This course offers a comprehensive introduction to Discourse Analysis, the study of how language functions beyond the sentence level in various contexts. Through theoretical and practical approaches, students will explore how meaning is constructed in communication and how discourse shapes, and is shaped by, social, cultural, and political forces.

The course begins with the foundational concepts of discourse, distinguishing it from text, and introduces students to various methodological approaches, including Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Conversation Analysis, and Interactional Sociolinguistics. Special attention is given to the relationship between language and power, highlighting how discourse is used to maintain or challenge social hierarchies and ideologies.

Key topics include the role of discourse in social interaction, the power relations embedded in language, narrative structure, gender representation, and the multimodal nature of modern communication, incorporating both traditional text-based discourse and visual, digital media.

Students will develop skills in analyzing different types of discourse, such as political speeches, advertisements, everyday conversations, and online communication. They will also critically examine how identity, gender, and power are negotiated and represented through language use. Dr. SABER


This course presents Pragmatics as a sub-field of linguistics, which looks at meanings of utterances in context and studies speakers’ communicated intents; it is often discussed in contrast with the sub-field of semantics which is the study of meaning as shaped and constructed by the language system. The course of pragmatics addresses historical, theoretical, practical as well as research-oriented developments in the field.

pragmatics

This course introduces graduate students to the theories and methods of teaching literature within the context of English language education. It covers strategies for developing literary appreciation, fostering critical thinking, and integrating literature into language learning.