‘Discourse’ is a widely used concept in the social sciences and humanities, relevant for any researcher working with textual data. In this seminar, we’ll discuss what it means to adopt a discursive perspective, from a theoretical point of view but also in practical, methodological terms. Specifically, we’ll be looking at the role that language plays in reflecting and shaping social reality, and how a focus on language can enrich research designs.

On successfully completing the course, participants should be able to:

• Appreciate the multi-layered nature of discourse as a theoretical construct
• Demonstrate awareness of its practical relevance for research in management studies and related fields
• Integrate reflections on discourse into a variety of research designs
• Identify ways in which looking at data through a language lens opens up new perspectives
• Appreciate the value of computer-assisted approaches to discourse
• Apply a discursive perspective to their own PhD projects
• Turn their study of textual data into a compelling research story

You may be absent for a maximum of 2.5 hours in total.

Students’ presentations, in-class discussion and critical reflection in small groups.

50% Oral presentation on the student’s own doctoral dissertation

30% Written reflection on a journal article from the field of discourse studies

20% in-class participation

Use of AI Tools

In this course, the use of AI tools is not permitted at all, not even for checking grammar and vocabulary.

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.