Discourse is language in use within multiple contexts-textual, social, cultural, and historical. It has to do with the way relationships get mediated by language and other signs-how authors appeal to their audiences, texts apprehend the world they purport to describe, and the human self comes to terms with its many others. The interdisciplinary field of discourse studies pursues questions about the role of language in such issues as how individuals form social identities (including identities based on gender, class, race, ethnicity, occupation, and geographic region), how stereotypes get perpetuated, how writing influences thought, how rhetorical traditions accommodate change, how literary cultures account for nature, how stories advance arguments, and how poems embody diverse voices. The concentration in discourse studies at Texas A&M draws upon rhetoric and composition, linguistics, literacy studies, ethnography of communication, and literary scholarship for its methods and research topics. Students in discourse studies take 12 hours (four courses) from the list to the right in addition to departmental requirements, working with their advisors and advisory committees to develop a coherent blend of coursework in rhetoric, linguistics, literature, cultural studies, and theory. |
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Valerie Balester Giovanna Del Negro |
