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76490-01 - Lecture: Text-Based Digital Discourses (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Thomas Messerli (thomas.messerli@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this course, we will take stock of pragmatic, sociolinguistic and general linguistic aspects of text-based digital discourse. Focusing on how language functions in digital communication environments such as social media, forums, messaging platforms, comment sections and online consumer reviews, we will explore how core concepts in pragmatics, conversation analysis and discourse analysis – such as turn-taking, narrative, stance-taking, identity construction, and participation frameworks – are realised in digital contexts. Special attention will be given to textual digital practices, but also to the affordances and constraints of text-based digital platforms, how these influence linguistic features, interactional norms and genre conventions, and how past and current developments can be theorised in particular in the context of CMC (computer-mediated communication) research. Through a combination of theoretical discussion and analysis of authentic digital data in context, we will arrive at additional insights about digital discourse and reflect on its theoretical and methodological impact on existing discourse-analytic and pragmatic frameworks. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of this course, students • know about key pragmatic and discourse-analytic concepts relevant to text-based digital discourse • can analyse how digital platforms shape and are shaped by participation structures, interactional norms, and genre conventions • can exemplify how stance-taking, identity construction, and turn-taking are realised in text-based digital contexts • know how affordances and constraints of computer-mediated communication influence linguistic and discursive practices in different types of digital interaction • can critically reflect on the theoretical and methodological implications of analysing digital discourse |
| Bibliography | Lecture slides and obligatory reading for the course will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 17.09.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 24.09.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 01.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 08.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 15.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 22.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 29.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 05.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 12.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 19.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 26.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 03.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 10.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 17.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2022)) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Sprachwissenschaft MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Sprache als Prozess (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | t.b.a. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |