Why study Discourse Analysis at the Essex Summer School?
We asked our instructors…
Why should I study Discourse Analysis?
Discourse Analysis provides rigorous methodological tools to understand how social, political, and cultural realities are constructed through language, narratives, symbols, and representations.
Contemporary issues such as climate change, populism, artificial intelligence, human rights, or gender are not simply objective facts; they are interpreted, framed, and contested through discourse. By studying discourse, we learn how particular problems come to be defined, why certain solutions appear “natural,” and how power operates through language and meaning.
Why Discourse Analysis at Essex?
Essex is home to the ‘Essex School in Political Discourse Theory’, with an international reputation for its development of post-Marxism, radical democracy, populism studies, critical fantasy studies, and the ‘logics approach’ to critical empirical research.
The Essex Summer School offers a uniquely suitable format for studying DA: an intense two-week format that leaves participants a lot of time for advancing with their own work while also studying for the course; small classes that allow for highly personalised teaching approaches; and an institutional environment where DA has a long tradition.
What makes your course distinctive or different?
Doing Discourse Analysis: Populism, Neoliberalism and Radical Democratic Politics: “Our course offers well balanced sessions on the theory, methodology and application of discourse analysis. We dive into the theoretical underpinnings of discourse analysis, which we then unpack in the step-by-step discussion of the “logics” method of analysis and explanation within discourse theory. The exercises and discussions focus on the analysis and discussion of policy documents, written and spoken texts, the examination of media and visual rhetoric, and so forth.” Prof. David Howarth, Dr. Konstantinos Roussos, Dr. Jimena Vazquez Garcia, University of Essex.
Applying Discourse Theory – Politics, Ideology, Populism: “The course is distinctive in three respects: (1) It considers carefully how to ‘operationalise’ political discourse theory for purposes of critical empirical research; (2) Drawing on the expertise of the course instructors, it contextualizes the role played by psychoanalysis and populism in particular (3) It offers participants the opportunity to explore collectively how to relate the course material to their own research projects.” Prof. Jason Glynos, University of Essex; Prof. Yannis Stavrakakis, Aristotle University.
Applied Discourse Analysis for Social Sciences: From Theory to Practice: “My course is different by its methodological focus: our main concern is how to do discourse analysis in practice (while much of the literature focuses on discourse theory). To that effect we will draw also on the general qualitative data analysis literature whose tools – with some adaptations – can help us structuring and naming the analytic process of DA. By the end of the course, participants should have a clear understanding of the stages of the analytical process, and also an understanding for how to convincingly explain to their readers.” Dr. Lea Sgier, University of Geneva.
