NURS 7300 - Critical Discourse Analysis

Open to all majors. This course explores critical discourse analysis as a method of scholarly inquiry. We discuss various historical, epistemological and methodological versions of discourse theory as they relates to differing ideas about what discourse is/does and how a researcher might address discourse as a unit of analysis. A major focus of the class will be to apply these frameworks to the analysis of texts used in social research such as archival and historical material, institutional and legal policies, interviews, focus groups and graphic images. Students will practice methods of discourse analysis using their own or selected data. Questions about how research production is also a discursive practice are emphasized and specific production strategies will be discussed. An organizing thread throughout will be the ongoing critical analysis of discourse in health sciences research and practice.