Course detail

Analysis of Professional Discourse

FEKT-BPC-DANAcad. year: 2025/2026

The objective of the course is to explain and practise the methods of discourse analysis in English and use the results of the analytical processes production and comprehension of different types of texts, primarily texts on electrical engineering.

Language of instruction

English, Czech

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Mgr. Petra Zmrzlá, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Foreign Languages (UJAZ)

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Entry knowledge

Intermediate / Upper-intermediate English and general linguistic background required.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

For the successful completion of the course students are required to deliver a presentation on an assigned topic during the semester and actively participate in the seminars.
In the written part of the exam, students will prove their understanding of basic terminology and analytical methods.
The oral part of the exam will take the form of a colloquy. Group discussions will focus on the theoretical foundations, terminology and the knowledge acquired during the course.
The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year. 

Aims

Students will learn the methods of analysis of professional English texts based on functional analytical framework. They should be able to determine the qualities of the analyzed discourse and  use their knowledge in production of texts and comprehension.
The students will learn how to analyze a specific variety of a language in a variety of relevant methods. They will be able to determine the rules and qualities of the analysed discourse and apply their knowledge in translating, production of texts and their interpretation.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

WIDDOWSON, Henry. Discourse Analysis. Oxford: OUP, 2007. ISBN 9780194389211. (EN)
ZMRZLÁ, Petra. Discourse under investigation: a brief summary of theoretical background and concepts. Brno: Vysoké učení technické v Brně, 2022. ISBN 978-80-214-6056-0. (EN)

Recommended reading

KRHUTOVÁ, Milena. The language of electrical engineering as a special province. Brno: Akademické nakladatelství CERM, 2007. ISBN 978-80-7204-562-4. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BPC-APE Bachelor's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

13 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Mgr. Petra Zmrzlá, Ph.D.

Syllabus

    • Introduction
    • Discourse, context, and text; Discourse analysis
    • Analytical framework; Functional sentence perspective
    • Co-operative principle; Spoken and written discourse
    • Text, types of textu, Intertextuality
    • Genre and style
    • Language variation; Register and dialect
    • Functions of language
    • Cohesion and coherence
    • Communicative convergence; Sense relations; Figurative language
    • Academic discourse
    • Colloquy
 

Language exercise

26 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Mgr. Petra Zmrzlá, Ph.D.

Syllabus

    • Introduction
    • Discourse, context, and text; Discourse analysis
    • Analytical framework; Functional sentence perspective
    • Co-operative principle; Spoken and written discourse
    • Text, types of textu, Intertextuality
    • Genre and style
    • Language variation; Register and dialect
    • Functions of language
    • Cohesion and coherence
    • Communicative convergence; Sense relations; Figurative language
    • Academic discourse
    • Colloquy