Conversation Analysis is important for anyone who wants to understand how conversation is organized. Students are given every opportunity to hear and analyse ordinary everyday conversations and to collect their own conversations for analysis. Students whose first language is not English will be able to collect and analyse data from their own language. There is a strong CA research culture at ANU. Students will be given every opportunity to learn from these more experienced CA researchers through seminars, data analysis sessions, and the fortnightly Discourse Analysis Group.

Conversation Analysis can be undertaken either as a single course or towards the Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics, Master of Applied Linguistics, Graduate Diploma of Linguistics, Master of Arts (Linguistics), Graduate Diploma in Translation Studies, Master of Translation Studies, Graduate Certificate in Applied Japanese Linguistics.

This course is compulsory for graduate students who wish to undertake further research (thesis or sub-thesis) in the area of discourse analysis, conversation analysis or applied conversation analysis. It is also recommended for graduate students who wish to undertake further research in critical discourse analysis. Students should consult with the Convenor of Applied Linguistics or their potential supervisor as to whether or not they should take the course.

On satisfying the expectations of the course, you should be able to

1. Collect examples of naturally-occurring everyday conversation.
2. Transcribe examples of naturally-occurring everyday conversation, using conversation analysis transcription conventions.
3. Explain, and argue for, the structural ‘rules' of everyday conversation e.g. rules for ensuring that only one person talks at a time, rules for opening and closing conversations, rules for determining what is a ‘turn at talk' and rules for determining the structural organisation of these turns at talk.
4. Work in a group to analyse how conversations are structured (non-assessed).
5. Think about, write and present an argument using conversation analysis.
6. Critique other methods of analyzing discourse (non-assessed).

Assessment consists of a transcription assignment (10%), and two analytic assignments (20% and 25%), as well as a final project (45%) due in the exam period. Passing of the course is conditional on students passing all assessment items.

This course has 3 contact hours per week (lectures and tutorials). In addition, students are required to attend the fortnightly Discourse Analysis Group seminar. Lectures and tutorials are held in a 3 hour block once per week.

In addition to the required contact hours (lectures, tutorials and Discourse Analysis Group), it is expected that students will spend an additional 8-10 hours per week on this course.

This course introduces graduate students to conversation analysis. Students are not required to complete any prior course before enrolling in this course.

Liddicoat, A. (2007) An Introduction to Conversation Analysis. Continuum.

Psathas, G. (1995) Conversation Analysis: The Study of Talk in Interaction. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

ten Have, P. (2007) Doing Conversation Analysis, Sage Publications: London. 2nd Ed.

Other than normal internet access to Wattle, no special equipment is required to access materials to complete the course. Students will be instructed as to how to download (and use) computer software (freeware) called Audacity as this program is useful when transcribing data.