whole. You do not need to submit a fully worked-out analysis but only to select a portion of your data that illustrates one or more discourse phenomena under discussion for your assigned week. To sign up for a date for submission of your data sample, email me by no later than Thurs., Oct. 2.
TranscriptEarly in the quarter, you will record an ordinary conversation and transcribe a five-minute segment of it; you will carry out mini-analyses of various aspects of your data using the recording and transcript. This assignment is therefore very important to your performance in the rest of the class. Transcribing is hard work; plan to spend extra time on this task.
AssignmentsThere are five assignments due throughout the quarter. One is an audio CD of your data and the others are roughly two-page mini-data analyses. All the assignments are worth 6% each; in addition to helping you solidify your understanding of concepts introduced in the course, they will also will serve as the foundation for your final paper.
Take-home examA take-home exam that will allow you to apply what you have learned will be distributed toward the end of the course; you will have one week to complete it. It is open-book and you can draw on any resources you wish, including other students in the course; however, you must write up your answers independently.
Final paperThe final paper provides you with a chance to tie together the things you have learned in this class and to continue to develop your writing skills. It will involve using material from your mini-analyses (revised based on my comments on the original versions) to analyze social identities in your interactional data. Detailed guidelines on the final paper will be distributed later in the quarter.
For comments about this page, contact bucholtz@linguistics.ucsb.edu.
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