58102 Language and Discourse -­­ Discourse analysis essay information sheet (2013)
Select a topic (remembering that this will also be the topic for your radio script) and find two texts
that realise two different discourses on that topic. Many topics are possible but it is important to
choose one that has been engaged with in different ways by different text producers and
communities.
The texts should be in different genres and/or aimed at different audiences. Remember that the
texts can be things other than words on a page: visual, audio or multi-­­media texts may be analysed
in either analogue (e.g. newspaper) or digital formats (e.g. DVD, online). The only limiting criteria
regarding texts are:
1. your tutor must be provided with either:
a. a physical copy of or
b. an online link to your chosen texts
2. if using longer texts (e.g. television programs, movies, novels etc) you should select one
or two segments of the text that exemplify your chosen discourse and topic and focus on
these. These segments should be clearly demarcated and referenced in the analysis.
In your 1500-­­word essay you will need to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define the concept of Discourse and explain why you chose your topic
Name and describe the discourse(s) in each text, outlining the way they construct your topic
Comment on why you think these discourses were chosen by the makers of the texts
Relate your findings to one or more aspects of the discourse analytic theories you have read,
e.g. Foucault’s, Van Leeuwen’s, Critical Discourse Analysis etc.
Please note that this is a textual analysis essay and not an essay in which you compare and evaluate
the respective arguments of the texts. What is important is how each discourse utilises different
semiotic resources (resources for making meaning) to construct your topic.
Note on essay length: A 10% margin is allowed when considering essay length but essays over this
length (i.e. 1650 words) may have marks deducted. Word count includes in-­­text references but
excludes the list of References (otherwise known as a bibliography) and source texts, which should
be provided as an appendix.