Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course consists of 11 sessions:
- Session 1: Introduction
- Session 2: Analysis methods and tools
- Session 3: Creating and evaluating public space
- Session 4: Political marketing
- Session 5: Propaganda and manipulation
- Session 6: Propaganda and manipulation (exercises)
- Session 7: Workshop 1 - Analysis of leaflets and brochures
- Session 8: Emotions and politics
- Session 9: Social networks and digital
- Session 10: Workshop 2 - Conspiracy theories and Fake News
- Session 11: Workshop 2 (continued) - Conspiracy theories and Fake News
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
According to discourse analysts, the study of discourse is not only a field of study but also a method and a set of tools for analysing social, political, anthropological and psychological relations. For discursivists, discourse analysis is therefore a field of research, a school of thought and a set of tools for processing limited (qualitative approach) or large (quantitative approach) corpuses, interpreting them and gaining access to 'realities' outside language.
This course proposes to study discourse as a tool, a mode of access to intentions, strategies, ideas, thoughts, opinions or feelings. Through different modes of communication, political actors construct and mobilise the uses and positions they advocate or reject. Discourses do not therefore describe social reality, they construct it.
It should be pointed out that, in this course, discourses will not be understood as objects closed in on themselves, i.e. as a self-sufficient system of signs and codes, but rather as the sum of texts and contexts that are part of society. Using concrete examples, the course will analyse discourses in terms of the sender, the receivers, the channel of dissemination and the context of enunciation.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
No specific prerequisites
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Organisation of a typical session:
- First hour: viewing of a speech and analysis (discussion)
- Second hour: historical and theoretical contributions
Overall, the course covers the various aspects of discourse analysis (history, definitions, approaches, reference authors, etc.) as well as related elements (political marketing, use of social networks, etc.). Each session begins with a practical analysis. Students are encouraged to deconstruct a discourse. Organised in the form of exchanges, these moments allow students to appropriate and put into practice the theoretical elements while checking their understanding of the material.
In terms of the speeches selected, we will examine both historical and contemporary speeches. We will study different types (political, journalistic, etc.) and genres (government statements, inaugural speeches, political programmes, etc.) in order to be as exhaustive as possible.
The course will also introduce students to a range of free discourse analysis software that they will be able to use for their own analyses and for other work during their university course (dissertation, thesis, etc.).
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Workshops require the active participation of students (group activities)
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
At the end of each session, students receive the corresponding PowerPoint presentation and links to the speeches analysed in class.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam
Out-of-session test(s)
Further information:
Students will be assessed in two stages.
Firstly, during the January session, students will complete a written analysis of a speech. The aim is to assess their ability to extract data and information from a speech and to measure their understanding of the material.
Secondly, students will be required to participate in the production of a 10-minute radio clip on 48FM or podcast on a specific topic related to discourse analysis and the subject matter studied during the sessions. The topic will be chosen in consultation with the teacher. Depending on scheduling constraints, the number of students and the topics/choices, the teacher reserves the right to select certain productions for live broadcast on 48FM, while others will only be recorded. In all cases, grades will be awarded on the basis of the same criteria (content, analysis, clarity and adherence to format). As broadcasts can only take place at specific times, it is possible that not all students will be able to present their work during the first term. For this reason, the assessment of this second part (the first part being devoted to the written analysis of a speech) may also be carried out during the second term.
Students are assessed on the basis of their production and their ability to present the material.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course starts on 29 September
10.30am-12.30pm
Contacts
François Debras
Associate Professor
francois.debras@uliege.be
Association of one or more MOOCs
There is no MOOC associated with this course.
Further information:
For now,
Coming soon...