COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
SPECIALIZED COURSE
Course facilitator:
Dawson Weehunt, cultural anthropologist and discourse analyst at the Centre of Discourse Studies.
General information:
Course dates: Weekly sessions every Wednesday, from November 4th to December 9th, 2026
Time: 5PM - 7PM (Barcelona - CET/UTC+1)
Total hours of class sessions: 12
Total hours of asynchronous participation: 12
Place: online (Zoom meetings)
Language: English
Price: €280 for full course
Course certificate included in price
Registration open until October 27th
Course description:
This fall course offers an introduction to critically analyzing corporate discourse. It will begin with an introduction to both critical discourse studies and theories of the business corporation. We will then consider types of corporate discourses and their corresponding social structures, as well as specific strategies and tactics which are characteristic of corporate discourse. The course focuses on a qualitative analysis of corporate discourse by foregrounding the social relations of various discursive artifacts such as articles of incorporation, websites, mission statements, and advertising. Students will be asked to choose such an artifact and to present an analysis to the class at the end of the course.
This is an introductory course and does not require previous formation in discourse analysis. Apart from online class sessions, the course includes asynchronous participation with previously assigned readings and a final presentation. Class sessions will be supported by Zoom Meetings and asynchronous participation with readings and other course materials will be supported by Perusall.
This course is organized and taught by Dawson Weehunt, cultural anthropologist and discourse analyst at the Centre of Discourse Studies.
Program:
November 4th, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 1 - Introduction to Critical Discourse Studies
In this session, we address what discourse is and the critical approaches to studying it, starting with van Dijk’s foundational (1993) text “Principles of critical discourse analysis”, and with an eye towards the contributions of Wodak, Fairclough and Blommaert.
November 11th, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 2 - Perspectives on the Corporation, from the VOC to Amazon
In this session we will look at the characteristic traits of contemporary transnational business corporations, including different approaches to addressing the corporation critically. We will situate the practice of incorporation in colonial history and extend this to a consideration of the current functions of incorporation in contemporary capitalism.
November 18th, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 3 - Social Structures and Realms of Corporate Discourse
As we live in a world where corporations are ubiquitous, so is corporate discourse. Beyond only advertising, in this session we will look at types of corporate discourse and their corresponding social structures, including articles of incorporation, board reports, internal memos and directives, press releases, web pages, commercials, mission statements, slogans, and concepts.
November 25th, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 4 - Corporate Discursive Strategies 1
This will be the first of two sessions dedicated to specific strategies and tactics which are characteristic of corporate discourse. In this session will look at both the theory and examples of:
Corporate Legitimation and Ideology
Epidiectic Discourse
Organizational Narcissism
December 2nd, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 5 - Corporate Discursive Strategies 2
In this course we continue our focus on strategies and tactics which are characteristic of corporate discourse, addressing:
Disavowal and Responsibility
Oxymorons
Denial, Acknowledgement / Token Accommodation, and Strategic Engagement
December 9th, 17:00 to 19:00 (5PM to 7PM) CET/UTC+1 time zone:
Session 6 - Presentations and Conclusions
In this session, students will be asked to present an example of corporate discourse of their choosing and to analyze it critically. We will end with an open discussion for comments on the presentations and concluding remarks on corporate discourse and the course.
Critical Analysis of Corporate Discourse