ELT 002 - Discourse Analysis and Language Teaching

This course introduces students to the principles and practices of discourse analysis as applied to movies and literature. Students will explore how language, visual elements, and narrative structures create meaning in films and literary texts. The course will cover various theoretical frameworks and analytical tools to examine dialogues, narratives, and visual discourses, enabling students to critically engage with both mediums.

Manifold benefits have been suggested in using film and literature in English Language Teaching. Literature and film as discourse sources allow for a detailed analysis of how characters bring out social predicaments involving identity, social class, power, gender, race, and discrimination. This sort of discourse analysis is essential for learners if language is to be misused in academic or professional domains. The pedagogical use of film and literature, however, comes with a number of challenges and requires careful consideration. Existing literature suggests a number of criteria to guide practitioners in choosing and using film and literature for their classes, focusing mainly on why we should use adaptations in our classes or criteria to choose or reject the films and literature for EFL learners. This course aims to offer a different perspective by discussing what criteria we need to consider when using film and literature in English language classes for specific purposes. Even though topics such as audience or other matters that could be of general use to EFL instructors are also addressed, this work is aimed at those who have a particular interest in analyzing film and literature as sources of discourse in the ELT classroom.