BECOMING DISCOURSE ANALYSTS: CONSTRUCTING MEANINGS AND IDENTITIES

Abstract

Discourse analysts are concerned with how language both reflects and constructs the social world. As a field of study, there are scores of books, journals, and conferences devoted to the theoretical and methodological issues among the varieties of discourse analysis. Less discussed in the field of discourse studies is how one learns to become a discourse analyst. This question is the subject of the current article that reports on a study of my teaching and my students' learning within the scope of a one-semester graduate discourse analysis course. In this study, I set out to describe, interpret, and explain the discursive patterns used by students through out the course. Their learning was most profound in three areas that I expand on in this article: “exploring theories of meaning making,” “using tools to locate patterns,” and “making micro-macro- connections.” Learning unfolded differently for students in each area, depending on their background, area of study, and experience with discourse analysis. I argue that becoming more aware of the sorts of issues and complexities that arise as people become discourse analysts can aid in the process of supporting their learning as well as keep the field fresh with insights.

Notes

¹Here, I draw on the distinction that James Gee (2004) makes between “critical discourse analysis” and “Critical Discourse Analysis.” The former, cda (with small letters), refers to a variety of approaches that may include narrative analysis, conversation analysis, rhetorical analysis, ethnographic analysis, and whose central concern are issues of power, domination/liberation, and ideology. These analysts may or may not refer to themselves as “critical discourse analysts.” “CDA” (with capital letters) refers to those who associate their work with the theories and methods of Norman Fairclough, Ruth Wodak, Teun van Dijk, and Theo van Leeuwen.

²The tutorial can be found at this Web site http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/schegloff/TranscriptionProject/index.html