Current theories and research on the pedagogical role of discourse in classrooms. Course will provide participants with a working knowledge of discourse analysis (DA) and its application in classrooms and other institutional spaces. Participants will learn to “do” discourse analysis by engaging in collaborative and recursive analyses of videotaped and/or audio-taped social interactions.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students will write more extended final papers (6-8 pages for graduate students and 4-6 pages for undergraduates).
Athena Title
Classroom Discourse
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will develop an understanding of how classroom talk and interactions shape what is learned and by whom.
Students will develop an understanding of how sociopolitical and institutional forces shape what kind of interaction can occur in classrooms and other institutional discourse.
Students will equip members of this classroom community with enough facility in the theories and analytical techniques of discourse analysis to develop strong research and/or pedagogical projects to be submitted to conference or publication outlets.
Topical Outline
o Introduction to Classroom Discourse and IRE
o Introduction to Institutional Discourse (cont'd) and Transcription Conventions
o Power Relations in Classroom Discourse: Power and Knowledge as Collaborative Achievements
o Participation Frameworks/Structures/Gricean Maxims
o Patterns of Interaction: Contextualization Cues and Procedural Display
