ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Course overview

The course in Analysis of Political Discourse examines political discourse from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. It focuses on the ways in which language contributes to the construction of political meanings, identities and relations of power. It provides students with the theoretical foundations and analytical tools needed to examine political and media discourse across different genres and communicative contexts. The course has two main goals. It first introduces the key concepts and methodologies of Critical Discourse Analysis and explores a range of discursive strategies, including metaphor, evaluation, agency, argumentation, intertextuality, interdiscursivity and othering. It will then apply these analytical tools to discourses of borders and national identity, with particular attention to the UK, the USA and the Euro-Mediterranean area. Throughout the course, students combine theoretical learning with close analysis of political texts. Class discussion and text-based activities develop critical interpretation and the ability to connect linguistic choices with their broader political and social contexts.

Expected learning outcomes (RA)

Knowledge and understanding
Students will acquire advanced knowledge of the main theoretical and methodological approaches to political discourse analysis, including the relationships between language, power, ideology and political action. They will understand how these approaches contribute to the analysis of political, institutional and communicative processes. They will understand key concepts and debates in contemporary discourse studies.

Applying knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to apply appropriate discourse-analytical concepts and methodologies to a number of spoken, written and digital political texts. They will conduct comparative analyses connecting linguistic and discursive features with their broader political, institutional and social contexts.

Making judgements
Through case-study analysis, seminar discussion and presentations, students will critically assess different interpretations of political discourse and select relevant issues for analysis. They will develop independent and evidence-based interpretations of complex forms of contemporary political communication.

Communication skills
Students will communicate analyses effectively in oral and written English, using appropriate disciplinary terminology and coherent argumentation. Presentations, seminar discussions and written assignments will develop their ability to connect discourse analysis with broader political and social-science debates.

Learning skills
Through advanced reading and independent analytical work, students will consolidate their command of key concepts, paradigms and theoretical debates. They will learn to select relevant sources, update their knowledge autonomously and engage with perspectives from other disciplines within social sciences.

The course is organised around lectures combined with discussion and analysis of texts assigned before each class. A highly interactive approach is expected: textual analysis, discussion and the exchange of ideas will play a central role.

There are no formal prerequisites. A general background in political science, international relations, communication, linguistics or related social sciences and humanities would be useful. The ability to read academic texts in English is important, but no previous knowledge of discourse analysis is required.

Attendance is compulsory, with partial exemptions permitted in accordance with GLOPEM regulations. Students who are unable to attend because of delays in obtaining a visa may be admitted to the examination as non-attending students. They should contact the instructor at the beginning of the course to agree on equivalent assessment requirements, consisting of a comprehensive oral examination on all course readings in place of class participation and workshop activities.

The course is organized in two parts:

1.     Methodologies and discursive strategies. Students will be taught the methodological toolkit employed in discourse analysis and will learn to recognize and discuss the most important discursive strategies employed in political and media texts from a range of national and transnational contexts, with particular attention to the UK, the USA and the Euro-Mediterranean area. Strategies include metaphors, evaluation, masking devices (e.g., passivisation), topoi, intertextuality, interdiscursivity, othering.

2.     Discourses of borders and national identity. Students will be asked to analyse texts of various genres (political speeches, social media texts, party manifestos, etc.) in which discourses of borders emerge as a defining feature in contemporary constructions of the nation and national identity

Reference texts

1.     Demata, M. (2022). Discourses of Borders and the Nation in the USA. London: Routledge.

2.     Demata, M. (2021), “Keeping the threat out. Trump’s discourse, the wall and the “other.”” Altre Modernità, (25), 270–286.

3.     Demata, M. (2024). Of infiltrators and wild beasts: Nationalism and populism in Benjamin Netanyahu’s narrative of the borders.” Journal of Language and Politics 23 (3), 438-459.

4.     Demata, M. and E. Vallet (2027 – forthcoming). “Borders, Power and Pandemic Discourse: Institutional Constructions of Mobility and Security across the EU.”  

Additional mandatory materials will be given during the course and uploaded on both the course’s website and the course’s Teams’ page. 

The assessment of the students’ work will take place in two phases:

a)     an individual written assignment and oral presentation on a topic to be agreed upon with the instructor;

b)    a final oral exam.

Students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to understand and analyse political and media texts in English and to discuss the discursive strategies through which meaning is constructed in specific social and political contexts.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on-line, should the conditions require it.

To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs. Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l’integrazione Attiva e Partecipata – Servizi per le Disabilità e/o i DSA) referring teacher within their department (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).

In Italy, grades for individual courses range from 18 (minimum pass) to 30 (maximum). The highest grade may be awarded with lode (cum laude, distinction) for outstanding performance. The scale is not directly convertible to percentages or GPA, but it is roughly comparable to “sufficient–excellent” ranges used internationally. 

a.     Could you find the metaphors in this text and discuss their structure, meaning and purpose?

b.     How is the “other” presented discursively in this text?

c.     What kind of intertextuality is constructed in this text?