DISCOURSE ANALYSIS PROJECT Background: The roles of children are not set in stone. They vary depending on the cultural/historical context. A useful way to learn what it means to be a child in a given cultural context is to analyze how, in the things that people say (or write) to or about children, certain expectations/assumptions are implied.
That is, rather than a child’s role being defined explicitly (e.g., children should not drive cars) it may be defined implicitly as a result of how things said to/about children only make sense if we assume particular expectations/assumptions about the child’s role.
For example, consider how a child–but not necessarily an adult–could be asked upon arriving somewhere: who drove you here?
NOTE: Detailed instructions uplodeded
Step 1: Obtain a transcript of a conversation, news report, or other statement/text that is, in some way, about children/childhood or a related topic (e.g., schooling, daycare, etc.). You may transcribe an actual (i.e., naturally occurring) conversation, a conversation from a novel, TV show, play, movie, etc., or some other written or verbal statement that fits the requirements above. Examples include: · News report (online/print or TV) report about a noteworthy educational/childcare arrangement. · Comments (overheard) from parents about child rearing, parenting, education, daycare, etc. · Conversations between parents or parents and children about privileges, responsibilities, plans, etc. · Longer text-based social media posts about a child, children, childhood, parenting, childhood education, daycare, etc. The transcribed text should be no more than 1-2 pages in length.
Step 2: Analysis Analyze your transcript/text by identifying what is implied (assumed to be understood but not stated directly) about the roles of children/parents. In other words, try to identify assumptions/expectations about what the roles of children (or more specifically, toddlers, preteens, adolescents, etc.) or parents are which are implied in your text.
In this context, implied doesn’t mean additional details that you might guess are the case, but assumptions that are presumed in the text such that if one did not make them, the text would be confusing/not make sense.
When you have done this analysis, you want to be able to explain (1) what is implied and (2) how it is implied, making reference to the relevant parts of the text/transcript.
NOTE: Since you are looking for something that is implied, not explicitly stated, the references to the text/transcript should be to things that are said/written that would not make sense except in light of what is implied.
While some of what is implied/assumed as understood about children/childhood/parenting is somewhat obvious and uninteresting, important and interesting topics involve findings related to the following questions:
1. Age/developmental milestone after which academic/school-like work expected to be a part of childhood?
2. Age/developmental milestone after which certain things no longer appropriate for parents to do for/to their children?
3. Boundary between ages at which children (possibly grown) would/wouldn’t be expected to live at home.
Step 3: Class presentation & final write-up · Present the results of your analysis in video format on Blackboard.
Midway through the semester, I will reach out to each of you to select a week to present your project. Around four students will present each week, each at a time we find that works for the presenter and myself (the professor).
The presentations (along with my comments/feedback) will be recorded and available to others in class to view.
· In addition to giving your presentation over Blackboard, you are also required to submit a written version of your presentation on Blackboard by 12/18.
The paper should begin with a short description of the text/conversation/etc. you selected, followed by the quotes/transcript of the parts relevant to your analysis, and then the analysis itself.
**Remember, both your paper and presentation must directly present (quote) the relevant parts of the transcribed conversation/video/text. If you do not do this, it will not be possible for me to assess your analysis.
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