Language is so fundamental to the rituals and events of everyday life that its role is taken for granted. Language and Social Interaction deals with how we use language to negotiate relationships, actions and events in our daily lives. Students will explore various approaches to the analysis of language in interaction, such as conversation analysis, discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis, and they will encounter research into language in interaction in diverse contexts for a range of purposes. Students will develop skills for analysing naturally-occurring language samples, and they will have the opportunity to develop their own research project using a method encountered in the course. This research training experience will include the collection and analysis of data.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- collect and transcribe naturally-occurring spoken interaction;
- develop analytical techniques for describing the structure and function of authentic spoken interactions;
- apply the concepts of discourse analysis to the critical analysis of spoken discourses and to then reflect and generalise from the findings; and
- carry out a research project using methods covered in the course.
Indicative Assessment
- In class quiz (30) [LO 2,3]
- Research project data presentation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Research project report (3000 words) (50) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Participation in lectorials and padlets (10) [LO 2,3]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of seminars and 12 hours of tutorials; b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
· Suzanne Eggins and Diana Slade, 1997/2004 Analysing Casual Conversation, Equinox, UK
· Jones, Rodney H., 2012. Discourse Analysis: A resource book for students. Abingdon: Routledge.
· Thornbury S. & Slade D. (2006) Conversation from Description to Pedagogy, Cambridge University Press, UK
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6360 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3606 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |