160153 PS Vertiefende Methodenlehrveranstaltung: Multimodal discourse analysis (2023W)

In this course, we will learn how to understand and analyze the multimodal nature of human communication. That is, we will examine how meaning is produced through multiple communicative modes, including but not limited to language (for example, images, fonts, gesture, gaze). Over the past two decades, research on multimodality has developed into a vast interdisciplinary field that features a variety of approaches. After a general introduction to the field, this course will deal with three approaches in particular: the social semiotic approach, a linguistic anthropological approach to multimodality, and multimodal mediated theory.

The course’s content is organized around two main goals:
1.) Students should familiarize themselves with different approaches to multimodal discourse analysis, understanding their theoretical foundations not only in isolation, but also in comparison to each other and within the wider context of research on multimodality.
2.) Students should learn how to dynamically apply and combine concepts from these approaches to generate their own analyses of multimodal communicative phenomena.

The course meetings will be primarily discussion-driven and will focus on: (a) presenting analytical concepts, (b) discussing empirical studies, and (c) analyzing contemporary examples of multimodal texts/artefacts and communicative events (e.g., street signs, internet memes, scenes from TV and cinema, YouTube videos, household items, everyday interactions).

By the end of the course, students should:
- have a firm grasp of the main goals, concerns, and challenges in the field of multimodal discourse analysis;
- acquire in-depth knowledge of key concepts in the approaches discussed in class;
- be capable of evaluating the relevance of various analytical tools to their analytical goals;
- develop their skills as analysts by making informed analytical decisions and applying a variety of tools from different research traditions;
- gain hands-on experience in analyzing multimodal communication both independently and as part of a team of analysts, also engaging in critical group discussions.

The course will be taught in English and will take place on campus.