Political Discourse Analysis Syllabus

Political Discourse Analysis Syllabus

• This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Political Discourse Analysis (PDA) as both theoretical and empirical approaches to researching contemporary political change.
• The course highlights key PDA approaches, widely recognized for their systematic and empirical works on national and supranational politics.
• It presents PDA as both theory and practice, considering linguistic and social-scientific approaches to text and discourse studies, along with developments in social and political theory.
• Teaching methods include lectures, interactive sessions, PowerPoint presentations, and quizzes.

Teaching and Learning Methods

• The course uses lectures, interactions with students, and PowerPoint presentations.
• Quizzes are also incorporated.

Learning Objectives

• Students will acquire a vocabulary for understanding and expressing themselves about PDA topics.
• The course will enable students to interpret topical political dynamics, European and global contexts.
• Critical thinking skills and independent judgment will be developed.
• Upon successful completion, students will be able to understand the fundamental relationship between language and politics.
• They will be able to recognise how political discourse works.

More Learning Objectives

• The course provides tools for understanding political language's ostensiveness (mise-en-scene) of power and differences between democratic and non-democratic languages.
• Students will gain knowledge about institutions, their thought processes, and communication; power and legitimacy; the foundations of political action (fear to sympathy), public history connecting identity and belonging; the relationship between obedience and freedom; and the nature, tradition, society and community, and the fragility of democracy, secularism, in comparison to populism, nationalism, and fundamentalism.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of concepts and theories about institutional thought, political language, power, democracy, crisis, and populism.
• Ability to apply knowledge: Applying acquired knowledge to analyse political scenarios and debates nationally and internationally.
• Autonomy of judgment: The ability to critically and autonomously interpret the developments of contemporary political language, particularly in social media.
• Communication skills: Explaining acquired knowledge through fluent and consistent argumentative discourse with appropriate language properties.
• Learning skills: Developing understanding and independent argumentation skills.

Recommended Bibliography

• Works by Beard, Chilton, Chilton & Schaeffner, Cockroft & Cockroft, Fairclough, Goatly, Kalyango & Kopytowska, Karner & Kopytowska, Kopytowska, Kurtes & Kopytowska, Wodak, and others are listed.

Political Discourse Summary Points

• Political discourse examines language's use in discussions about political issues, ideologies, policies, and practices.
• Four main types of discourse are expository, narrative, descriptive, and persuasive.
• Key functions of political discourse include framing issues, rhetoric/persuasion, information dissemination, influencing identity and values, and/or polarization.
• Rhetoric is the art of persuasion through effective communication, influencing beliefs, attitudes, or actions.

Political Discourse Analysis

• Political discourse analysis is a methodological approach to analyse political communication to understand its implications and effects.
• It investigates how language reflects, reinforces, or challenges power relations, ideologies, and social structures considering historical and cultural factors.
• It incorporates qualitative and quantitative techniques including linguistic analysis, critical discourse analysis, and semiotic analysis.

Key Differences Between Political Discourse and Political Discourse Analysis

• Scope: Political discourse is broader, encompassing all forms of communication; whereas, political discourse analysis focuses on a specific study of the communications.
• Purpose: Political discourse aims to understand political language functions in practice; on the other hand, political discourse analysis aims to analyze and interpret it critically.
• Approach: Political discourse uses a descriptive and observational approach, while political discourse analysis involves analytic/interpretive approaches, often using specific theoretical frameworks.

Ethical Dilemmas in Political Discourse Analysis

• Misrepresentation of subjects, bias and objectivity, manipulation of data are commonly raised ethical concerns.

Development of PDA as a Field of Study

• PDA emerged in the 1970s to study verbal and written language in contexts like political forums (debates, speeches).
• Early pioneers like Erving Goffman and Mikhail Bakhtin, explored how language shapes political reality, emphasizing intertextuality and social interaction, respectively.
• Critical discourse analysis (CDA) focused on the relationship between language and power, highlighting how discourse reflects/shapes, social inequalities.

Role of Context

• The role of context emphasizes the importance of considering historical, cultural, and social contexts when interpreting political communication. Key figures in this field include Mikhail Bakhtin, and Erving Goffman.
• Framing analysis focuses on how issues are presented within specific contexts, influencing perception and interpretations.

The Role of Social Media

• Social media has become a primary source of information with a significant influence on political opinions and beliefs.
• Sophisticated types of communication like memes and videos make it a powerful component for conveying political messages.
• Digital media significantly impacts political discourse by enabling wider communication.
• It presents new complexities through the use of intertextuality and framing.

Current Trends in PDA

• Increased globalization has affected PDA by influencing it with a more diverse range of voices and perspectives.
• It's now common in PDA to consider broader social movements, focusing on intersectionality to explore identity politics.
• Contemporary PDA uses multidisciplinary approaches and examines various media elements including social media, speeches, and podcasts.

Rhetoric in Political Discourse Analysis

• Rhetoric examines the persuasive language used by politicians to influence public opinion.
• Different rhetorical devices such as emotional appeals (pathos), rhetorical questions, repetition, metaphors and analogies, fear appeals, inclusive language, calls to action, and contrasts, are commonly explored to understand the impact of rhetoric.

This syllabus outlines the course on Political Discourse Analysis (PDA), focusing on theoretical and empirical approaches to studying contemporary political change. It emphasizes key methodologies and aims to enhance students' understanding of political language and social theory through interactive teaching methods, including quizzes and presentations.