3.8 Discourse analysis

Tonight we talked through three of the methods for discourse analysis - led by EXCELLENT presentations from your classmates. I am hoping you paid close attention to the ways the researchers framed their focus (the research question) and how they used evidence from the transcript as evidence to support their answer to that question.

You spent the next section of class looking at one of the sample transcripts posted on the blog (to the right).  (There are 3 transcripts: adult learners, gamers, and chatrooms.)  These transcripts were produced by typing out a written representation of conversations from interviews conducted from 2005-2007.  You spent some time thinking about what was going on int he transcript about chatrooms, and identifying evidence to "prove" that was what going on.  We ran out of time - so there was not much chance to discuss your findings - but hopefully it gave you some experience looking at conversations representated on "paper" and analyzing features of the language, micro-macro relationships, context, and power relationships.  We also (briefly) looked at how to break up or re-organize transcripts into "story" units.  This visual re-organization can allow you to ask questions about what is going on in terms of the sequence of stories through looking at signals for the beginning and endings of stories, the ways the teller tells the story, differences among repeated tellings & similarities and differences in the ways the teller evaluates or represents the story (eg scary vs funny).

I introduced the Discourse Analysis assignment (posted to the right) and talked through the requirements.

For next week:

I hope to look over your blogs on your research projects and get back to you - hopefully with some indication about what the next step is.

Classtime will be spent doing group work, conferencing & writing for you DA projects (or to set up your research project if you need some help there).

Blog 6:  Choose a transcript for DA project & identify your approach for your DA project (methodology & methods =draw from sample essays in Chapter 3, and frames from Ch 1)

Specifically - give your best shot to

stating a research question (what does this transcript show about. . . how does it relate to larger cultural stories about. . . & what complications does it introduce with respect to. . .)

selecting an analytic or methodological frame (from among the 4 essays in Chapter 3, or some combination of the lenses from chapter 1)

List the points you will make to support your answer to the research question

list what you will use as evidence.

The more specific you are - the more you will have to work with next Thursday.  If you are stuck - schedule a conference.  My most open day is MONDAY.   and